New Law to Force Geographic Diversity on UW Regents

The membership of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents is in flux after Gov. Scott Walker signed a law on Dec. 6 requiring the state to appoint members from every congressional district.

The bill, introduced in the senate by Sheila Harsdorf, will affect the 14 members of the board who are appointed by the governor.

“[The law] is a way to ensure that the board will consistently have some sort of geographic diversity,” UW spokesperson David Giroux told the school’s student newspaper, The Badger Herald. “If you look at our current board, we have members from all but the sixth congressional district, but historically we’ve had large number of regents from Milwaukee and Madison, the state’s two population centers.”

Supporters of the law said it will ensure rural ares have as much representation as urban ones in the state’s higher education system.

“Roughly 40 percent of the state’s population comes from the Milwaukee and Madison areas, but regents from these areas make up about 70 percent of the board,” Bill Oemichen, the CEO of Cooperative Network, a Wisconsin trade association, told The Badger Herald. “We believe that with greater geographical diversity, there will be a broader representation on the Board of Regents and that will result in decisions that will reflect all the areas of the state.”

The law’s opponents expressed concerns that geographic diversity would be emphasized above sound decision-making.

“Geographic diversity on the board is a valid concern, but it should not trump concerns about the board’s dedication to higher education in the system. As a member of [UW], I don’t want to see it compromise any more than it already has,” Donald Downs, a UW political science professor, said.

Rep. Erik Severson (R-Star Prairie), who introduced the bill in the house said that the law would make sure the board of regents works in the best interest of the whole UW system, not just its flagship campus in Madison.

“The Board of Regents isn’t there to just take care of Madison; it’s there for all the UW schools,” he told The Badger Herald. “It’s there to ensure that schools from every district are spoken for.”

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Rep. Dean Knudson (R-District 30)

• At St. Croix County Economic Development Corporation’s legislative forum, Knudson said the state’s financial situation was improving and pointed to the elimination of the $3.6 billion deficit over the last 12 months. “I’m not going to tell you that everything is all better,” he said. “It’s not. But I think there’s some movement here. There’s some glimmer of hope.”
• A public hearing has been scheduled on Dec. 13 for Knudson’s bill to require a referendum before a municipality or county may impose a local motor vehicle registration fee.

Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-District 10)

• A bill cosponsored by Harsdorf was signed into law on Dec. 6 requiring the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin to represent all eight of Wisconsin’s congressional districts.
• A public hearing was held for Harsdorf’s bill to allow members of a dairy cooperative
  to claim the dairy manufacturing facility investment credit.
• Harsdorf is a member of a task force—which met for the first time on Dec. 7—charged with making recommendations about restructuring the University of Wisconsin system.

Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI)

• Ray Boland, a former Wisconsin Veterans Affairs secretary and commander at Fort McCoy, is challenging Kind for his seat in the House. Boland said he was running because of "runaway spending, reckless borrowing, managerial dysfunction and political gridlock."
• Kind has been named as a possible opponent for Gov. Scott Walker should should he face a recall election.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)

• Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri freshman, is competing against Johnson for the job of vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. “America is facing a critical moment when we’re going to decide who we’re going to be as a nation, and I believe this is a good way for me to continue to contribute to this historic debate,” Blunt said. Johnson announced he would be running for the position in September and has won endorsements from top Republicans. “The position of vice chair of the Republican Conference would be an important opportunity to address our fiscal crisis,” he said in a statement.
• About 50 protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement spoke with Johnson in Washington for about 30 minutes.  "I tried to let them know i understand what a life of work is all about and working hard to achieve something and take advantage of what America makes available to everybody that tries hard," Johnson told Today’s TMJ4.

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI)

• Kohl attracted attention for his remark that major medical firms were keeping quiet on the proposed merger of Medco Health Solutions Inc. and Express Scripts Inc. out of fear of reprisal. "It is notable that no large employer who privately expressed concerns to us wished to testify at today's hearing, often telling our staff that they feared retaliation from the large PBMs with whom they must do business," said Kohl, the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel. Kohl said the deal would give the merged company control of 60 percent of the mail-order pharmacy business.
• Kohl sent a letter to Pfizer, expressing concern that the drug company’s agreements with pharmacy benefit managers could harm the sales of generic versions of Lipitor.