WisPolitics Budget Blog

A new Wisconsin Alumni Association budget mailer features pictures of Bucky Badger with this on red reverse type: "BUCKY needs your help!"

The mailer touts the Web site savebucky.com and has ready-to-mail postcards to local legislators.

See the mailer here.

Labels: UW_System

Republicans are offering a 57-point, comprehensive K-12 funding proposal that consists mostly of Assembly-approved positions (such as the Assembly position on general school aids), but also has some JFC and Senate-approved positions. Proposal will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

The meeting has been called to order. Sen. Robson is talking about the Dems' UW proposal, saying that a college education provides a gateway to higher earnings and a better life.

"We know this is not just what Democrats believe, we know this is what Republicans believe as well," she said.

She pointed out the UW proposal includes Dem and GOP budget items, including a 4 percent tuition cap approved by the Republican-controlled Assembly. She said in order for the cap to be implemented, the university must be fully funded.

She said the budget is "a fiscal document about priorities." She said the "petulant" actions of some GOP legislators have resulted in the exodus of some UW faculty and staff, and potentially diminished the quality of the system.

"This budget is not a place to grind your axes. This budget is not a place to punish the UW," she said.

Labels: K-12 Funding, UW_System

Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, the chairman chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, yesterday sent out a scathing press release and letter to constituents and Assembly Republican leadership blasting JFC votes on UW System budget items.

"I have witnessed my fair-share of backroom dealings in Madison, but the behavior today by some legislative leaders is simply despicable," Nass said in the press release. "The UW-La Crosse Diversity Surcharge was dead in the water, even the Democrats and some Republicans on the committee wanted to kill it. However, my own leadership prevented that from happening."

See the press release here.

In the letter to constituents, he labeled some JFC provisions as "pork barrel."

"The Joint Finance Committee was able to reach agreement on passing a provision from Senator Mark Miller (D-Madison) mandating the UW System spend $25,000 to offer a five-week course in summer 2008 for Chinese political, business and academic leaders on the Wisconsin Idea and how it might relate to China's environmental issues," Nass said in the letter. "This motion passed on a 10-6 vote with two GOP members voting with the eight Democrats. One can't make this stuff up."

See the letter here.

Nass has been sharply critical of the JFC, calling last month for the committee to cease its deliberations and have the budget go directly to the conference committee.

Labels: Nass, UW_System

The committee approved 16-0 $400,000 GPR to the Department of Family Medicine in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health to support the Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine, the Academy for Center-city Medical Education, and the Wisconsin Scholars Academy programs to recruit doctors to under-served areas. The UW Schol of Medicine and Public Helath will contribute $400,000 in non-state matching funds.

The motion came from Sen. Jauch and Olsen, and Reps. Rhoades and Suder.

The committee approved $25,000 to develop a five-week course in the summer of 2008 to introduce Chinese political, business and academic leaders to the Wisconsin Idea, particularly as it relates to environmental issues. The motion passed 10-6.

Also approved 16-0 was a motion from Rep. Kestell to provide $300,000 in SEG funding for the biennium from the agricultural chemical cleanup preogram fund to the University of Wisconsin-Extension to provide grants for research and outreach at the discovery farms.

Labels: UW_System

An attempt by Rep. Suder to delete a provision in the budget that allows some non-U.S. residents who meet a set of requirements to pay in-state tuition to state universities failed on an 8-8 partisan vote. (budget paper 828)

The governor's recommendation was adopted when no other motions were introduced.

Labels: UW_System

A motion from Sen. Lehman to require UW-Madison's athletic department to implement a recycling program at events, using funding from program revenue from the events, failed on an 8-8 partisan votes, with Dems voting for and Republicans against.

Labels: UW_System

Rep. Vos has introduced a motion to specify that no more than 50 percent of the funding provided for UW System faculty retention could be used by UW-Madison or UW-Milwaukee. (budget paper 822)

The motion failed 8-8.

On a motion from Sen. Decker, the committee voted 16-0 to delete a provision in budget paper 822 to require DOA approval of moneys spent for supplemental salary increases.

Other than that change, the committee adopted the governor's recommation for paper 822.

Labels: UW_System

Rep. Robin Vos has introduced a motion to delete $7.1 million GPR and $2.6 million PR in 2008-09, or one-third of the fudning provided to the UW System under the governor's budget bill for the 16 initiatives outlined in budget paper 820.

The move would result in cutting spending to $14.3 million GPR and $5.3 million PR in 2008-08 for the initiatives.

UPDATE: Vos' motion fails on an 8-8 partisan vote. Sen. Decker moves alternatives A2, B1, which passes 14-2.

Labels: UW_System

Committee co-chair Sen. Decker and Rep. Vos have offered an omnibus motion that covers budget papers 462, 824, 826 and 827.

As it relates to 462, motion establishes a prorate on the tuition remission reimbursement using the governor's budget funding level; specifies that the 128 credit limit would apply to the sum of all remissions received by the individual; provides that a person would have to claim the remission by the end of each semester; provide the tuition remission for undergraduate work only, but allow students receiving a remission for graduate work prior to Jan. 1; provide the tuition remission only during the 10 years following their separation of service.

On 824, it recommends approval of the governor's recommendation to provide $200,000 annually.

On 826, it modifies the governor's recommendation to increase the application fee by $9/$11 for purposes of funding admissions application expenses.

It also requires UW schools to disclose to students when they register whether a class will be taught on a daily basis by a TA, tenured faculty, or academic staff, and would require schools to provide information on segregated feees on the Web site of the institution.

The motion also cuts program revenue funding for UW-Madison athletics by $2.6 million.

The motion passed 16-0.

Labels: HEAB, UW_System

To the surprise of some, the committee adopted the governor's recommendation on budget paper 180, authorizing $449 million borrowing for building program projects.

Since the building program is an agency where the committee starts from base, the JFC could have nixed the governor's proposal with an 8-8 partisan vote. Instead, the vote was 16-0 to adopt the governor's recommendation.

In addition, the committee unanimously to adopt Doyle's recommendations on budget paper 181 regarding building projects for the UW System.

The committee split 8-8 on papers 182 and 183, meaning the programs return to base funding.

Labels: Building_Commission, UW_System