There has been a lot of activity in the legislature recently between the regular and special sessions. Here is a summary of legislation that has passed:

• SB-95 eliminates the current 25 percent limit on the amount of money a school library receives from the Common School Fund that may be used to purchase school library computers and related software.

• Nursing Home Fines and Forefitures AB-302 and its companion, SB-212 the state would be collecting less in fines and forfeitures under state law (which are currently deposited into the CSF). Any money that the state received from monetary penalties collected under federal law would go directly into a fund for projects designed to protect the property and the health, safety, and welfare of nursing home residents and to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the operation of nursing home facilities.

• AB-275, which passed both the Senate and Assembly unanimously.  It would allow the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL) to make revenue-based loans.  Currently, BCPL is limited to making standard general obligation loans to local units of government, and AB-275 allows loans to be secured by a revenue stream. BCPL supports the bill, and it could lead to more loans being made to communities.  This would generate more interest payments for the Common School Fund.

• Legislation has been passed that will change the makeup of the Boardof Commissioners of Public Lands, which administers the Common School Fund.  The measure (Assembly Joint Resolution 26) would eliminate the constitutional offices of State Treasurer and Secretary of State.  Currently, these two officers form the Board along with the Attorney General.  Under the resolution, the eliminated officers would be replaced by the Lieutenant Governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction.

WiscNet and Broadband Updates

In July, Access Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against WiscNet, University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, CCI Systems and the state Department of Transportation to stop the Building Community Capacity through Broadband project.

A hearing took place in the Dane County Courthouse to address the motion to dismiss the lawsuit. We are happy to report that the judge ruled in WiscNet's favor, dismissing the entire lawsuit.

As part of the summer budget hearings there was a proposal before Joint Finance that would have prevented UW-Madison from providing Internet services and connections to schools, libraries and hospitals outside of the University system. This would have had a significant impact on WiscNet that provide a majority of K-12 schools with Internet connections. It also would have required the return of 32.3 million in federal broadband grants.

After an outpouring of support from arround the state to remove the proposal it was modified to allow WiscNet to continue to opperate while the Legislative Audit Bureau conducted an audit of the relationship between WiscNet and the UW System’s use of broadband and telecommunications services by July 1, 2013. It would have provided for a 2 year window, however this provision was vetoed by the governor.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/campus_connection/article_f402626a-b239-11e0-8019-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1fIQ6n2wW

Among the Governor’s vetoes was a partial change to the WiscNet provisions added by the State Assembly. The Assembly amendment extended WiscNet’s funding until July 1, 2013 but allowed for Joint Finance to continue funding the program after that date. However, the Governor’s veto removed Joint Finance’s ability to continue the program beyond July 1, 2013, meaning the prohibitions on WiscNet will likely take effect in 2013.

The Governor’s veto statement on WiscNet is below:

Joint Committee on Finance Authority to Postpone Telecommunications Services Prohibition

Section 1015x

This section defines telecommunications services and third-party entity and, beginning

July 1, 2013, prohibits the University of Wisconsin System from becoming a member,

shareholder or partner in any third-party entity or other person that offers, resells, or

provides telecommunications services to the general public or to any public or private

entity unless the third-party entity or other person does not offer, resell or provide

telecommunication services that it did not offer, resell, or provide on June 15, 2011, and

the third-party entity or other person does not offer, resell, or provide

telecommunications services to a private entity, to the general public, or to a public entity

other than a university or a university-affiliated research facility or a facility approved by

the Joint Committee on Finance that it is not already serving on June 15, 2011. The

section allows the Joint Committee on Finance to postpone the July 1, 2013, effective

date for these prohibitions through majority vote.

I am partially vetoing this section to remove the authority of the Joint Committee on

Finance to postpone these prohibitions because the University of Wisconsin System

should not compete with private sector businesses in providing telecommunications

services. The bill does not prohibit the University of Wisconsin System from participating

in a third-party comprised entirely of universities and university-affiliated research

facilities. There is no need to delay the prohibitions included in the bill beyond July 1,

2013.