SB286: Bill Text

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2007 - 2008 LEGISLATURE

2007 Senate BILL 286

October 10, 2007 - Introduced by Senators Hansen, Lehman, Wirch, Lassa, Sullivan and Plale, cosponsored by Representatives Soletski, Nelson, Travis, Sheridan, Berceau and Kleefisch. Referred to Committee on Agriculture and Higher Education.

SB286,1,3 An Act to amend 36.27 (3m) (b) (intro.), 36.27 (3m) (b) 1., 36.27 (3m) (c) and 38.24 (5) (b) 1. of the statutes; relating to: fee remissions for certain University of Wisconsin System and technical college students.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law requires the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin (UW) System to grant full remission of fees to resident undergraduate students who are spouses or children of the following who are killed in the line of duty or die as a result of a qualifying disability: ambulance drivers, correctional officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians, and law enforcement officers. The fee remission remains in effect until the student completes a sufficient number of credits for a bachelor's degree, except that the student may not receive a remission for more than five consecutive years. Similar requirements apply to resident technical college students. The fee remission for a technical college student remains in effect until completion of a sufficient number of credits to complete the program in which the student is enrolled, except that a student may not receive a remission for more than three consecutive years.

Under current law, the UW and technical college remissions described above for children are limited to a student whose parent is killed or dies as a result of a disability when the student was under the age of 21 or before the student was born. This bill repeals that limitation. However, the bill also provides that the UW remission for children applies only to students who are not older than 30.

The bill makes another change to the UW remission for spouses and children. The bill eliminates the restriction under current law that provides that the remission remains in effect until completion of sufficient number of credits, but for no more than five consecutive years. Instead, the bill provides that the remission remains in effect for 128 credits or eight semesters, whichever period is longer.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB286, s. 1 Section 1. 36.27 (3m) (b) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB286,2,4 36.27 (3m) (b) (intro.) The board shall grant full remission of fees for 128 credits or 8 semesters, whichever is longer, to any resident undergraduate student who is enrolled in a bachelor's degree program and who is any of the following:

SB286, s. 2 Section 2. 36.27 (3m) (b) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB286,2,15 36.27 (3m) (b) 1. The Not more than 30 years of age and the child of an ambulance driver, correctional officer, fire fighter, emergency medical services technician or law enforcement officer who was killed in the line of duty in this state or who qualified for a duty disability benefit, as defined in s. 40.65 (4), under the Wisconsin Retirement System, the Employees' Retirement System of the city of Milwaukee, or the Milwaukee County Employee's Retirement System and died as a result of the qualifying disability. The student must be the child of an ambulance driver, correctional officer, fire fighter, emergency medical services technician or law enforcement officer who was so killed or who died as a result of the qualifying disability when the child was under the age of 21 or before the child was born.

SB286, s. 3 Section 3. 36.27 (3m) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB286,3,2 36.27 (3m) (c) The fee remission under par. (b) shall remain in effect until completion of a sufficient number of credits to be awarded a bachelor's degree in the student's major field of study, except that a A student must be in good academic standing to receive the fee remission under par. (b) for the next semester and may not receive a remission for more than 5 consecutive years.

SB286, s. 4 Section 4. 38.24 (5) (b) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB286,3,13 38.24 (5) (b) 1. The child of an ambulance driver, correctional officer, fire fighter, emergency medical services technician or law enforcement officer who was killed in the line of duty in this state or who qualified for a duty disability benefit under s. 40.65 (4), under the Wisconsin Retirement System, the Employees' Retirement System of the city of Milwaukee, or the Milwaukee County Employee's Retirement System and died as a result of the qualifying disability. The student must be the child of an ambulance driver, correctional officer, fire fighter, emergency medical services technician or law enforcement officer who was so killed or who died as a result of the qualifying disability when the child was under the age of 21 or before the child was born.

SB286, s. 5 Section 5. Initial applicability.

SB286,3,16 (1) This act first applies to fee remissions for persons registered for or enrolled in the first academic semester that begins after the effective date of this subsection.

SB286,3,17 (End)