The Weekly Update

Joint Committee on Finance Assembly Leadership

Speaker Robin Vos has announced Assembly leadership for the Joint Committee on Finance. Representative Mark Born has been re-appointed as chair of JFC and Representative Tony Kurtz has been newly appointed vice-chair. The rest of the Assembly membership has not yet been announced.

Senate Universities & Revenue Committee

The Senate Universities & Revenue Committee met on Wednesday, December 11, for an informational hearing on “higher education, its impact on workforce development and emerging fields of study available to students.” Invited speakers included:

• Michael Alexander, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin – Green Bay
• Grant Immel, PE, CIT, Faculty, Madison Area Technical College
• Layla Merrifield, President, Wisconsin Technical College System

State Building Commission

The State Building Commission will meet on Wednesday, December 18, in Madison. The subcommittee times are as follows:

• Admin Affairs Subcommittee: 10:00 a.m. in 330SW
• Higher Ed Subcommittee: 11:00 a.m. in 330SW
• Full Commission: 3:00 p.m. in Governor’s Conference Room

The agenda can be found on the DOA website. 

Education and the Workforce Chair

Last week, the House Republican Steering Committee selected Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI) to be the Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee in the 119^th Congress.

While this selection will need to be ratified by the whole conference, at the time of this announcement current Chairwoman Virginia Foxx said, “Congratulations to Rep. Walberg! He’s been a collaborative, effective, and hardworking member of the Committee for 16 years, and I am excited to see him step into this leadership role. Tim has been a lifelong fighter for education and literacy and truly believes in helping every American reach his or her God-given potential. I have no doubt that he’ll hit the ground running and will work tirelessly to ensure students have the opportunity to learn and workers have the ability to succeed.”

Legislation Signed into Law

H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act was signed into law by President Biden on December 11. Among several provisions, the bill codifies that the FAFSA be available each year by October 1. 

Further, last week, H.R. 5646, the Stop Campus Hazing Act passed the Senate via unanimous consent. The bill passed the House in September via voice vote, which means it now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

Department of Education FAFSA Update

Last week, the Department of Education released an update on the 2025-26 FAFSA. Among other updates on how the rollout has gone, the release includes information on help available to students and families as they complete the form.

At the time of the release, Secretary Cardona said “We are proud to say that the FAFSA form is working, and over 1.5 million students have successfully submitted their 2025–26 forms. The steps we’ve taken to improve the system have created a smoother, more reliable experience for students and families, and we remain vigilant about addressing any issues that arise so that millions more can complete their forms this cycle. A fully functional, simpler process is just the beginning. Across the country, we now must collectively raise the bar to ensure all students get the financial aid they need to pursue their dreams of higher education.”

Government Funding

Leadership in the House and Senate continue to work through efforts to fund the government past the expiration of the current continuing resolution on December 20^th. As a deal is reached and legislative text is released, more information on the bill should be available on both the House Committee on Appropriations website and the  Senate Committee on Appropriations website.

House/Senate Floor Schedules

The House of Representatives and Senate are both scheduled to be in session and voting this week. A full list of votes can be found on the respective websites for the House of Representatives and the  Senate as they are released.