January 25, 2024 - Introduced by Representatives Shankland, Emerson, J. Anderson, Baldeh, Clancy, Conley, Joers, Madison, Neubauer, Ohnstad, Palmeri, Ratcliff, Shelton, Sinicki, Stubbs and Subeck, cosponsored by Senators Smith, Roys, Larson and Agard. Referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities.
AB998,,22An Act to create 20.285 (1) (cr) and 36.11 (59) of the statutes; relating to: funding student success and access at University of Wisconsin System institutions and making an appropriation. AB998,,33Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau This bill requires the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System to establish a program, identified as the student success and access fund, to ensure that students from every region of this state have access to an affordable education within the UW System, with particular attention to rural and underresourced regions of the state and the UW System branch campuses. A UW System institution may apply to the Board of Regents for additional funding if student success and access is at risk due to any factor, including if any of the institution’s campuses is operating at a deficit, at risk of insolvency, underserved and unable to meet the needs of students, or undergoing significant programmatic changes. For granted applications, the Board of Regents must allocate funding on the basis of a campus’s need, the severity of the risk factors the campus faces, and the funds available. If funding is insufficient, the Board of Regents must request supplemental funding from the Joint Committee on Finance. The Board of Regents must annually report to JCF and the applicable legislative standing committees its distribution of funding in the prior year.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
AB998,,44The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows: AB998,15Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: AB998,26Section 2. 20.285 (1) (cr) of the statutes is created to read: AB998,,7720.285 (1) (cr) Student success and access fund. The amounts in the schedule to provide the funding specified in s. 36.11 (59). AB998,38Section 3. 36.11 (59) of the statutes is created to read: AB998,,9936.11 (59) Student success and access fund. (a) In this subsection: AB998,,10101. “Branch campus” means any former college campus that was partnered with a university in the system restructuring plan approved by the Higher Learning Commission on or about June 28, 2018. AB998,,11112. “Institution” includes a university and any branch campus partnered with the university. AB998,,1212(b) The board shall establish a program, identified as the student success and access fund, to ensure that students from every region of this state have access to an affordable education within the system, with particular attention to rural and underresourced regions of the state and the branch campuses. AB998,,1313(c) Each institution may apply to the board for additional funding if student success and access is at risk due to any factor, including the following: AB998,,14141. Any campus of the institution is operating at a deficit or is at risk of insolvency. AB998,,15152. Any campus of the institution is underserved and unable to meet the needs of students in order to ensure their success. AB998,,16163. Any campus of the institution is undergoing significant programmatic changes. AB998,,17174. Any additional risk factor exists related to any campus of the institution that the institution can detail in its application to the board. AB998,,1818(d) From the appropriation under s. 20.285 (1) (cr), the board shall provide additional funding to an institution, for the institution’s campus in need, if the board grants the institution’s application under par. (c). Funding provided under this paragraph shall be in addition to the institution’s allocation under ss. 36.09 (1) (h) and 36.112 and in addition to any other allocation of funding by the board to the institution. The board shall allocate funding under this paragraph on the basis of the campus’s need, the severity of the risk factors the campus faces, and the funds available. If funding under s. 20.285 (1) (cr) is insufficient, the board shall provide full funding for each application to the extent funding is available and may not prorate funding. When funding under s. 20.285 (1) (cr) is exhausted for the fiscal year, the board shall submit a request under s. 13.10 to the joint committee on finance for supplemental funding under s. 13.101 (3) and, for purposes of this request, an emergency shall be considered to exist under s. 13.101 (3) (a) 1. AB998,,1919(e) By October 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, the board shall report to the joint committee on finance and, in the manner provided in s. 13.172 (3), to the standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over matters relating to colleges and universities the board’s distribution of funding under par. (d) during the prior fiscal year.
