Current law requires the Board of Regents to establish a grant program for
minority undergraduates enrolled in the UW System. The grants are known as
Lawton grants. A “minority undergraduate” is defined as an undergraduate student
who is a Black American; an American Indian; a Hispanic; or Hmong.
The bill changes the Lawton grant program so that Lawton grants are awarded
to disadvantaged undergraduate students rather than minority undergraduate
students.
Technical colleges
Minority student participation and retention plan
Current law requires the Technical College System Board to develop a plan to
increase minority group member participation and retention in the Technical College
System. The plan must include certain information, including a review of the
progress made by the TCS Board and technical colleges in the previous school year.
A “minority group member" is defined as a Black, a Hispanic, an American Indian,
an Eskimo, an Aleut, a native Hawaiian, an Asian-Indian, or a person of
Asian-Pacific origin.
The bill modifies this requirement so that it applies with respect to
disadvantaged students rather than minority group members. The bill also specifies
that, in determining whether a student is disadvantaged, the student's race,
ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion may not be
considered, either directly or indirectly. This prohibition applies to the TCS Board
and technical colleges for all purposes for which they determine whether a student
is disadvantaged.
Minority student participation and retention grants
Under current law, the TCS Board, upon application by a technical college, may
award a grant to the technical college to accomplish specified purposes relating to
minority students, including the following: providing counseling and tutoring
services for minority students; pursuing innovative approaches to increasing

minority student placement and retention in programs that lead to a high earning
potential; providing internships to minority students preparing for transfer to UW
System teacher education programs; and recruiting, training, and retaining
minority students through the use of community-based organizations. A “minority
student" is defined as a student enrolled in a technical college who is a minority group
member, as defined above.
The bill changes this grant program so that grants are awarded for programs
related to disadvantaged students rather than minority students.
Incentive grants
Under current law, the TCS Board awards incentive grants to technical colleges
for specified purposes. One such purpose is the creation or expansion of adult high
school, adult basic education, and English as a second language courses. The TCS
Board must give priority to courses serving students with disabilities or minority,
unemployed, or disadvantaged students.
The bill eliminates the priority for courses serving minority students but does
not affect the priority for courses serving students with disabilities or unemployed
or disadvantaged students.
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:
SB596,1 1Section 1. 36.25 (14) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,4,92 36.25 (14) Graduate student financial aid. The board shall establish a grant
3program for minority and disadvantaged graduate students enrolled in the system.
4The board shall give preference in awarding grants under this subsection to
5residents of this state. The board may not make a grant under this subsection to a
6person whose name appears on the statewide support lien docket under s. 49.854 (2)
7(b), unless the person provides to the board a payment agreement that has been
8approved by the county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) and that is consistent
9with rules promulgated under s. 49.858 (2) (a).
SB596,2 10Section 2. 36.25 (14m) (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,5,2
136.25 (14m) (title) Minority and disadvantaged Disadvantaged student
2programs.
SB596,3 3Section 3. 36.25 (14m) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,5,64 36.25 (14m) (a) The board shall fund programs for recruiting minority and
5disadvantaged students and for minority and disadvantaged students enrolled in the
6system.
SB596,4 7Section 4. 36.25 (14m) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,5,108 36.25 (14m) (b) By April 15, 1992, and annually thereafter, the board shall
9adopt a precollege, recruitment and retention plan for minority and disadvantaged
10students enrolled in the system.
SB596,5 11Section 5. 36.25 (14m) (c) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,5,1512 36.25 (14m) (c) 2. All financial aid distributed to students, categorized by
13ethnic group, class level and dependency status. The report shall include
14information on financial need, percentage of need satisfied by loan, percentage of
15need satisfied by grant, and the percentage remaining unsatisfied.
SB596,6 16Section 6. 36.25 (14m) (d) of the statutes is created to read:
SB596,5,2017 36.25 (14m) (d) In determining whether a student is disadvantaged for
18purposes of this chapter, including under this subsection, sub. (14), and s. 36.34, the
19race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion of the student
20may not be considered, either directly or indirectly.
SB596,7 21Section 7. 36.34 (title) and (1) (title) and (a) of the statutes are repealed.
SB596,8 22Section 8. 36.34 (1) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 36.34 and amended to
23read:
SB596,6,6 2436.34 Ben R. Lawton grant program. The board shall establish a grant
25program for minority undergraduates disadvantaged undergraduate students

1enrolled in the system. The board shall designate all grants under this subsection
2section as Lawton grants. The board may not make a grant under this subsection
3section to a person whose name appears on the statewide support lien docket under
4s. 49.854 (2) (b), unless the person provides to the board a payment agreement that
5has been approved by the county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) and that is
6consistent with rules promulgated under s. 49.858 (2) (a).
SB596,9 7Section 9. 38.04 (8) (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,6,98 38.04 (8) (title) Minority Disadvantaged student participation and retention
9plan.
SB596,10 10Section 10. 38.04 (8) (a) of the statutes is repealed.
SB596,11 11Section 11. 38.04 (8) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,6,1912 38.04 (8) (b) Annually by January 1, the board shall develop a plan to increase
13minority group member participation and retention in the technical college system
14of disadvantaged students. The plan shall specify each district board's goals and
15objectives for minority group member participation and retention of disadvantaged
16students
. The plan shall outline activities and programs that enhance minority
17group member
participation and retention of disadvantaged students and shall
18review the progress made by the board and by district boards in the previous school
19year.
SB596,12 20Section 12. 38.04 (8) (c) of the statutes is created to read:
SB596,6,2421 38.04 (8) (c) In determining whether a student is disadvantaged for purposes
22of this chapter, including under this subsection and ss. 38.26 and 38.27 (1) (a), the
23race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion of the student
24may not be considered, either directly or indirectly.
SB596,13 25Section 13. 38.26 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,7,2
138.26 (title) Minority Disadvantaged student participation and
2retention grants.
SB596,14 3Section 14. 38.26 (1) of the statutes is repealed.
SB596,15 4Section 15. 38.26 (2) (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) of the statutes are amended to read:
SB596,7,65 38.26 (2) (a) The creation or expansion of programs that provide counseling and
6tutoring services for minority disadvantaged students.
SB596,7,97 (b) Programs that demonstrate innovative approaches to increasing minority
8disadvantaged student placement and retention in technical education programs
9that have a high earning potential for their graduates.
SB596,7,1210 (c) Providing internships to minority disadvantaged students enrolled in
11programs that prepare their graduates for admission to a teacher education program
12at an institution within the University of Wisconsin System.
SB596,7,1513 (d) Programs that combine basic skills and occupational training as a means
14of expediting basic skills remediation and increasing retention of minority
15disadvantaged students.
SB596,7,1716 (e) Programs that use community-based organizations to assist in the
17recruitment, training and retention of minority disadvantaged students.
SB596,16 18Section 16. 38.27 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,7,2219 38.27 (1) (a) The creation or expansion of adult high school, adult basic
20education, and English as a 2nd language courses. The board shall give priority to
21courses serving students with disabilities or minority, unemployed, or
22disadvantaged students.
SB596,17 23Section 17. 39.15 (1) (c) of the statutes is repealed.
SB596,18 24Section 18. 39.40 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,8,2
139.40 (title) Minority teacher Teacher loan program for disadvantaged
2students
.
SB596,19 3Section 19. 39.40 (1) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:
SB596,8,54 39.40 (1) In this section, “economically disadvantaged pupil" has the meaning
5given in s. 115.43 (1).
SB596,20 6Section 20. 39.40 (2) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,8,87 39.40 (2) (intro.) The board shall establish a loan program for minority
8disadvantaged students who meet all of the following requirements:
SB596,21 9Section 21. 39.40 (3) (b) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,8,1410 39.40 (3) (b) 1. The recipient is employed as provided in subd. 1m. by a public
11or private elementary or secondary school, or by a tribal school, as defined in s.
12115.001 (15m), located in a school district in this state in which minority students
13economically disadvantaged pupils constitute at least 40 80 percent of the
14membership, as defined in s. 121.004 (5).
SB596,22 15Section 22. 39.44 (title) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:
SB596,8,16 1639.44 (title) Grants for disadvantaged undergraduate students.
SB596,23 17Section 23. 39.44 (1) (a) of the statutes is repealed.
SB596,24 18Section 24. 39.44 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,8,2219 39.44 (1) (b) There is established, to be administered by the board, the minority
20undergraduate retention
a grant program for minority undergraduates the retention
21of disadvantaged undergraduate students
enrolled in private, nonprofit higher
22educational institutions in this state or in technical colleges in this state.
SB596,25 23Section 25. 39.44 (1) (c) of the statutes is created to read:
SB596,9,224 39.44 (1) (c) In determining whether a student is disadvantaged for purposes
25of this subchapter, including under this section and s. 39.40, the race, ethnicity,

1national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion of the student may not be
2considered, either directly or indirectly.
SB596,26 3Section 26. 39.44 (3) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB596,9,74 39.44 (3) (c) Annually report to the board the number of awards made, the
5amount of each award, the minority disadvantaged status of each recipient, other
6financial aid awards made to each recipient, and the total amount of financial aid
7made available to the eligible students.
SB596,27 8Section 27. 39.46 (2) (g) of the statutes is repealed.
SB596,28 9Section 28. Initial applicability.
SB596,9,1410 (1) The treatment of ss. 36.25 (14) and (14m) (title), (a), (b), (c) 2., and (d), 36.34
11(title) and (1) (title) and (a), 38.04 (8) (title), (a), (b), and (c), 38.26 (title), (1), and (2)
12(a), (b), (c), (d), and (e), 38.27 (1) (a), 39.15 (1) (c), 39.44 (title), (1) (a), (b), and (c), and
13(3) (c), and 39.46 (2) (g) and the renumbering and amendment of s. 36.34 (1) (b) first
14apply in the 2024-25 academic year.
SB596,9,1615 (2) The treatment of s. 39.40 (title), (1), (2) (intro.), and (3) (b) 1. first applies
16to loans made on the effective date of this subsection.
SB596,9,1717 (End)
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