SB 341

This bill limits the authority of University of Wisconsin System institutions to

charge students “segregated fees,” which the bill defines as mandatory fees that are

in addition to instructional fees. The bill requires the Board of Regents to ensure that

institutions charge segregated fees only for expenses related to the following: 1)

officially recognized student organizations; 2) student governance; 3) student media;

4) intra-collegiate student recreational sports; 5) intercollegiate athletics; 6) student

health, counseling, and child care services; 7) student transportation services; 8)

nonacademic student services; 9) student union programming and nonretail

operations; 10) facility maintenance; and 11) capital construction projects.

The bill imposes restrictions on segregated fees for intercollegiate athletics and

capital construction projects. For intercollegiate athletics, the amount charged to an

individual student for an academic year may not exceed the lesser of $225 or the

amount charged for the 2020-21 academic year. For a capital construction project

at a UW school, segregated fees may be charged only if the project is authorized by

a majority vote of the school's entire student body in two consecutive academic years.

In addition, no more than 50 percent of a project's cost may be funded with segregated

fees.

The bill also provides that an institution's students have responsibility for the

disposition of all segregated fees. Under current law, that responsibility is limited

to fees that constitute substantial support for campus student activities. However,

as under current law, student responsibility is subject to final confirmation of the

Board of Regents.

Finally, the bill does not affect the requirements under current law that the

Board of Regents must ensure that segregated fees are used only for the purpose for

which they are charged or that any fees for inter-institutional student government

organization must be optional, not mandatory.