March 21, 2005
STATE BUILDING COMMISSION APPROVES CAPITAL BUDGET
The 2005-07 capital budget was approved Friday by the State Building Commission. The Commission voted 8-0 to approve the building plan submitted by the Governor. The plan includes numerous general and program revenue projects in addition to several gift and grant funded projects. Additionally, the commission adopted a framework for a six-year building plan to help prioritize future building projects. Included in the budget are three general purpose revenue funded building projects at UW-Madison:
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
University Square
Sterling Hall renovation
The projects in the budget to be funded with program revenue or gift and grant money include:
Chadbourne food service renovation
Education Building restoration and addition
Elvehjem Museum addition
Engineering Building student learning center
Park Street Residence Hall parking ramp
Primate Research Center addition
University Research Park II - roads and utilities
Waisman Center renovation
Kegonsa Research Facility
The capital budget now moves to the Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance as part of its deliberations on the Governor’s state budget.
MADISON BUDGET HEARING HELD
The Joint Finance Committee held its final public hearing on the budget bill (Assembly Bill 100) Thursday. Vice-Chancellor Darrell Bazzell provided the committee testimony on the budget proposal. His testimony, and other 2005-07 budget information is available at:
http://www.staterelations.wisc.edu/0507budget.html
UW System President Kevin Reilly is scheduled to appear before the committee when it holds selected agency briefings March 29, 30 and 31. The committee is expected to begin voting on portions of the budget around April 12th.
ASSEMBLY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES COMMITTIEE TO MEET
Several higher education bills are scheduled for a public hearing and possible executive action Tuesday, March 22nd at 10 a.m. in room 225 Northwest of the State Capitol. Legislation on the committee’s public hearing agenda include:
Assembly Bill 111- (Rep. Kreibich) Allow an individual income tax deduction for contributions by a divorced or legally separated parent to his or her child’s college savings account or college tuition and expenses program and limiting the deduction that may be claimed by a married person who files separately.
Assembly Bill 158 - (Rep. Lamb) Appointment of a non-traditional student member of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.
Assembly Bill 246 - (Rep. Wieckert) Transferability of certain nursing credits from technical colleges.
Bills for possible consideration by the committee include:
Assembly Bill 27 -- Authorizes the Board of Regents to create a program to offer tuition gift certificates for UW System institutions.
Assembly Bill 31 -- Allows an individual income tax deduction for amounts contributed to ANY section 529 college tuition program.
Assembly Bill 87 -- Provides a nonresident tuition exemption for dependents of certain active members of the armed forces attending the UW System institutions.
Assembly Bills 111, 158, 246
LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
Assembly Bill 239 - Tuition cap
Representative Rob Kreibich (R, Eau Claire) and Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R, River Falls) introduced legislation to limits any increase in UW System resident undergraduate tuition and nondiscretionary segregated fees to three percent.
LEGISLATION CIRCULATING
For the complete text of all bills and their current status, please visit: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/ab_list.html (Assembly bills) or http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/sb_list.html (Senate bills).
For more information on state related issues contact,
Kristi Thorson or Don Nelson
Assistant Directors, State Relations
608/262-8967