On Tuesday, January 28, 2020, Governor Tony Evers signed the following bargaining contracts into law:

AB-706 Bargaining Contract (Joint Committee on Employment Relations) Ratification of the agreement negotiated between the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee, for the 2018-19 fiscal year, covering employees in the building trades crafts collective bargaining unit, and authorizing an expenditure of funds. Signed (Act 77)

AB-707 Bargaining Contract (Joint Committee on Employment Relations) Ratification of the agreement negotiated between the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee, for the 2019-20 fiscal year, covering employees in the building trades crafts collective bargaining unit, and authorizing an expenditure of funds. Signed (Act 78)

AB-708 Bargaining Contract (Joint Committee on Employment Relations) Ratification of the agreement negotiated between the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee, for the 2018-19 fiscal year, covering employees in the building trades crafts collective bargaining unit, and authorizing an expenditure of funds. Signed (Act 79)

AB-709 Bargaining Contract (Joint Committee on Employment Relations) Ratification of the agreement negotiated between the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee, for the 2019-20 fiscal year, covering employees in the building trades crafts collective bargaining unit, and authorizing an expenditure of funds. Signed (Act 80)

AB-710 Bargaining Contract (Joint Committee on Employment Relations) Ratification of the agreement negotiated between the state of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee, for the 2018-19 fiscal year, covering employees in the building trades crafts collective bargaining unit, and authorizing an expenditure of funds. Signed (Act 81)

AB-711 Bargaining Contract (Joint Committee on Employment Relations) Ratification of the agreement negotiated between the state of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee, for the 2019-20 fiscal year, covering employees in the building trades crafts collective bargaining unit, and authorizing an expenditure of funds. Signed (Act 82)

On Wednesday, January 29, 2020, Governor Tony Evers signed Executive Order 67 to create a Task Force on Student Debt. The Task Force will include:

• Secretary of the Dept. of Financial Institutions (chair), or designee;
• Governor, or designee;
• Executive Director, Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board, or designee;
• Sec. of the Dept. of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, or designee;
• State Superintendent of DPI, or designee;
• Sec. of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, or designee;
• President of the UW System, or designee;
• President of the WI Technical College System, or designee;
• President of the WI Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, or designee;
• Two members of the Assembly, one from each party;
• Two members of the Senate, one from each party;
• Representative from the WI Tribal Nation;
• Individuals appointed by the Governor which may include business community, academic community, financial services industry, student loan borrowers, and parents of student loan borrowers.

According to the order, the Task Force will be assigned with:

• Assessing the causes of student debt and the challenges student debt creates for Wisconsinites, their families, and the state economy.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of current policies relating to student debt.
• Researching best practices from industry, academia, and other states on reducing the burden of student debt.
• Providing recommendations on:
  • How the state can best address the student debt crisis;
  • Improving the State’s financial literacy education;
  • Strategies for borrowers to help reduce loan and education-related defaults;
  • Strategies aimed at the most vulnerable populations struggling with student debt;
  • The State’s role in preventing abusive practices from loan companies;
  • Improving data collection;
  • The State’s role in maintaining affordable and high-quality higher education institutions in the State;
  • Other programmatic and budgetary recommendations.

The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy held a public hearing on Wednesday, January 29 and heard  SB-712– Freshwater Collaborative: funding a University of Wisconsin System freshwater collaborative and making an appropriation. President Ray Cross submitted written testimony in favor of SB 712, attached below. In addition, UW System institutions attended the hearing to provide testimony, including: UW-Superior, UW-Green Bay, UW-Whitewater, UW-Parkside, UW-Madison, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Milwaukee, and UW-La Crosse. UW-Platteville and UW-Oshkosh provided written testimony.  AB 801, the companion bill to SB 712, was heard in the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities on Thursday, January 30. The Assembly committee also heard AB 800– Groundwater Quality – 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. UW Stevens Point, UW-Platteville, and UW-Madison provided testimony. President Cross also provided written testimony in favor of AB 800.

The Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities held an executive session on January 30, and heard the following bills related to UW System:

• AB 230– Military Transcripts: transferring academic credits from military transcripts to University of Wisconsin System schools and technical colleges. Passed in a 16-0 vote.
• AB 556– Teaching Hours: recognizing teaching hours for providing certain extension services of the University of Wisconsin System. Passed including Substitute Amendment 1 in a 16-0 vote.

The Senate Committee on Universities, Technical Colleges, Children & Families held an executive session on Friday, January 31 to vote by paper ballot on the following bill relating to UW System:

• SB 497– Teaching Hours: recognizing teaching hours for providing certain extension services of the University of Wisconsin System.

The Committee voted to pass the bill including Substitute Amendment 1 , in a 7-0 vote.