The bill increases the limit on certain revenue, primarily derived from the
property tax levy, that technical college districts may generate.
Under current law, with certain exceptions, a technical college district board
may not increase its revenue each school year by more than the greater of 1) 0 percent
or 2) the percentage change in the district's equalized value due to new construction,
less improvements removed, between the previous year and the current year. The
amount of this limit is called the valuation factor. A district board's revenue is the
sum of its tax levy for operations and the amount of aid it receives for property tax
relief and tax-exempt personal property.
The bill increases item 1 of the valuation factor from 0 percent to 2 percent,
allowing an increase of a district board's revenue by 2 percent over the previous year
regardless of any change in the district's equalized value due to net new construction.
Funding for a farm and industry short course at UW-River Falls
The bill creates a biennial appropriation for general program operations of a
farm and industry short course at UW-River Falls.
UW System direct admission program
The bill requires the Board of Regents of the UW System to establish a direct
admission program that provides Wisconsin high school graduates with conditional
or guaranteed admission to a UW System institution based on established eligibility
criteria.
Grants for technical college district boards for the creation of open
educational resources
The bill requires the TCS Board to award grants to technical college district
boards for the creation of open educational resources that will allow the public and
technical colleges across the TCS to access technical college course materials.
Funding for equipment, supplies, and personnel training at a regional
Madison Area Technical College EMT training center
The bill requires the TCS Board to award a grant of $2,500,000 in fiscal year
2023-24 to Madison Area Technical College for equipment, supplies, and emergency
medical technician, advanced emergency medical technician, and paramedic
personnel training at an emergency medical technician regional training center
located in Baraboo.
Paid family and medical leave; paid sick leave for temporary employees
The bill requires the Board of Regents to develop a plan for a program for paid
family and medical leave of 12 weeks annually for UW System employees and a plan
for a program for paid sick leave for temporary UW System employees. The bill
requires the board to submit these plans to the administrator of the Division of
Personnel Management in DOA with its compensation plan changes for the 2023-25
biennium.
Nonresident tuition exemptions for UW and technical college students
The bill creates a nonresident tuition exemption for certain UW System and
technical college students.
Under current law, a person generally must be a resident of this state for at
least 12 months prior to registering at a UW System institution in order to be exempt
from paying nonresident tuition. Current law also includes nonresident tuition
exemptions, under which certain nonresident students pay resident tuition rates.
Also under current law, the TCS Board establishes program fees that the
technical college districts must charge students. With exceptions, the fees for
nonresidents are 150 percent of the fees for residents. The TCS Board must establish
procedures to determine the residence of students attending technical colleges, but
current law specifies that certain students must be considered residents of this state.
The bill creates a nonresident tuition exemption for an individual who is not a
citizen of the United States and who 1) graduated from a Wisconsin high school or
received a declaration of equivalency of high school graduation from Wisconsin; 2)
was continuously present in Wisconsin for at least three years following the first day
of attending a Wisconsin high school or immediately preceding receipt of a
declaration of equivalency of high school graduation; and 3) enrolls in a UW System
institution and provides the institution with proof stating that he or she has filed or
will file an application for lawful permanent resident status with U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services as soon as the individual is eligible to do so. The bill also
provides that an individual who meets these criteria is considered a resident of this
state for purposes of admission to and payment of fees at a technical college.
The bill also creates a nonresident tuition exemption for certain tribal members
or children or grandchildren of tribal members. Under the bill, a student enrolled
in a UW System institution or technical college qualifies for resident tuition or fee
rates if 1) the student, or the student's parent or grandparent, is a member of a
federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in Wisconsin or is a member of
a federally recognized tribe in Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, or Michigan; and 2) the
student has resided in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, or Michigan, or in any
combination of these states, for at least 12 months prior to enrolling in a UW System
institution or technical college.
Wisconsin grant program
The bill makes various changes to the Wisconsin grant program.
Under current law, HEAB administers the Wisconsin grant program, which
provides grants to resident undergraduate students enrolled at least half time in UW
System schools, technical colleges, private nonprofit colleges, and tribal colleges.
HEAB limits its award of these grants to 10 semesters or the equivalent. For
students enrolled in UW System schools, technical colleges, and tribal colleges,
HEAB must award Wisconsin grants based on a formula that accounts for expected
parental and student contributions and is consistent with generally accepted
definitions and nationally approved needs analysis methodology. For students
enrolled in private nonprofit colleges, the amount of the grant that HEAB awards is
based on a mathematical calculation specified by statute. All Wisconsin grants are
subject to a maximum grant amount.
The bill makes the following changes to the Wisconsin grant program:
1. The bill extends and clarifies the limit on the total number of semesters for
which a UW System, technical college, or tribal college student may receive a
Wisconsin grant. The bill limits these grants to 12 semesters of full-time enrollment
or the equivalent. If a student receiving the grant is enrolled less than full-time, only
the fraction of the student's enrollment, in proportion to full-time enrollment, is
counted toward this 12-semester limit.
2. The bill changes the enrollment requirement for a Wisconsin grant from at
least half-time to at least quarter-time for students enrolled in technical colleges.
3. The bill raises the maximum amount that may be awarded through a
Wisconsin grant during one academic year for UW System students. The bill raises
the maximum amount of a Wisconsin grant for students enrolled in a UW System
institution or college campus from $3,150 in an academic year to an amount not to
exceed half of the in-state, undergraduate tuition and fees charged at UW-Madison
for an academic year.
4. The bill modifies the method that HEAB uses to determine the amount of a
Wisconsin grant awarded to a student enrolled in a private nonprofit college. The
bill eliminates the statutory mathematical calculation used to determine the amount
of such a grant and replaces this calculation with the same standard used for the
award of grants to students enrolled in UW System schools, technical colleges, and
tribal colleges.
5. The bill changes the meaning of the phrase “expected family contribution,”
as discussed below.
Updating terminology used in calculation of student financial aid
The bill changes the meaning of the phrase “expected family contribution” in
higher education statutes.
Under current state and federal law, the phrase “expected family contribution”
describes a metric used in determining the amount of financial aid a college student
may receive. The federal FAFSA Simplification Act of 2019 changed the name of
“expected family contribution” to “student aid index,” and accompanied the name
change with a change in how the federal government calculates the metric. Similar
to the “expected family contribution,” the student aid index will “reflect an
evaluation of a student's approximate financial resources to contribute toward the
student's postsecondary education for the academic year.” The terminology change
is set to go into effect on July 1, 2024, and will apply starting with the 2024-25
financial aid award year.
The bill changes the definition of “expected family contribution” to incorporate
the changes to the federal terminology once the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2019 is
implemented.
Health care provider loan assistance program
The bill makes four new categories of health care providers eligible for the
health care provider loan assistance program and provides additional funding for
loans to these health care providers.
Under current law, the Board of Regents administers the HCPLA program
under which it may repay, on behalf of a health care provider, up to $25,000 in loans
for education related to the health care provider's field of practice. The repayment
occurs over three years, with 40 percent of the loan or $10,000, whichever is less,
repaid in each of the first two years of participation in the program and the final 20
percent or $5,000, whichever is less, repaid in the third year. A health care provider
is defined as a dental hygienist, physician assistant, nurse-midwife, or nurse
practitioner. The Board of Regents must enter into a written agreement with the
health care provider in which the health care provider agrees to practice at least 32
clinic hours per week for three years in one or more eligible practice areas in this
state or in a rural area. An “eligible practice area" is defined as a free or charitable
clinic, a primary care shortage area, a mental health shortage area, an American
Indian reservation or trust lands of an American Indian tribe, or, for a dental
hygienist, a dental health shortage area or a free or charitable clinic. Money for loan
repayments is derived from several sources, and loan repayments are subject to
availability of funds. If insufficient funds are available to repay the loans of all
eligible applicants, the Board of Regents must establish priorities among the eligible
applicants based on specified considerations, including factors related to the degree
of the health care need and shortage in the area. However, some funding for loan
repayments is available only for health care providers who practice in rural areas.
The bill adds medical assistants, dental assistants, dental auxiliaries, and
dental therapists to the health care providers who are eligible for loan repayment
under the HCPLA program. These health care providers are eligible under the
current terms of the program, except medical assistants. Medical assistants are
eligible for loan repayment of up to $12,500 in total, with repayments of 40 percent
of the loan or $5,000, whichever is less, in each of the first two years and 20 percent
or $2,500, whichever is less, in the third year. For purposes of an eligible practice
area, dental assistants, dental auxiliaries, and dental therapists are treated
similarly to the way dental hygienists are treated under current law. The bill creates
a new appropriation from the general fund to provide additional funding for loans
to medical assistants, dental assistants, dental auxiliaries, and dental therapists.
UW foster youth support programs
The bill provides funding to establish or maintain support programs at UW
System institutions for students who formerly resided in a foster home or group
home. Support programs may offer these students scholarships, jobs, emergency
funds, basic supplies, mentorships, career planning, and other forms of support.
Grant to support a center at Mid-State Technical College
The bill requires the TCS Board to award a grant of $250,000 in each fiscal year
to Mid-State Technical College for an Advanced Manufacturing Engineering
Technology and Apprenticeship Center to train and maintain a workforce to meet the
needs of the state's paper, pulp, and converting mills. Grants may be used for the
center's maintenance of capital equipment and supplies, information technology
equipment, equipment for student learning infrastructure and student learning
support, and the center's ongoing operations.
Grants to reimburse technical colleges for health care–related dual
enrollment courses
Under current law, technical colleges may offer dual enrollment programs or
courses designed to provide high school students the opportunity to earn credits in
both technical college and high school. The bill requires the TCS Board to award
grants to technical colleges to reimburse the technical colleges for expenses related
to providing to high school students dual enrollment courses related to health care.
Medical College of Wisconsin
The bill provides funding, through a new appropriation, to the Medical College
of Wisconsin, Inc., (MCW) for a psychiatry and behavioral health residency program
to support resident recruitment and training.
The bill also provides funding to MCW to make violence prevention grants
supporting activities that enhance the safety and well-being of children, youth, and
families throughout this state.
Support services for veteran students enrolled in the UW System
The bill creates a continuing appropriation to provide support services to
students who are veterans at UW System institutions.
Institute for Sustainable Technology at UW-Stevens Point
The bill requires the Board of Regents to provide funding to the Wisconsin
Institute for Sustainable Technology at UW-Stevens Point to broaden the institute's
support for, and further technical contributions to, this state's forest and paper
industries and for the institute's ongoing operations.
Funding for financial education provided through the UW System
The bill creates a continuing appropriation for the UW System to provide
funding for a Financial Futures Incentive Program in UW-Madison's Division of
Extension (UW Extension) that makes financial education and coaching available
to Wisconsin residents.
Funding for a rural Wisconsin entrepreneurship initiative
The bill creates a continuing appropriation for the UW System to provide
funding for a rural Wisconsin entrepreneurship initiative in the UW Extension that
provides business development assistance, rural entrepreneurship ecosystems, and
access to finance for rural entrepreneurs in this state.
UniverCity Alliance program
The bill creates an appropriation funding the UniverCity Alliance program
within the UW-Madison. The UniverCity Alliance program connects in partnership
communities, towns, cities, and counties with UW-Madison education, service, and
research activities in order to address the communities' biggest local challenges.
UW Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project
Under the bill, the Board of Regents must provide funding to the UW
Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project (MIA Recovery Project) for
missions to recover and identify Wisconsin veterans who are missing in action. At
the conclusion of the mission for which funding is provided, the MIA Recovery Project
must submit to the Board of Regents, JCF, each legislative standing committee
dealing with veterans matters, the governor, DVA, and DMA a report on the mission's
findings and an accounting of expenditures for the mission. The Board of Regents
must provide the funding through a new UW System appropriation.
Administration of the Wisconsin National Guard tuition grants
Under current law, an eligible Wisconsin National Guard member may apply
to receive a tuition grant that covers 100 percent of the tuition charged by a
qualifying school. The national guard member must submit an application for the
tuition grant no later than 90 days after completion of a course, and DMA must pay
to an eligible individual moneys from the grant no later than than 30 days after DMA
receives certification from a qualifying school that the individual has met eligibility
requirements. DMA has a sum sufficient appropriation from which it funds the
tuition grants. The bill gives DMA the authority to use the appropriation from which
it funds the tuition grants to also fund the administrative costs associated with the
payment of the tuition grants.
Transferring risk management positions from the UW System to DOA
The bill transfers, from the UW System to DOA, 5.0 full-time equivalent
positions and the employees holding those positions who perform duties in the UW
Office of Risk Management.
Grants to students with visual or hearing impairment and talent incentive
grants
Under current law, HEAB administers programs to award grants to
postsecondary students with visual or hearing impairments and to award talent
incentive grants.
The bill makes clarifying changes relating to these grants that do not
substantively affect HEAB's administration of these grant programs.
Other educational and cultural agencies
Library intern stipend payments
The bill requires the Division for Libraries and Technology in DPI to provide
stipend payments to students who are pursuing a degree in library science and are
placed as an intern in a public library. The stipend payments are $2,500 per student
per semester, and begin in the 2024-25 school year.
elections
Automatic voter registration
The bill requires the Elections Commission to use all feasible means to facilitate
the registration of all individuals eligible to vote in this state and to maintain the
registration of all eligible voters for so long as they remain eligible. Under the bill,
the Elections Commission must attempt to facilitate the initial registration of all
eligible voters as soon as practicable. To facilitate that initial registration, the bill
directs the commission and DOT to enter into an agreement so that DOT may
transfer specified personally identifying information in DOT's records to the
commission. The bill requires the commission to maintain the confidentiality of any
information it obtains under the agreement and allows a driver's license or
identification card applicant to “opt out" of DOT's transfer of this information to the
commission.
Once the commission obtains all the information required under current law to
complete an eligible voter's registration, the commission adds the voter's name to the
statewide registration list. The bill also permits an individual whose name is added
to the registration list or who wishes to permanently exclude his or her name from
the list to file a request to have his or her name deleted or excluded from the list or
to revoke a deletion or exclusion request previously made. In addition, the bill directs
the commission to notify an individual by first class postcard whenever the
commission removes his or her name from the registration list or changes his or her
status on the list from eligible to ineligible.
The bill also directs the commission to report to the legislature and the
governor, no later than July 1, 2025, its progress in initially registering eligible
voters under the bill. The report must contain an assessment of the feasibility and
desirability of integration of registration information with information maintained
by DHS, DCF, DWD, DOR, DSPS, and DNR; the UW System; and the TCS Board,
as well as with the technical colleges in each technical college district.
Under current law, a qualified voter with a current and valid driver's license
or identification card issued by DOT may register to vote electronically on a secure
website maintained by the commission. To register electronically under current law,
a qualified voter must also authorize DOT to forward a copy of his or her electronic
signature to the commission. The authorization affirms that all information
provided by the voter is correct and has the same effect as a written signature on a
paper copy of the registration form. Finally, current law requires the commission and
DOT to enter into an agreement that permits the commission to verify the necessary
registration information instantly by accessing DOT's electronic files.
Early canvassing of absentee ballots
Under current law, absentee ballots may not be canvassed until election day.
The bill authorizes a municipal clerk or municipal board of election commissioners
to begin the canvassing of absentee ballots on the day before an election, subject to
the following requirements:
1. The municipality must use automatic tabulating equipment to process
absentee ballots.
2. Prior to the early canvassing of absentee ballots, the municipal clerk or
municipal board of election commissioners must notify the Elections Commission in
writing and must consult with the Elections Commission concerning administration
of early canvassing of absentee ballots.
3. Early canvassing of absentee ballots under the bill may be conducted only
between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on the day before the election, and ballots may not be
tallied until after polls close on election day.
4. Members of the public must have the same right of access to a place where
absentee ballots are being canvassed as early as is provided under current law for
canvassing absentee ballots on election day.
5. When not in use, automatic tabulating equipment used for canvassing
absentee ballots and the areas where the programmed media and the absentee
ballots are housed must be secured with tamper-evident security seals in a
double-lock location such as a locked cabinet inside a locked office.
6. Subject to criminal penalty, no person may act in any manner that would give
him or her the ability to know or to provide information on the accumulating or final
results from the ballots canvassed early under the bill before the close of the polls on
election day.
7. Certain notices must be provided before each election at which the
municipality intends to canvass absentee ballots on the day before the election.
Residency requirement for voting
Under current law, with limited exceptions, an otherwise eligible voter must be
a resident of this state and of the municipality and ward, if any, where the voter is
voting for 28 days before an election in order to vote in the election in that
municipality and ward. The bill shortens that residency requirement from 28 days
to 10 days.
Voting absentee in person
Current law allows an individual to complete an absentee ballot in person no
earlier than 14 days preceding the election and no later than the Sunday preceding
the election. The bill eliminates the 14-day restriction on how soon a person may
complete an absentee ballot in person.
Voter bill of rights
The bill creates a voter bill of rights that municipal clerks and boards of election
commissioners must post at each polling place. The bill of rights informs voters that
they have the right to do all of the following:
1. Vote if registered and eligible to vote.
