SB165: Bill Text

2019 Senate BILL 165

April 18, 2019 - Introduced by Senators Stroebel, Feyen, Nass, Marklein, Wanggaard and Testin, cosponsored by Representatives Born, Zimmerman, Jagler, Duchow, Skowronski, Gundrum, Plumer, Tusler, Edming, Mursau, Brooks, Dittrich, Felzkowski, Knodl, Horlacher, Murphy, Krug, James, Kulp and Myers. Referred to Committee on Universities, Technical Colleges, Children and Families.

SB165,1,5 An Act to renumber and amend 36.31 (2m) (b); to amend 36.11 (3) (cm) 5. and 36.65 (3); and to create 36.31 (2m) (b) 2., 36.31 (2m) (b) 3., 36.31 (2m) (b) 4. and 36.31 (2m) (bm) of the statutes; relating to: transferability of courses between the University of Wisconsin System, technical college system, and tribally controlled and private colleges.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill makes changes to requirements under current law regarding the transferability of credits between certain institutions of higher education. Under current law, the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and the Technical College System Board are required to enter into an agreement for ensuring that, beginning in the 2014-15 academic year, no fewer than 30 credits in core general education courses identified in the agreement are transferable between UW institutions and technical colleges. Current law also allows tribally controlled and private nonprofit colleges in this state to participate in the agreement.

This bill eliminates the above agreement and requires instead that the Board of Regents and TCS Board enter into an agreement that establishes policies for ensuring that, beginning in the 2020-21 academic year, credits for courses in different subject areas are transferable, which may include core general education courses. The agreement must specify the total number of course credits that are transferable, which may not be less than 75 credits or nine credits for each course subject area, whichever is greater. Also, the agreement must establish policies for faculty to periodically identify the courses with transferable credits. In addition, the agreement must include procedures for revising the agreement every two years. As under current law, the bill allows tribally controlled and private nonprofit colleges in this state to participate in the agreement.

The bill also includes two requirements for passive review by the Joint Committee on Finance. First, no later than December 31, 2019, the Board of Regents and TCS Board must submit to JCF the agreement and the list of courses with transferable credits that are initially identified by faculty. If JCF does not schedule a meeting by a specified deadline to review the agreement and list, the bill allows the agreement and list to be implemented. However, if JCF schedules such a meeting, neither the agreement nor the list may be implemented unless approved or modified by JCF. Second, any revision of the agreement to decrease the number of transferable credits must be submitted to JCF. If JCF does not schedule a meeting by a specified deadline to review a revised agreement, the revised agreement may be implemented. However, if JCF schedules such a meeting, the revised agreement may not be implemented unless approved or modified by JCF.

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:

SB165,1 Section 1. 36.11 (3) (cm) 5. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB165,2,3 36.11 (3) (cm) 5. Core general education courses that are subject to Courses for which credits are transferable under the agreement required under s. 36.31 (2m).

SB165,2 Section 2. 36.31 (2m) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 36.31 (2m) (b) (intro.) and amended to read:

SB165,2,11 36.31 (2m) (b) (intro.) Notwithstanding s. 36.09 (3) (a) and subject to par. (bm), the Board of Regents and the technical college system board shall, and the governing boards of tribally controlled colleges in this state and the association, on behalf of private colleges, may, enter into and implement an agreement that identifies core general education courses totaling not fewer than 30 credits and establishes does all of the following:

SB165,3,6 1. Establishes policies for ensuring that, beginning in the 2014-15 2020-21 academic year, credits for completing the courses in different subject areas, which may include core general education courses, are transferable and would satisfy general education requirements at the receiving institution or college, between and within each institution, college campus, and technical college, and each tribally controlled college and private college that elects to participate in the agreement.

SB165,3 Section 3. 36.31 (2m) (b) 2. of the statutes is created to read:

SB165,3,10 36.31 (2m) (b) 2. Specifies the total number of course credits that are transferable under the policies established under subd. 1., which may not be less than 75 credits or 9 credits for each course subject area, whichever is greater.

SB165,4 Section 4. 36.31 (2m) (b) 3. of the statutes is created to read:

SB165,3,15 36.31 (2m) (b) 3. Establishes policies for institution and technical college faculty and faculty of tribally controlled and private colleges that elect to participate in the agreement to periodically identify the courses for which credits are transferable under the agreement.

SB165,5 Section 5. 36.31 (2m) (b) 4. of the statutes is created to read:

SB165,3,17 36.31 (2m) (b) 4. Includes procedures for revising the agreement every 2 years.

SB165,6 Section 6. 36.31 (2m) (bm) of the statutes is created to read:

SB165,4,5 36.31 (2m) (bm) 1. No later than December 31, 2019, the Board of Regents and the technical college system board shall submit to the joint committee on finance the agreement required under par. (b) and the list of courses initially identified by faculty under par. (b) 3. If the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance do not notify the board within 14 working days after the date of the submittal that the committee has scheduled a meeting to review the agreement and list, the agreement and list shall be implemented. If, within 14 working days after the date of the submittal, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the board that the committee has scheduled a meeting to review the agreement or list, neither the agreement nor list may be implemented unless the committee approves or modifies the agreement or list. If the committee modifies the agreement or list, the agreement and list may be implemented only as modified by the committee.

SB165,4,18 2. If the agreement required under par. (b) is revised to decrease the number of course credits that are transferable under the agreement, the Board of Regents and the technical college system board shall submit the revised agreement to the joint committee on finance. If the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance do not notify the board within 14 working days after the date of the submittal of a revised agreement that the committee has scheduled a meeting to review the revised agreement, the revised agreement shall be implemented. If, within 14 working days after the date of the submittal of a revised agreement, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the board that the committee has scheduled a meeting to review the revised agreement, the revised agreement may not be implemented unless the committee approves or modifies the revised agreement. If the committee modifies a revised agreement, the revised agreement may be implemented only as modified by the committee.

SB165,7 Section 7. 36.65 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB165,4,24 36.65 (3) Core general education credit Credit transfers. The board shall include in the report required under sub. (2) a description of the agreement entered into under s. 36.31 (2m) and a summary of the board's implementation of the agreement. This subsection first applies to the report required under sub. (2) that applies to the 2014-15 2020-21 academic year.

SB165,4,25 (End)