The chairs of the Joint Finance Committee announced today that while public authority status for UW-Madison is out of the budget, flexibilities for all UW System campuses are in. Representative Robin Vos (R-Caledonia) and Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) said in a press conference this afternoon that each campus will receive state funding in the form of block grants, giving them greater flexibility over its budget.
Additionally, the Madison campus will no longer be required to shoulder half the $250 million budget cut to UW System as originally proposed by Governor Scott Walker in his 2011-13 biennial budget proposal. UW-Madison will now face a $47 million cut in each year of the biennium. The Joint Finance Committee is expected to vote on the proposal later today. Live streaming video of the hearing is available on WisconsinEye.