AB554: Bill Text

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.

AB554,,4 The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB554,1 Section 1. 36.25 (14) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,6 36.25 (14) Graduate student financial aid. The board shall establish a grant program for minority and disadvantaged graduate students enrolled in the system. The board shall give preference in awarding grants under this subsection to residents of this state. The board may not make a grant under this subsection to a person whose name appears on the statewide support lien docket under s. 49.854 (2) (b), unless the person provides to the board a payment agreement that has been approved by the county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) and that is consistent with rules promulgated under s. 49.858 (2) (a).

AB554,2 Section 2. 36.25 (14m) (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,8 36.25 (14m) (title) Minority and disadvantaged Disadvantaged student programs.

AB554,3 Section 3. 36.25 (14m) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,10 36.25 (14m) (a) The board shall fund programs for recruiting minority and disadvantaged students and for minority and disadvantaged students enrolled in the system.

AB554,4 Section 4. 36.25 (14m) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,12 36.25 (14m) (b) By April 15, 1992, and annually thereafter, the board shall adopt a precollege, recruitment and retention plan for minority and disadvantaged students enrolled in the system.

AB554,5 Section 5. 36.25 (14m) (c) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,14 36.25 (14m) (c) 2. All financial aid distributed to students, categorized by ethnic group, class level and dependency status. The report shall include information on financial need, percentage of need satisfied by loan, percentage of need satisfied by grant, and the percentage remaining unsatisfied.

AB554,6 Section 6. 36.25 (14m) (d) of the statutes is created to read:

AB554,,16 36.25 (14m) (d) In determining whether a student is disadvantaged for purposes of this chapter, including under this subsection, sub. (14), and s. 36.34, the race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion of the student may not be considered, either directly or indirectly.

AB554,7 Section 7. 36.34 (title) and (1) (title) and (a) of the statutes are repealed.

AB554,8 Section 8. 36.34 (1) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 36.34 and amended to read:

AB554,,19 36.34 Ben R. Lawton grant program. The board shall establish a grant program for minority undergraduates disadvantaged undergraduate students enrolled in the system. The board shall designate all grants under this subsection section as Lawton grants. The board may not make a grant under this subsection section to a person whose name appears on the statewide support lien docket under s. 49.854 (2) (b), unless the person provides to the board a payment agreement that has been approved by the county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) and that is consistent with rules promulgated under s. 49.858 (2) (a).

AB554,9 Section 9. 38.04 (8) (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,21 38.04 (8) (title) Minority Disadvantaged student participation and retention plan.

AB554,10 Section 10. 38.04 (8) (a) of the statutes is repealed.

AB554,11 Section 11. 38.04 (8) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,24 38.04 (8) (b) Annually by January 1, the board shall develop a plan to increase minority group member participation and retention in the technical college system of disadvantaged students. The plan shall specify each district board’s goals and objectives for minority group member participation and retention of disadvantaged students. The plan shall outline activities and programs that enhance minority group member participation and retention of disadvantaged students and shall review the progress made by the board and by district boards in the previous school year.

AB554,12 Section 12. 38.04 (8) (c) of the statutes is created to read:

AB554,,26 38.04 (8) (c) In determining whether a student is disadvantaged for purposes of this chapter, including under this subsection and ss. 38.26 and 38.27 (1) (a), the race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion of the student may not be considered, either directly or indirectly.

AB554,13 Section 13. 38.26 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,28 38.26 (title) Minority Disadvantaged student participation and retention grants.

AB554,14 Section 14. 38.26 (1) of the statutes is repealed.

AB554,15 Section 15. 38.26 (2) (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) of the statutes are amended to read:

AB554,,31 38.26 (2) (a) The creation or expansion of programs that provide counseling and tutoring services for minority disadvantaged students.

AB554,,32 (b) Programs that demonstrate innovative approaches to increasing minority disadvantaged student placement and retention in technical education programs that have a high earning potential for their graduates.

AB554,,33 (c) Providing internships to minority disadvantaged students enrolled in programs that prepare their graduates for admission to a teacher education program at an institution within the University of Wisconsin System.

AB554,,34 (d) Programs that combine basic skills and occupational training as a means of expediting basic skills remediation and increasing retention of minority disadvantaged students.

AB554,,35 (e) Programs that use community-based organizations to assist in the recruitment, training and retention of minority disadvantaged students.

AB554,16 Section 16. 38.27 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,37 38.27 (1) (a) The creation or expansion of adult high school, adult basic education, and English as a 2nd language courses. The board shall give priority to courses serving students with disabilities or minority, unemployed, or disadvantaged students.

AB554,17 Section 17. 39.15 (1) (c) of the statutes is repealed.

AB554,18 Section 18. 39.40 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,40 39.40 (title) Minority teacher Teacher loan program for disadvantaged students.

AB554,19 Section 19. 39.40 (1) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:

AB554,,42 39.40 (1) In this section, “economically disadvantaged pupil” has the meaning given in s. 115.43 (1).

AB554,20 Section 20. 39.40 (2) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,44 39.40 (2) (intro.) The board shall establish a loan program for minority disadvantaged students who meet all of the following requirements:

AB554,21 Section 21. 39.40 (3) (b) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,46 39.40 (3) (b) 1. The recipient is employed as provided in subd. 1m. by a public or private elementary or secondary school, or by a tribal school, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m), located in a school district in this state in which minority students economically disadvantaged pupils constitute at least 40 80 percent of the membership, as defined in s. 121.004 (5).

AB554,22 Section 22. 39.44 (title) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:

AB554,,48 39.44 (title) Grants for disadvantaged undergraduate students.

AB554,23 Section 23. 39.44 (1) (a) of the statutes is repealed.

AB554,24 Section 24. 39.44 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,51 39.44 (1) (b) There is established, to be administered by the board, the minority undergraduate retention a grant program for minority undergraduates the retention of disadvantaged undergraduate students enrolled in private, nonprofit higher educational institutions in this state or in technical colleges in this state.

AB554,25 Section 25. 39.44 (1) (c) of the statutes is created to read:

AB554,,53 39.44 (1) (c) In determining whether a student is disadvantaged for purposes of this subchapter, including under this section and s. 39.40, the race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion of the student may not be considered, either directly or indirectly.

AB554,26 Section 26. 39.44 (3) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB554,,55 39.44 (3) (c) Annually report to the board the number of awards made, the amount of each award, the minority disadvantaged status of each recipient, other financial aid awards made to each recipient, and the total amount of financial aid made available to the eligible students.

AB554,27 Section 27. 39.46 (2) (g) of the statutes is repealed.

AB554,28 Section 28. Initial applicability.

AB554,,58 (1) The treatment of ss. 36.25 (14) and (14m) (title), (a), (b), (c) 2., and (d), 36.34 (title) and (1) (title) and (a), 38.04 (8) (title), (a), (b), and (c), 38.26 (title), (1), and (2) (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e), 38.27 (1) (a), 39.15 (1) (c), 39.44 (title), (1) (a), (b), and (c), and (3) (c), and 39.46 (2) (g) and the renumbering and amendment of s. 36.34 (1) (b) first apply in the 2024-25 academic year.

AB554,,59 (2) The treatment of s. 39.40 (title), (1), (2) (intro.), and (3) (b) 1. first applies to loans made on the effective date of this subsection.

AB554,,60 (end)