AB144: Bill Text

2011 - 2012 LEGISLATURE

2011 Assembly BILL 144

May 17, 2011 - Introduced by Joint Legislative Council. Referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities.

AB144,1,2 An Act relating to: creating a commission on financial aid consolidation and modernization.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill is explained in the Notes provided by the Joint Legislative Council in the bill.

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

Joint Legislative Council prefatory note: This bill was prepared for the Joint Legislative Council's Special Committee on Review of Higher Education Financial Aids Programs.

The bill creates a temporary commission on financial aid consolidation and modernization in the Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) consisting of 11 members as follows:

• The HEAB executive secretary.

• The chairperson of HEAB.

• A HEAB member designated by the chairperson of HEAB

• Two representatives of the University of Wisconsin System.

• Two representatives of the Wisconsin technical college system.

• Two representatives of the Wisconsin association of independent colleges and universities.

• One member of the assembly appointed by the speaker of the assembly.

• One member of the senate appointed by the senate majority leader.

The bill directs the commission to study the potential for consolidating all grant programs administered by HEAB into a single, comprehensive, need-based grant program, as well as options for providing grant aid for students who are attending Wisconsin institutions of higher education at less than full-time credit loads. The bill also directs the commission to report its recommendations to HEAB and the legislature no later than April 1, 2012, at which time the commission shall terminate its activities and cease to exist.

AB144, s. 1 Section 1. Nonstatutory provisions.

AB144,2,4 (1) Commission on financial aid consolidation and modernization. There is created in the higher educational aids board a commission on financial aid consolidation and modernization consisting of the following members:

AB144,2,5 (a) The executive secretary of the higher educational aids board.

AB144,2,7 (b) The chairperson of the higher educational aids board and a higher educational aids board member of the chairperson's designation.

AB144,2,9 (c) Two representatives of the University of Wisconsin System appointed by the executive secretary of the higher educational aids board.

AB144,2,11 (d) Two representatives of the Wisconsin technical college system appointed by the executive secretary of the higher educational aids board.

AB144,2,14 (e) Two representatives of the Wisconsin association of independent colleges and universities appointed by the executive secretary of the higher educational aids board.

AB144,2,15 (f) One member of the assembly appointed by the speaker of the assembly.

AB144,2,16 (g) One member of the senate appointed by the senate majority leader.

AB144,2,18 (2) Duties of the commission. The commission on financial aid consolidation and modernization shall study all of the following:

AB144,2,21 (a) The potential for consolidating all grant programs administered by the higher educational aids board into a single, comprehensive, need-based grant program.

AB144,3,2 (b) Options for providing grant aid for students who are attending Wisconsin institutions of higher education at less than full-time credit loads.

AB144,3,7 (3) Report of the commission. The commission on financial aid consolidation and modernization shall report its recommendations to the higher educational aids board, and to the legislature in the manner provided in section 13.172 (2) of the statutes, by April 1, 2012, after which the commission shall terminate its activities and shall cease to exist.

AB144,3,8 (End)