Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session
Relating to: faculty tenure and probationary appointments at University of Wisconsin System institutions and granting rule-making authority. (FE)
University of wisconsin — Faculty
- Introduced, stopped here
- Passes Assembly, not reached
- Passes Senate, not reached
- Governor signs, not reached
- Law, not reached
Unfamiliar terms? Glossary
What this bill does
Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill restores the tenure and probationary appointment provisions for faculty of the University of Wisconsin System that were in effect just prior to enactment of the 2015-17 biennial budget act (
2015 Act 55
).
Prior to
2015 Act 55
, the statutes specifically authorized the Board of Regents of the UW System to grant to a ranked faculty member a tenure appointment for an unlimited period if certain conditions were met, including that the chancellor of the applicable UW institution and, with an exception, the faculty member’s academic department both affirmatively recommended the tenure appointment. A tenured faculty member could be dismissed only for just cause. The statutes also specifically authorized the Board of Regents to make faculty probationary appointments for a period preceding a decision on tenure. A faculty member having a probationary appointment could be dismissed prior to the end of the contract term only for just cause.
This bill restores the tenure and probationary appointment provisions for UW System faculty that existed just prior to enactment of
2015 Act 55
.
What it would cost
Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs
Sponsors
Introduced by: Anderson (D) , Andraca (D) , Arney (D) , Bare (D) , Billings (D) , Brown (D) , Clancy (D) , DeSanto (D) , DeSmidt (D) , Emerson (D) , Fitzgerald (D) , Goodwin (D) , Haywood (D) , Hong (D) , Hysell (D) , Joers (D) , Johnson (D) , Kirsch (D) , Madison (D) , Mayadev (D) , McCarville (D) , McGuire (D) , Miresse (D) , Moore Omokunde (D) , Neubauer (D) , Ortiz-Velez (D) , Palmeri (D) , Phelps (D) , Prado (D) , Rivera-Wagner (D) , Roe (D) , Sheehan (D) , Sinicki (D) , Snodgrass (D) , Spaude (D) , Stroud (D) , Stubbs (D) , Subeck (D) , Taylor (D) , Tenorio (D) , Udell (D) , Vining (D)
13 cosponsors
Carpenter (D) , Drake (D) , Habush Sinykin (D) , Hesselbein (D) , Keyeski (D) , L. Johnson (D) , Larson (D) , Ratcliff (D) , Roys (D) , Smith (D) , Spreitzer (D) , Wall (D) , Wirch (D)
Registered lobbying interests · 3
Organizations that registered lobbying activity on this bill with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Registration means interest, not a position for or against. Official record
Full history
- Oct 29, 2025 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives DeSmidt, Vining, Joers, Anderson, Andraca, Arney, Bare, Billings, Brown, Clancy, DeSanto, Emerson, Fitzgerald, Goodwin, Haywood, Hong, Hysell, Johnson, Kirsch, Madison, Mayadev, McCarville, McGuire, Miresse, Moore Omokunde, Neubauer, Palmeri, Phelps, Prado, Rivera-Wagner, Roe, Sheehan, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Spaude, Stroud, Stubbs, Subeck, Taylor, Tenorio, Udell and Ortiz-Velez; cosponsored by Senators Hesselbein, Smith, Carpenter, Drake, Habush Sinykin, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Larson, Ratcliff, Roys, Spreitzer, Wall and Wirch
- Oct 29, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities
- Nov 11, 2025 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1