Senate Bill 868
Permissible financial aid reductions in higher education. (FE)
Topics: Colleges and universities, Scholarships and loans, Technical college, University of Wisconsin
Stopped in committee
The voted on it but didn't recommend it, so the full Senate never voted. The last day for votes this session was Mar 19, 2026. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Jan 23, 2026
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. The committee didn't recommend it.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It sat with the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges.
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The same bill was also filed in the Assembly as AB 486. That version died when the session ended.
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
This bill prohibits an institution of higher education from reducing gift aid that the institution has offered to a student because the student has received a private scholarship from a Wisconsin-based entity, unless certain circumstances apply. The bill applies to University of Wisconsin System institutions, Wisconsin technical colleges, and private, nonprofit institutions that are members of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. “Gift aid” is defined in the bill to mean all financial aid that is not a loan or work-study program, including grants, scholarships, tuition waivers, and third-party payments. “Private scholarship” is defined to mean a scholarship of $5,000 or less awarded by a Wisconsin-based entity but does not include an award funded by an entity that is affiliated with the institution of higher education.
Under the bill, an institution of higher education may reduce the amount of gift aid it offers to a student athlete as a result of a private scholarship award if the reduction must be done in order to comply with the individual or team financial aid restrictions of a governing national intercollegiate athletic association. The institution of higher education may also reduce the amount of a student’s offered gift aid as a result of a private scholarship award if the student’s total gift aid from all sources exceeds the student’s financial need and if the institution first alerts the student that the student may request a reassessment of a certain metric of how the institution of higher education calculates the student’s financial need. Before reducing the amount of a student’s offered gift aid, an institution of higher education must first attempt to reduce or replace other kinds of gift aid that the student has been offered, subject to applicability and to the extent that such action is permitted by the federal Department of Education.
Read the full summary Show less
The bill also requires an institution of higher education to make a sincere attempt to ask the provider of a private scholarship to rescind and re-award to a student a private scholarship in a way that does not constrain how the institution applies it to the student’s cost of attendance or to ask for a private scholarship award provider to clarify the way in which a private scholarship may be used. A private scholarship provider is not required to comply with the institution’s requests.
Who's behind it
André Jacque, a Republican, is its .
5 more lawmakers .
See all 6 names Hide the names
Author (1)
- André Jacque · Republican, Senate
Signed on in support (5)
- Elijah Behnke · Republican, Assembly
- Dave Maxey · Republican, Assembly
- Jeff Mursau · Republican, Assembly
- Jerry O'Connor · Republican, Assembly
- Shae Sortwell · Republican, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
Versions and amendments
Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.
How lawmakers voted
There was one vote on this bill.
Senate vote
Failed, 2 to 3 · Mar 9, 2026
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report passage by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 2, Noes 3”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 9, 2026
“Report passage by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 2, Noes 3” (the official wording)
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Mar 9, 2026
The committee voted on it.
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Mar 4, 2026
The committee held a public hearing.
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Feb 6, 2026
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Jan 29, 2026
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Jan 23, 2026
Sent to the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges.
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Jan 23, 2026
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Jan 23, 2026 · Senate
Introduced by Senator Jacque; cosponsored by Representatives Sortwell, Behnke, Maxey, Mursau and O'Connor
- Jan 23, 2026 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges
- Jan 29, 2026 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Feb 4, 2026 · Senate
Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senator Jacque
- Feb 6, 2026 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 4, 2026 · Senate
Public hearing held
- Mar 9, 2026 · Senate
Executive action taken
- Mar 9, 2026 · Senate
Report passage by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 2, Noes 3
- Mar 9, 2026 · Senate
Available for scheduling
- Mar 23, 2026 · Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary
From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote