LRB-3576/1
ARG:amn
2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE
August 28, 2019 - Introduced by Representatives Shankland, Skowronski,
Anderson, Billings, Bowen, Cabrera, Emerson, Fields, Gruszynski,
Hesselbein, Kolste, Neubauer, Sargent, Sinicki, Spreitzer, Stubbs, Subeck,
C. Taylor, Vruwink, Zamarripa and Brostoff, cosponsored by Senators
Hansen, Larson, Schachtner, Smith and L. Taylor. Referred to Committee
on Colleges and Universities.
AB389,1,3
1An Act to amend 15.01 (2); and
to create 15.06 (1) (f), 15.06 (3) (a) 7., 15.915
2(4) and 36.67 of the statutes;
relating to: creating a Blue Ribbon Commission
3in the University of Wisconsin System.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill creates a 19-member Blue Ribbon Commission in the University of
Wisconsin System. Members of the commission include the president of the UW
System, four faculty and four academic staff members of UW System schools that the
UW System has identified as underserved or undergoing significant programmatic
changes, four UW System students, one higher education expert, one workforce
development expert, and four legislators. The commission must study, and facilitate
discussion of, a public agenda for higher education; a set of long-term goals and
priorities for higher education; and accessibility and affordability of higher
education. In addition, the commission must do all of the following: 1) define the
goals of higher education for this state; 2) identify strengths to continue and expand,
and weaknesses that need to improve, in this state's institutions of higher education;
3) identify demographic trends that will affect all institutions of higher education in
this state; 4) identify a new funding structure or new revenue streams for the UW
System; 5) identify new ways to administer financial aid; 6) offer recommendations
to encourage and develop innovations among institutions of higher education; 7)
offer recommendations to encourage and develop partnerships between institutions
of higher education; 8) offer recommendations to encourage more students to seek
higher education; 9) study the success rate of programs designed to increase
retention in this state's work force of this state's graduates; 10) study the success rate
of programs designed to increase accessibility of higher education; and 11) study the
feasibility of establishing a state program to provide debt-free college education to
all Wisconsin residents. The commission must submit a report to the legislature that
includes all of this information by December 31, 2022. Upon submission of the
report, the commission terminates, unless the governor renews the commission for
an additional two-year period. The governor may continue to renew the commission
for successive two-year periods.
For further information see the state 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:
AB389,1
1Section 1
. 15.01 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB389,2,132
15.01
(2) “Commission" means a 3-member governing body in charge of a
3department or independent agency or of a division or other subunit within a
4department, except for the employment relations commission which shall consist of
5one chairperson, the Wisconsin waterways commission which shall consist of 5
6members,
the blue ribbon commission which shall consist of 19 members, the
7elections commission which shall consist of at least 6 members, the ethics
8commission which shall consist of at least 6 members, and the parole commission
9which shall consist of 4 members. A Wisconsin group created for participation in a
10continuing interstate body, or the interstate body itself, shall be known as a
11“commission", but is not a commission for purposes of s. 15.06. The parole
12commission created under s. 15.145 (1) shall be known as a “commission", but is not
13a commission for purposes of s. 15.06.
AB389,2
14Section
2. 15.06 (1) (f) of the statutes is created to read:
AB389,2,1615
15.06
(1) (f) Members of the blue ribbon commission shall be appointed and
16serve terms as provided under s. 15.915 (4).
AB389,3
17Section
3. 15.06 (3) (a) 7. of the statutes is created to read:
AB389,3,1
115.06
(3) (a) 7. The members of the blue ribbon commission.
AB389,4
2Section
4. 15.915 (4) of the statutes is created to read:
AB389,3,33
15.915
(4) Blue ribbon commission. (a) In this subsection:
AB389,3,44
1. “Academic staff” has the meaning given in s. 36.05 (1).
AB389,3,55
2. “Board” has the meaning given in s. 36.05 (2).
AB389,3,66
3. “College campus” has the meaning given in s. 36.05 (6m).
AB389,3,77
4. “Faculty” has the meaning given in s. 36.05 (8).
AB389,3,88
5. “Institution” has the meaning given in s. 36.05 (9).
AB389,3,99
6. “System” has the meaning given in s. 36.05 (12).
AB389,3,1010
(b) Subject to par. (f), there is created in the system a blue ribbon commission.
AB389,3,1111
(c) The blue ribbon commission shall consist of the following members:
AB389,3,1212
1. The president of the system or his or her designee.
AB389,3,1613
2. Four members who are faculty of institutions or college campuses that are
14underserved or undergoing significant programmatic changes as identified by the
15system under s. 36.67 (5), appointed by the shared governance body representing
16faculty of the institution or college campus.
AB389,3,2017
3. Four members who are academic staff of institutions or college campuses
18that are underserved or undergoing significant programmatic changes as identified
19by the system under s. 36.67 (5), appointed by the shared governance body
20representing academic staff of the institution or college campus.
AB389,3,2221
4. Four members who are students enrolled in the system, appointed by the
22system student representatives.
AB389,3,2323
5. One member who is a higher education expert, appointed by the board.
AB389,3,2524
6. One member who is a workforce development expert, appointed by the
25governor.
AB389,4,3
17. One majority and one minority party senator and one majority and one
2minority party representative to the assembly, appointed as are the members of
3standing committees in their respective houses.
AB389,4,74
(d) Members of the commission shall serve for a term expiring on December 31,
52022, or when the report under s. 36.67 (4) is submitted, whichever occurs first,
6except that if the commission is renewed under par. (f), each term shall continue
7during any period of renewal.
AB389,4,108
(e) No member of the commission may receive any salary for services performed
9as a commission member. Each commission member shall be reimbursed for actual
10and necessary expenses incurred while performing official duties.
AB389,4,1511
(f) The commission shall terminate upon the commission's submission of the
12report under s. 36.67 (4), unless the governor renews the commission for an
13additional period of 2 years. The governor may thereafter continue to renew the
14commission for additional 2-year periods or allow the commission to terminate upon
15the expiration of any renewal period.
AB389,5
16Section
5. 36.67 of the statutes is created to read:
AB389,4,18
1736.67 Blue ribbon commission. (1) In this section, “commission" means the
18blue ribbon commission created under s. 15.915 (4).
AB389,4,19
19(2) The commission shall study, and facilitate discussion of, all of the following:
AB389,4,2020
(a) A public agenda for higher education.
AB389,4,2121
(b) A set of long-term goals and priorities for higher education.
AB389,4,2222
(c) Accessibility and affordability of higher education.
AB389,4,23
23(3) The commission shall do all of the following:
AB389,4,2424
(a) Define the goals of higher education for this state.
AB389,5,2
1(b) Identify strengths to continue and expand, and weaknesses that need to
2improve, in this state's institutions of higher education.
AB389,5,43
(c) Identify demographic trends that will affect all institutions of higher
4education in this state.
AB389,5,65
(d) Identify a new funding structure or new revenue streams for the University
6of Wisconsin System.
AB389,5,87
(e) Identify new ways to administer financial aid for institutions of higher
8education.
AB389,5,109
(f) Offer recommendations to encourage and develop innovations among
10institutions of higher education, whether public or private.
AB389,5,1211
(g) Offer recommendations to encourage and develop partnerships between
12institutions of higher education, both public and private.
AB389,5,1513
(h) Offer recommendations to encourage more students to seek higher
14education, including identifying how student debt and the cost of tuition play a part
15in student decisions.
AB389,5,1816
(i) Study the success rate of programs designed to increase retention in this
17state's work force of individuals receiving degrees from institutions of higher
18education in this state.
AB389,5,2019
(j) Study the success rate of programs designed to increase accessibility of
20higher education in this state.
