Wisconsin Legislative Council
AMENDMENT MEMO
One Ea st Ma in Stre e t, Suite 401 • Ma dison, W I 53703 • (608) 266-1304 • le g.council@le gis.wisconsin.gov • http://www.le gis.wisconsin.gov/lc
Memo published: February 12, 2024 Contact: Emily Hicks, Staff Attorney
2023 Senate Bill 896
Senate
Amendment 1
2023 SENATE BILL 896
Under current law, the Minnesota-Wisconsin student reciprocity agreement is overseen and
administered by the Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) for both the Wisconsin Technical College
System (WTCS) and the University of Wisconsin System (UWS). Under current law, all payments made
to the State of Wisconsin under the Minnesota-Wisconsin student reciprocity agreement are deposited
into the general fund.
A separate bill, 2023 Senate Bill 161, would require a modification to the Minnesota-Wisconsin student
reciprocity agreement such that HEAB would retain responsibility for WTCS reciprocity with
Minnesota, but the UWS Board of Regents would oversee and administer a new, separate agreement
with Minnesota for reciprocity between UWS and institutions of higher education in Minnesota, known
as the Minnesota-University of Wisconsin System student reciprocity agreement (MN-UWS reciprocity
agreement).
2023 Senate Bill 896 specifies a funding mechanism for the MN-UWS reciprocity agreement.
Specifically, the bill requires that any payment made to the State of Wisconsin pursuant to the MN-
UWS reciprocity agreement, as well as all tuition and fees received by UWS under that agreement, must
be credited to UWS’s appropriation for general program operations under s. 20.285 (1) (gb), Stats. The
bill also provides that UWS’s appropriation for general program operations is to be used to pay any
reimbursement obligation under the MN-UWS reciprocity agreement.
SENATE AMENDMENT 1
Senate Amendment 1 requires that any payments made to the State of Wisconsin pursuant to the
current Minnesota-Wisconsin student reciprocity agreement for students enrolled in a UWS institution
be credited to the UWS’s appropriation for general program operations and that any related
reimbursement obligation be paid from that same appropriation. In other words, under the
amendment, while the current Minnesota-Wisconsin reciprocity agreement remains in effect, any
money received by the State of Wisconsin or owed to the State of Minnesota for students participating
in the UWS portion of the current agreement must be credited to or paid from UWS’s appropriation for
general program operations.
BILL HISTORY
Senator Stafsholt offered Senate Amendment 1 on February 6, 2024. On February 7, 2024, the Joint
Committee on Finance recommended adoption of the amendment and passage of the bill, as amended,
on votes of Ayes, 15; Noes, 0.
For a full history of the bill, visit the Legislature’s bill history page.
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