AB1108: Bill Text

LRB-5912/2

ARG:amn

2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Assembly BILL 1108

March 10, 2022 - Introduced by Representatives Horlacher, Vruwink, Allen and Vos, cosponsored by Senator Stroebel. Referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities.

AB1108,1,3 An Act to renumber and amend 36.09 (1) (h); to amend 36.09 (1) (j); and to create 36.09 (1) (h) 2. of the statutes; relating to: allocation of funding for University of Wisconsin System institutions.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill generally requires the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System to equalize per-student funding among UW institutions, excluding UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, by July 1, 2031.

Under current law, the Board of Regents must allocate funds and adopt budgets for the respective UW institutions giving consideration to the principles of comparable budgetary support for similar programs and equitable compensation for faculty and academic staff with comparable training, experience, and responsibilities and recognizing competitive ability to recruit and retain qualified faculty and academic staff. A significant portion of state funding for the UW System is from a single general purpose revenue appropriation to the Board of Regents for general program operations. This appropriation also provides outcomes-based performance funding for UW institutions.

This bill requires that, by July 1, 2031, the Board of Regents allocate to all UW institutions, other than UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, an equal amount of GPR funding, excluding performance funding, per full-time equivalent undergraduate student enrolled at the institution. The Board of Regents must also make incremental progress in each fiscal biennium toward achieving this requirement. In submitting its biennial budget request for the next four biennia, the Board of Regents must include information detailing a plan for achieving equivalent per-student GPR funding at all UW institutions, other than UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, by July 1, 2031, and the Board of Regents' progress toward that plan.

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

AB1108,1 Section 1. 36.09 (1) (h) of the statutes is renumbered 36.09 (1) (h) 1. and amended to read:

AB1108,2,12 36.09 (1) (h) 1. The Subject to subd. 2. c., the board shall allocate funds and adopt budgets for the respective institutions giving consideration to the principles of comparable budgetary support for similar programs and equitable compensation for faculty and academic staff with comparable training, experience and responsibilities and recognizing competitive ability to recruit and retain qualified faculty and academic staff. If the board ceases or suspends operation of any institution or college campus, the appropriations to the board for operation of the institution or college campus may be utilized by the board for any other purpose authorized by the appropriations within the period for which the appropriations are made.

AB1108,2 Section 2 . 36.09 (1) (h) 2. of the statutes is created to read:

AB1108,2,16 36.09 (1) (h) 2. a. In this subdivision, “institution” has the meaning given in s. 36.05 (9) but excludes the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

AB1108,3,2 b. In submitting information under s. 16.42 for purposes of the 2023-25, 2025-27, 2027-29, and 2029-31 biennial budget bills, the board shall include information detailing a plan for achieving equivalent per-student general-purpose-revenue funding at all institutions by July 1, 2031, and the board's progress toward that plan.

AB1108,3,8 c. In allocating funds appropriated under s. 20.285 (1) (a) excluding funds specified in s. 36.112 (4), no later than July 1, 2031, the board shall allocate to all institutions an equal amount per full-time equivalent undergraduate student enrolled at the institution. The board shall implement the plan under subd. 2. b. and make incremental progress in each fiscal biennium toward achieving the requirement under this subd. 2. c.

AB1108,3 Section 3. 36.09 (1) (j) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB1108,4,7 36.09 (1) (j) Except where such matters are a subject of bargaining with a certified representative of a collective bargaining unit under s. 111.91, the board shall establish salaries for persons prior to July 1 of each year for the next fiscal year, and shall designate the effective dates for payment of the new salaries. In the first year of the biennium, payments of the salaries established for the preceding year shall be continued until the biennial budget bill is enacted. If the budget is enacted after July 1, payments shall be made following enactment of the budget to satisfy the obligations incurred on the effective dates, as designated by the board, for the new salaries, subject only to the appropriation of funds by the legislature and s. 20.928 (3). This paragraph does not limit the authority of the board to establish salaries for new appointments. The board may not increase the salaries of employees under this paragraph unless the salary increase conforms to the proposal as approved under s. 230.12 (3) (e) or the board authorizes the salary increase to recognize merit, to correct salary inequities under par. (h) 1., to fund job reclassifications or promotions, or to recognize competitive factors. The granting of salary increases to recognize competitive factors does not obligate inclusion of the annualized amount of the increases in the appropriations under s. 20.285 (1) for subsequent fiscal bienniums. No later than October 1 of each year, the board shall report to the joint committee on finance and the secretary of administration and administrator of the division of personnel management in the department of administration concerning the amounts of any salary increases granted to recognize competitive factors, and the institutions at which they are granted, for the 12-month period ending on the preceding June 30.

AB1108,4,8 (End)