Shortly after 7 pm Friday, the Joint Finance Committee voted 12-4 along party lines to approve an omnibus motion that would grant greater flexibility to all UW System campuses. The motion does not include public authority status for UW-Madison, but does include the top priorities outlined by the Faculty Senate in May (Faculty Document 2280), and lobbied for by PROFS over the past several weeks — the ability for UW-Madison to create its own pay plan and personnel system. Flexibilities in money management, procurement, and capital projects are also included.
As noted earlier, the motion also restores the cut to UW-Madison to about 38 percent of the total $250 million cut to UW System, rather than the 50 percent cut originally proposed by Governor Scott Walker. PROFS lobbied hard for this change, as it amounts to an additional $30 million for UW-Madison over the biennium.
The motion also prohibits the Board of Regents from increasing tuition by more than 5.5 percent in each of the next two years. UW-Madison retains the authority to increase tuition by an additional 3 percent, under the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, capping tuition increases at 8.5 percent in each of the next two years.
ETA: This article by Todd Finkelmeyer of The Capital Times has more details about the proposal.