New Bill Would Provide STEM Grants to Rural Schools

Representative Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City) introduced Assembly Bill 799 on Friday, 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.  

In order to receive a STEM grant, a school must secure matching funds of at least 10% from a private or public entity.

AB 799 has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Mining and Rural Development.

State Senate Passes Bill Deleting State Treasurer

The State Senate passed Assembly Joint Resolution 5 this evening on a vote of 20-13. 

As you know, AJR5/SJR4 deletes the state treasurer from the constitution and replaces the treasurer with the lieutenant governor on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. Senator Mark Miller (D-Monona) offered an amendment that would have put the state superintendent on the BCPL instead of the lieutenant governor, but that amendment was rejected on a party-line vote.

Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma) argued that deleting the state treasurer puts the state at risk of  financial fraud and abuse and that it would be better to reinstate the duties of the treasurer that were previously reassigned to other state agencies. Senator Janet Bewley (D-Bayfield) also spoke against AJR 5, arguing that the distribution of powers is important to Democracy and that deleting a constitutional officer results in the consolidation of power.

Senator Rick Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), AJR 5’s author, told the Senators that the resolution puts the question to the people and lets them decide if they want a treasurer or not. He also highlighted the fact that the last two state treasurers have run on the platform of deleting the position. 

Since AJR5/SJR 4 amends the state constitution, it must be passed in two consecutive session of the Legislature. AJR 5 has now officially passed the Legislature this session. It can now be re-introduced in the 2017-18 session for second consideration. After the bill is passed for the second time by the Legislature, it will be put to voters in a statewide referendum.

Senate to Vote on State Treasurer Resolution Tomorrow!

The State Senate will vote on Assembly Joint Resolution 5 tomorrow, January 20.

As you know, AJR5/SJR4 deletes the state treasurer from the constitution and replaces the treasurer with the lieutenant governor on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.

WEMTA believes there are potential unintended consequences of AJR 5/SJR 4 that could put school library funding at risk.  We believe that replacing the State Treasurer with the Lieutenant Governor on the BCPL jeopardizes our founding fathers’ commitment to maintaining a constitutionally protected form of school library funding. As envisioned by our founding fathers, current BCPL Commissioners do not play a leading role in K-12 school funding or the state budget process—this makes them ideal custodians of the Common School Fund and helps protect the integrity of the fund.

If you have concerns about this proposal, now is the time to contact your State Senator.

Since AJR5/SJR 4 amends the state constitution, it must be passed in two consecutive session of the Legislature. This is a critical vote. If AJR5 is passed by the Senate tomorrow, it will have officially passed the Legislature this session. It can then be re-introduced in the 2017-18 session for second consideration. 

After the bill is passed for the second time by the Legislature, it will be put to voters in a statewide referendum. 

HOW DO I CONTACT MY LEGISLATOR?

The first step in contacting your legislator is knowing who your legislator is. The easiest way to do this is the tool found on the Legislature’s home page, athttp://legis.wisconsin.gov. In the right-hand side of that page is a link that says Find My Legislators!  Type your address in the box below that link to get the names of your state representative and senator.

·  Phone.  You may leave a message for your legislator’s Capitol office or indicate your position on legislation through the toll free Legislative Hotline, at 1-800-362-9472.

·  E-mail. The e-mail addresses of members of the Wisconsin Legislature all have the same format. For members of the Assembly, the form is Rep.Jones@legis.wisconsin.gov; for members of the Senate, the form is Sen.Adams@legis.wisconsin.gov.

Don't Forget to Watch the State of the State Tonight!

Governor Walker is set to deliver his annual State of the State address at 7 p.m. tonight.

Walker is expected to discuss his policy agenda for the next year, which includes college affordability and workforce initiatives.

You can stream the speech using Wisconsin Eye: http://www.wiseye.org/. Or you can watch Wisconsin Eye on Charter Channel 995 and Time Warner Channel 363.

Other ways to watch include:

Wisconsin Public Television

http://workingforwisconsin.wi.gov/

New Bill Would Allow Public Libraries to Refer Delinquent Accounts to Collections, Law Enforcement

Senator Harsdorf (R-River Falls) introduced Senate Bill 466 on December 18, which allows a public library to provide a collections agency or law enforcement agency with  information about patrons who have delinquent accounts. Under the bill, a delinquent account must total $50 before it can be referred to law enforcement. 

SB 466 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Elections and Local Government. 

New Education Law Signed; What's Next?

Yesterday, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a bipartisan bill to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replace the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Now that ESSA is law, when does it go into effect? And what happens with NCLB and NCLB waivers?

Additionally, the Alliance for Excellent Education has created a series of special Federal Flash videos that provide concise but comprehensive analyses of several key areas within the Every Student Succeeds Act. These special editions of Federal Flash are available “on demand” so feel free to binge, Netflix style! If you prefer to learn via print rather than video, the Alliance has also created one-page fact sheets in each of the key areas, as well as a side-by-side chart comparing accountability provisions in NCLB, NCLB waivers, and ESSA.

Update on 2015-16 Legislative Session

The clock is winding down on the 2015-16 Legislative session. After finishing up the Fall Floor Period in November, the Legislature is taking a brief break for the holidays before reconvening in January 2016 to finish up their work for the session. The Senate and Assembly are scheduled to adjourn for the 2015-16 Legislative Session in April, but many sources indicate that they may adjourn sooner than expected.

Pending legislation must be passed and signed into law before the legislature officially adjourns, otherwise it is considered “dead” and  must be re-introduced in the 2017-18 session.

As we enter the final stretch of the 2015-16 session, here are where are number of bills WEMTA has been monitoring stand:

State Treasurer Resolution

The State Assembly voted 63-33 in October to approve AJR 5. Authored by Representative Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh), the resolution would delete the office of the State Treasurer from the state constitution. The lieutenant governor would replace the treasurer on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.

AJR5/SJR4 was passed, 3-2, by the Senate Committee on Labor and Government Reform in September, but has yet to be voted on by the full senate.

All that is needed for AJR5/SJR4 to pass the Legislature this session is for the full Senate to vote on the proposal. Since the resolution amends the state constitution, the full Legislature must AJR5/SJR4 this session and then pass an identical resolution next session. Once the proposal has been approved by the Legislature a second time, it will be voted on in a statewide referendum.  

Limiting School Referendums

Senator Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) and Representative Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh) introduced legislation at the end of October that would prohibit a school district from holding a referendum for two years following a failed referendum.

The proposal applies to loans and bonds, revenue limit adjustments, state trust fund loans issued by BCPL, temporary borrowing, and promissory notes. School districts that experience a natural disaster would be exempt from the ban for six months following the disaster.

In addition, the proposal would only allow a school district to schedule a referendum on the April spring election day or the November general election day.

Senate Bill 355 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Elections and Local Government. Assembly Bill 481 has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Education.

BCPL Land Bank Authority

Representatives Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis) and David Craig (R-Big Bend) introduced Assembly Bill 71 earlier this session, which would eliminate the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands’ authority to purchase land. Although this may not directly impact the Common School Fund, it affects other funds that the BCPL manages. AB 71 has been referred to Committee on Mining and Rural Development.

State Superintendent Resolution

In November, Representative Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin) introduced Assembly Joint Resolution 84, which makes the State Superintendent a political appointee instead of an elected official.

Under AJR 84, the governor would nominate a state superintendent and the state senate would approve the appointment.

AJR 84 has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Education.

As AJR 84 is a constitutional amendment, it must be passed by both houses of the legislature in two consecutive legislative sessions and then approved by voters in a statewide referendum.