Assembly Committee Passes Bill that Could Put More Money into Common School Fund

The Assembly Committee on State Affairs and Government Operations voted 13-0 on Wednesday to pass Assembly Bill 721, which would allow the state to claim savings bonds that haven't been cashed in within 5 years. The money collected by the state would go into the Common School Fund. AB 721 can now be voted on by the full Assembly.

A fiscal note released by the Department of Revenue said that the fiscal effect of the bill on the Common School Fund is indeterminate. However, they estimate that they currently have possession of $500,000 worth of savings bonds that they consider unclaimed property.  

Other legislative action from Wednesday that may be of interest to WEMTA include:

The Assembly Committee on Mining and Rural Development voted 9-2 to pass Assembly Bill 799, which creates a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) grant program for rural schools. AB 799 would provide grants between $3,000 and $20,000 to schools with less than 1,000 students to establish, maintain, and expand educational programming related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  The bill’s author estimates that 191 rural school districts would be eligible to apply for the grants. AB 799 can now be voted on by the full Assembly.

The Committee on Mining and Rural Development also voted 8-2 to approve Assembly Bill 793, which would extend the current teacher loan assistance program to students who take jobs in rural counties. Under current law, the loan assistance program is only available to teachers who take jobs in Milwaukee. AB 793 can now be voted on by the full Assembly.

Meanwhile, the Assembly Committee on Education held a public hearing on legislation that would create a system to track incidences of school violence. 

The Assembly is expected to finish up their work for the 2015-16 legislative session by February 18 while the Senate is expected to finish up in early March.