The state Senate approved dozens of bills in their last session of the year Tuesday, including most of Gov. Scott Walker’s college affordability package.
College affordability package heads to Walker’s desk
The body approved the four bills, designed to help reduce the cost of higher education in Wisconsin, despite the pleas of Democrats who continue to maintain that they don’t do enough.
The measures approved would increase technical college grants, require colleges provide students with financial literacy information and fund two positions in the Department of Workforce Development to help students secure internships.
The centerpiece of the package, unveiled by Walker in his State of the State address in January, was not taken up by the state Senate. The bill would remove the cap on how much student loan borrowers can deduct interest payments from their taxes. According the Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, the measure’s cost of over $5 million is too expensive in the state's current budget climate.
Despite the changes, members praised the bills as an attempt to help ensure that college remains affordable for students.
“We’ve listened a lot tonight about the things we aren’t doing,” said state Sen. Richard Gudex, R-Fond du Lac. “I wish we could have done more but I’m going to take what we can get … and hopefully next time around there will be more to come.”
Democrats said the bills affect a small minority of students and need to be expanded to actually improve college affordability.
“A lot of the criticism is that this is window dressing, it was anemic,” Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, said in the floor session. “Is this going to help refinancing? It does nothing for refinancing. We have continued to under-fund higher education and it's frustrating that … this is all we have. This is so pitiful.”
The bills now head to Walker's desk.
Sexual assault amnesty, new Board of Regents appointees also approved
The body will also send a bill prohibiting drinking tickets for victims and witnesses of sexual assault to Walker. The measure has been praised by UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, UWPD and other officials as a way to increase the reporting of sexual assault.
In addition, the Senate approved the appointment of two representatives, Bryan Steil and Tracey Klein, to the UW System Board of Regents as part of a mass vote of 25 other appointments. They will both serve seven-year terms until 2023.
