AB978: Bill Text

LRB-2613/1

EAW:amn

2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Assembly BILL 978

February 15, 2022 - Introduced by Representatives Subeck, Vining, Andraca, Considine, Emerson, Hebl, Hong, Pope, Shelton, Sinicki, Spreitzer, Stubbs and Vruwink, cosponsored by Senators Smith, Roys and L. Taylor. Referred to Committee on Education.

AB978,1,2 An Act to create 20.437 (1) (dm) and 48.483 of the statutes; relating to: scholarships for sibling connections and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires the Department of Children and Families to provide scholarships to adopted children and their biological siblings who do not reside in the same household to attend programs together in order to build sibling connections.

The bill also provides additional funding for the University of Wisconsin and for special education aid the Department of Public Instruction pays to school districts, independent charter schools, cooperative educational service agencies, and county children with disabilities education boards, for purposes of maintaining compliance with maintenance of effort requirements of the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act and the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

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:

AB978,1 Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

AB978,2 Section 2. 20.437 (1) (dm) of the statutes is created to read:

AB978,2,3 20.437 (1) (dm) Sibling connections scholarships. The amounts in the schedule for the scholarship program under s. 48.483.

AB978,3 Section 3. 48.483 of the statutes is created to read:

AB978,2,8 48.483 Sibling connections scholarships. From the appropriation under s. 20.437 (1) (dm), the department shall award scholarships to adopted children and their biological siblings who do not reside in the same household to attend programs together in order to build sibling connections.

AB978,4 Section 4 . Fiscal changes.

AB978,2,15 (1) University of Wisconsin System; general program operations. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System under s. 20.285 (1) (a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2021-22 is increased by $10,000 to increase funding for the purpose for which the appropriation is made and the dollar amount for fiscal year 2022-23 is increased by $10,000 to increase funding for the purpose for which the appropriation is made.

AB978,3,2 (2) Special education aid. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of public instruction under s. 20.255 (2) (b), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2021-22 is increased by $45,000 to increase funding for aids for special education under s. 115.88 and the dollar amount for fiscal year 2022-23 is increased by $45,000 to increase funding for aids for special education under s. 115.88.

AB978,3,3 (End)