The Assembly was in session on Tuesday, February 11 and heard the following bills relating to UW System:

• AB-444 UW Free Expression: free expression within the University of Wisconsin System, providing an exemption from rule-making procedures, and granting rule-making authority.

Passed, including substitute amendment 1, in a 62-37 vote

• AB-531 ID Card Info: requiring that student identification cards include contact information for suicide prevention hotlines.

Concurred in Senate Amendment 1. The bill will next go to the Governor.

The Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology, & Consumer Protection held an executive session on Tuesday, February 11 and heard the following bills relating to UW System:

• SB-612 Increasing Retirement Age: increasing the minimum retirement age under the Wisconsin Retirement System; decreasing the minimum break in service for annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System who are rehired by a participating employer, and allowing rehired annuitants to elect to not participate in the Wisconsin Retirement System.

Passed including Amendment 1, in a 3-2 vote.  

• SB-690 Fee Reports: biennial reports regarding fees charged by executive agencies.

Passed in a 3-2 vote.

The Joint Committee on Finance held a meeting on Wednesday, February 12 and heard the following case relating to UW System:

• Department of Justice – Josh Kaul, Attorney General Case: UW Board of Regents v. Sonnleitner and Wells. Settlement approved in a 13-0 vote

The Assembly Committee on Science and Technology held an executive session on Wednesday, February 12, and heard the following bills relating to UW System:

• AB-870 Access to Data: consumer access to personal data processed by a controller and providing a penalty.
• AB-871 Deleting Data: deletion of consumer personal data by controllers and providing a penalty.
• AB-872 Data Restrictions: restricting controllers from using consumer data and providing a penalty.

The Joint Committee on Finance held an executive session on Wednesday, February 12 and heard the following bills relating to UW System:

• AB-536 Scholarship Program: establishing a career advancement scholarship program and making an appropriation. Passed including Amendment 1 in a 16-0 vote.  
• SB-537 Tuition Grants: veteran-related tuition grants for certain veterans and dependents enrolled in private nonprofit institutions of higher education and making an appropriation. Passed including Amendment 1 in a 16-0 vote.  
• AB-684 Tuition Grants: veteran-related tuition grants for certain veterans and dependents enrolled in private nonprofit institutions of higher education and making an appropriation. Passed including Amendment 1 in a 16-0 vote.  
• SB-718 Nitrate Reduction Pilot: creating a pilot grant program for farmers to reduce nitrate loading, funding research for nitrate loading reduction methods, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. Passed including Amendment 1 in a 16-0 vote.
• AB-796 Nitrate Reduction Pilot: creating a pilot grant program for farmers to reduce nitrate loading, funding research for nitrate loading reduction methods, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. Passed including Amendment 1 in a 16-0 vote.
  
• SB-709 Water Policy Office: creating an office of water policy and making an appropriation. Passed including Amendment 1 in a 16-0 vote.  
• AB-799 Water Policy Office: creating an office of water policy and making an appropriation. Passed including Amendment 1  in a 16-0 vote.
  
• SB-722 Well Testing Grants: supporting the Center for Watershed Science and Education, creating a hydrogeologist position, funding research on phosphorus recovery and reuse, creating grant programs for counties to test wells and provide public education, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. Passed including Amendment 1  and Amendment 2  in a 16-0 vote.  
• AB-800 Well Testing Grants: supporting the Center for Watershed Science and Education, creating a hydrogeologist position, funding research on phosphorus recovery and reuse, creating grant programs for counties to test wells and provide public education, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. Passed including Amendment 1 and Amendment 2 in a 16-0 vote.  
• SB-712 Freshwater Collaborative: funding a University of Wisconsin System freshwater collaborative and making an appropriation. Passed in a 16-0 vote.
• AB-801 Freshwater Collaborative: funding a University of Wisconsin System freshwater collaborative and making an appropriation. Passed in a 16-0 vote.

The Assembly Committee on Veteran and Military Affairs held a public hearing on Thursday, February 13 and heard the following bill relating to UW System:

• AB-689 Tuition Remission: tuition and fee remission for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System or a technical college.

The committee took no action on this bill.

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Revenue, & Financial Institutions held an executive session on Thursday, February 13, and voted by paper ballot on the following bill relating to UW System:

• SB-563 Extension Services: funding for certain extension services of the University of Wisconsin System and making an appropriation.

The Committee passed this bill in a 9-0 vote.

The Assembly Committee on State Affairs held an executive session on Thursday, February 13 and heard the following bill relating to UW System:

• AB-670 Increasing Retirement Age: increasing the minimum retirement age under the Wisconsin Retirement System; decreasing the minimum break in service for annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System who are rehired by a participating employer, and allowing rehired annuitants to elect to not participate in the Wisconsin Retirement System.

The bill, including Amendment 1, was passed in a 8-6 vote.

UW System President Ray Cross and Regent President Andrew S. Petersen, along with Regents Eve Hall and Torrey Tiedeman, joined UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone for a series of events at UW-Milwaukee on Thursday, February 13, for the ninth stop of UW System’s All In Wisconsin tour, aimed at demonstrating the value the UW System brings to Wisconsin.

The tour kicked off with a breakfast with community and business leaders including representatives from corporations and local governments in the region. Regent President Petersen spoke about the importance of forming lasting partnerships between business and the UW System.

UWM also hosted two student panels: an entrepreneurship panel featuring students and their stories with a focus of “Entrepreneurs in Action,” and a student success panel highlighting the “Panther Foundations for Success” internship development program.

The day ended with a news conference to announce an important step the UW System is taking to continue its focus on increasing diversity and inclusion across UW campuses: funding for a campus climate survey. The UW System is executing a contract with the Higher Education Research Institute to survey students at the UW System’s 13 universities to provide baseline information about the perceptions of students as they enter the universities and their experiences at the universities.

See the UW news release for a full recap of the event.

The next stop on the All In Wisconsin tour is UW-Madison on March 13.