Welcome to the Universities of Wisconsin Government Relations Newsletter. The Office of Government Relations provides legislative and political updates that impact the Universities of Wisconsin at the state and federal level.
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State Relations
Joint Committee on Employment Relations
Last week, the Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) approved all 2025 Act 15 related policy items pertaining to the UWs which includes:
Additionally, JCOER approved the UW System and UW-Madison tentative trades agreements, as well as the full 2025-27 State of Wisconsin Compensation Plan.
The trades agreements have now been introduced as separate bills to be ratified by the Legislature.
Governor Bill Signing
Last week, the Governor signed Senate Bill 210, relating to: changes to amount of, and criteria for designating recipients of, academic excellence higher education scholarships, into law and is now 2025 WI Act 80. The UWs and UW-Madison both submitted testimony in favor of this legislation during the public hearings.
Click here to see the Legislative Council Act Memo.
Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities
The Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities held an Executive Session on Wednesday, December 10 at 9:30AM on the following bills:
- AB 501, relating to: free speech and academic freedom at University of Wisconsin System institutions and technical colleges, due process in disciplinary proceedings at University of Wisconsin System institutions and technical colleges, and causes of action against the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and technical college district boards. The bill passed on party lines with a 7-4 vote. Its Senate companion, SB 498, already passed on the Senate Floor 17-16. The Universities of Wisconsin testified for information only and UW-Madison submitted written testimony for information only on this legislation.
- AB 505, relating to: creating a veterinary loan repayment grant program administered by the Higher Educational Aids Board and exempting from taxation amounts received from such a grant program. The bill passed on an 11-0 vote. Its senate companion, SB 501, has already passed out of committee on a 5-0 vote. UW-Madison submitted written testimony in favor of this legislation.
Following the Executive Session, the Committee held a Public Hearing on the following UW related bills:
- AB 663, relating to: imposing certain prohibitions on foreign influence at University of Wisconsin System institutions. The UWs and UW-Madison submitted written testimony for information only.
- AB 486, relating to: permissible financial aid reductions in higher education. The UWs and UW-Madison submitted written testimony for information only.
Assembly Committee on State Affairs
The Assembly Committee on State Affairs held a Public Hearing last week on AB 662, relating to: prohibiting state contracting with certain business entities and providing a penalty.
Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care
The Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care held a Public Hearing last week on AB 590, relating to: definition of athletic training.
UW-Madison Athletics testified in favor of this legislation during the public hearing.
State Building Commission
The State Building Commission will meet on Wednesday, December 17th. See below for the schedule:
- Administrative Affairs Subcommittee – 10AM
- Higher Education Subcommittee – 11AM
- Full Commission – 1:30PM
You can view the full agenda on the website.
Federal Relations
Committee on Education and Workforce Markup
Last week, the House Committee and Education and Workforce marked up several bills of interest to institutions of higher education. These bills included:
- H.R. 6472, To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for in-state tuition rates for certain residents of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands, and for other purposes
- H.R. 6498, Student Financial Clarity Act
- H.R. 6502, College Financial Aid Clarity
For more on the actions taken by the committee, you can review the archived markup and Committee summary.
Negotiated Rulemaking Update
The U.S. Department of Education concluded the negotiated rulemaking session to implement the new workforce Pell Grant program. As noted in the linked release, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
The AHEAD Committee will meet again in early January to discuss the accountability measures contained within H.R. 1.
For more, you can review the negotiated rulemaking process here.
Committee on Education and Workforce Investigation
Last week, Chairman Walberg sent a letter to Dr. Sally Kornbluth, President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), requesting information related to “recent instances of antisemitism on campus.” For more you can review the Committee press release and letter to MIT.
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Hearing
The Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity will hold an oversight hearing titled "Detrimental Delays: Reviewing Payment Failures in VA’s Education Programs.” The hearing will begin at 9:15AM Central Time on December 16. If interested in watching live, you can do so on the Committee Website.
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hearing
The Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee will hold an oversight hearing titled, “Research Security: Examining the Implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act and NSPM-33.” The hearing will begin at 9:00AM Central Time on December 18.
Announced witness include:
- Dr. Rebecca Keiser, Acting Chief of Staff, National Science Foundation
- Dr. Daniel Evans, Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Dr. Patricia Valdez, Chief Extramural Research Integrity Officer, National Institutes of Health
- Mr. Jay Tilden, Director of Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, U.S. Department of Energy
If interested in watching live, you can do so on the Committee website.
Full House and Senate Hearing Schedule
If interested, you can see a full list of upcoming hearings on the Senate Hearings & Meetings Page. A review of the committee hearings in the House of Representatives is available via the Committee Schedule within the House of Representatives Legislative Activity section on the Chamber’s main page.
House and Senate Floor Schedules
When the House of Representatives and Senate return to Washington, a full list of votes will be found on the respective websites for the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Note: Links to external sites are provided for informational purposes and not meant to convey an endorsement of the Universities of Wisconsin.