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Legislative Update


Joint education committee informational hearing today on federal fund usage

by | Apr 8, 2021 | Federal Issue, Legislative Update Blog, State Budget

The Senate and Assembly Committees on Education will hold a joint informational hearing on Thursday, April 8 at 11:00 a.m. in Room 411 South, State Capitol. The committees are chaired by state Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and state Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) and are scheduled to take invited testimony only on “Federal Funding Distributed to Wisconsin related to K-12 Education.” The hearing will be covered live on WisconsinEye. The WASB GR staff will monitor the hearing and report anything worth noting to our members.

The committees have invited the following speakers for this hearing:

  • Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: state education agency.
  • Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: “a nonpartisan service agency of the Wisconsin Legislature. The Bureau provides fiscal and program information and analyses to the Wisconsin Legislature, its committees, and individual legislators.”
  • Austin Reid, Education Committee Director, National Conference of State Legislatures: The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL): “NCSL, founded in 1975, represents the legislatures in the states, territories and commonwealths of the U.S. Its mission is to advance the effectiveness, independence and integrity of legislatures and to foster interstate cooperation and facilitate the exchange of information among legislatures.

    “NCSL also represents legislatures in dealing with the federal government, especially in support of state sovereignty and state flexibility and protection from unfunded federal mandates and unwarranted federal preemption. The conference promotes cooperation between state legislatures in the U.S. and those in other countries.”

  • Sam Duell, Policy Director, ExcelinEd: “a 501(c)(3) organization that supports state leaders in transforming education to unlock opportunity and lifelong success for each and every child. Focused on educational quality, innovation and opportunity—both within and outside of the traditional system—ExcelinEd advances a broad range of student-centered policy solutions to: Increase Student Learning; Advance Equity; Ready Graduates for College and Career.”
  • Michael Brickman, Senior Fellow, Institute for Reforming Government: Michael Brickman was a K-12 policy advisor to former Gov. Scott Walker who is also the former honorary national chair for the Institute for Reforming Government. The Institute “is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that seeks to simplify government at every level by offering policy solutions to thought leaders in American government in the areas of tax reform, government inefficiency, and burdensome regulations. IRG will work as a conduit among several statewide, regional, and national organizations to put forward reform through policy summaries, specific policy proposals, as well as peer-reviewed studies and other means, in order to open the dialog on the need for continued government reform.

    “It is our duty to shed light into the dark corners of a government that has overstepped its bounds. From local municipalities to state governments across the country to the federal government, the Institute for Reforming Government will work to address all levels of government operations and how they can best serve the people they represent. The outcomes of our work will be made public and will showcase where positive reforms may be necessary for the further betterment of society.”

  • John Gray, Deputy Assistant to the President Trump and Director of Policy for Vice President Pence: According to his Linkedin profile, he has also worked for the Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Senator Rand Paul and a conservative think tank (among others).
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