June 22, 2001
Note: A complete and accurate summary of the Assembly budget based on the Legislative Fiscal Bureau's analysis is availble at www.staterelations.wisc.edu/0103budgetarc.html.
ASSEMBLY REPUBLICANS VOTE ON BUILDING PROJECTS
Late yesterday the Assembly Republicans voted on the state's building program, including several UW-Madison projects. Of particular interest, the caucus failed to adopt a motion offered by Rep. John Townsend (Fond du Lac) that would have authorized funding for the final two BioStar buildings. These buildings - the biochemistry building addition and the interdisciplinary biology building - are enumerated in the capital budget but the university would need to come back in a future budget to request funding authorization. Before the vote was taken Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen told the caucus that Republicans were committed to funding the BioStar program and that if the funding for the final two buildings was not included in this budget that it would be included in the 2003-05 budget. Last week the Senate authorized funding for all four buildings as part of their budget bill. (More information about BioStar is available at www.news.wisc.edu/packages/biotech/index.msql?get=whatbio.)
In other building program action, the Assembly Republican Caucus:
- Provided an additional $17 million in general fund (tax payer) supported borrowing (GFSB) for the Mechanical Engineering Renovation and Addition project, but directed that the planning and design be done in 2001-2003 and the construction be done in the 2003-05 biennium. The Building Commission had recommended providing $6.5 million GFSB in 2001-2003 for the first phase of the project only.
- Eliminated funding for the University Ridge Golf Course phase 3 project. Bonding for this project would have been supported with program revenue, not state tax money (GPR).
- Enumerated the $20 million meat/muscle science laboratory and the $23.6 million veterinary diagnostic laboratory, both at UW-Madison. Funding authority is delayed until 2003-05.
- Required all moveable equipment (office furniture, computers, AV equipment, etc.) to be funded through the state's Master Lease program rather than GFSB.
- Deleted $2 million from $10 million recommended for renovations of UW System classrooms and for distance education facilities.
- Restored $25 million of the $79.1 million cut made by the Joint Finance Committee to the Building Commission's GPR borrowing authority for maintenance and repair projects.
- Required a study of how many program revenue constructed facilities receive GPR for utilities and how much GPR the state could save if the utilities for those buildings were instead paid for with program revenue.
- Eliminated the percent of art requirement on state building projects. Currently 1/5 of a percent of the funding for all state building projects (except prisons) must be used towards art in the building.
In other items of interest to the university, the Caucus:
- Required state employees to contribute at least $5 a month for health insurance coverage. This provision initially applies to non-represented employees only.
- Allowed state retirees to decide to use accumulated sick leave to pay for health insurance during regular enrollment periods rather than having a one-time only election.
- Allowed limited term employee's (LTE) to participate in the state's deferred compensation plan.
- Required the Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) to submit a study by January 1, 2002 on the cost, desirability, and effectiveness of creating a student loan forgiveness program to attract workers to the state.
- Provided continued funding for the legislature to continue tuition reimbursement for legislative staff who participate in the capstone degree program run by the La Follette School of Public Affairs.
- Restored $1 million (one time only) for the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The Joint Finance Committee had cut $1 million of the $2 million proposed by the Governor for this program.
- Cut 20 percent of funding available to state agencies for membership in organizations.
- Prohibited the State Laboratory of Hygiene from providing water-quality testing for a fee that is less than the current average fee charged by private, state certified, commercial labs in the state.
The Assembly Republicans will continue to vote on individual packages and motions for the next few days. It is expected that the full Assembly will vote on the budget sometime next week. A conference committee will then be appointed to work out the differences between the Assembly and Senate versions of the budget.
A summary of all action to date on the budget is available on the state relations web site at www.staterelations.wisc.edu/0103budget.html.
For more information on state related issues contact:
Charles Hoslet
Senior Special Assistant to the Chancellor
Director, State Relations
hoslet@mail.bascom.wisc.edu
608-263-5510