Wisconsin 2025 Regular Session Status: Introduced 1 R cosponsors

SB 751 — Relating to: the appointment of certain employees of the University of Wisconsin System and faculty governance.

Last action — Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed Assembly
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced December 12, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Advancing 34% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 4 sponsors

    1 primary, 3 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

An Act to renumber and amend 36.09 (4); to amend 36.09 (1) (e), 36.09 (1) (em), 36.09 (4m), 36.17 (1) and 36.17 (2); to create 36.09 (3) (c), 36.09 (4) (a) and (c) 2. and 36.17 (3) and (4) of the statutes;

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

102 added · 98 removed

Plain-language change summary

The recent amendments to Senate Bill 751 updated the definition of "faculty" to include individuals who have at least a 50% appointment, instead of previously requiring more than 50%. Additionally, the bill has removed a restriction that only allows candidates for certain high-ranking academic positions to be those who have been granted tenure. These changes matter because they broaden the pool of candidates eligible for leadership positions in higher education, potentially increasing diversity and bringing in new perspectives.

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- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRBs0560/1 ARG:skw SENATE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1, TO SENATE BILL 751 March 4, 2026 - Offered by Senator ABRAL-G UEVARA .
- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRB-5592/1 ARG:skw SENATE BILL 751 December 12, 2025 - Introduced by Senator C ABRAL -GUEVARA , cosponsored by Representatives P IWOWARCZYK , D ITTRICH and O'C ONNOR .
Referred to Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges.
Current law defines faculty to include persons who hold the rank of - 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRBs0560/1 ARG:skw professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor in a department.
Current law defines faculty to include persons who hold the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor in a department.
Academic staff are defined to include professional and administrative personnel with higher education-related duties, while instructional academic staff are defined as academic staff with teaching responsibilities.
Academic staff are defined to include professional and administrative personnel with higher education-related duties, while instructional academic staff are defined - 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRB-5592/1 ARG:skw SENATE BILL 751 as academic staff with teaching responsibilities.
A UW institution’s faculty has the primary responsibility for advising the - 2026 Legislature - 3 - LRBs0560/1 ARG:skw chancellor regarding academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters.
A UW institution’s faculty has the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters.
A UW institution’s academic staff has the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding the formulation and review of policies and procedures concerning academic staff, including personnel matters.
A UW institution’s academic staff has the primary responsibility for - 2026 Legislature - 3 - LRB-5592/1 ARG:skw SENATE BILL 751 advising the chancellor regarding the formulation and review of policies and procedures concerning academic staff, including personnel matters.
Under the bill, “faculty” means all individuals who have more than a 50 - 2026 Legislature - 4 - LRBs0560/1 ARG:skw S ECTION 1 percent appointment and whose job duties consist primarily of teaching or research or who are serving as an academic department, center, or program chairperson or director.
Under the bill, “faculty” means all individuals who have at least a 50 percent appointment and whose job duties consist primarily of teaching or research or who are serving as an academic department, center, or program chairperson or director.
The bill also specifies that the faculty may not limit eligibility of faculty members to serve on or be the chairperson or director of a faculty committee, center, academic department, or program on the basis of a faculty member’s rank, tenure, appointment to a faculty title, or terminal degree attainment.
The bill also specifies that the - 2026 Legislature - 4 - LRB-5592/1 ARG:skw SENATE BILL 751 SECTION 1 faculty may not limit eligibility of faculty members to serve on or be the chairperson or director of a faculty committee, center, academic department, or program on the basis of a faculty member’s rank, tenure, appointment to a faculty title, or terminal degree attainment.
- 2026 Legislature - 5 - LRBs0560/1 ARG:skw SECTION 2 36.09 (1) (em) Neither the board nor any institution may adopt any policy or promulgate any rule that requires the board, the president, or a chancellor, as applicable, to consider for appointment as president of the system, chancellor, or vice chancellor to a position listed in s.
36.09 (1) (em) Neither the board nor any institution may adopt any policy or - 2026 Legislature - 5 - LRB-5592/1 ARG:skw SENATE BILL 751 SECTION 2 promulgate any rule that requires the board, the president, or a chancellor, as applicable, to consider for appointment as president of the system, chancellor, or vice chancellor to a position listed in s.
The (c) The faculty of each institution shall have the right to determine their own - 2026 Legislature - 6 - LRBs0560/1 ARG:skw SECTION 4 faculty organizational structure and to select representatives to participate in institutional governance, except that the as follows:
The (c) The faculty of each institution shall have the right to determine their own faculty organizational structure and to select representatives to participate in institutional governance, except that the as follows:
1.
- 2026 Legislature - 6 - LRB-5592/1 ARG:skw SENATE BILL 751 SECTION 4 1.
2., in this subsection, “faculty” means all individuals who have more than a 50 percent appointment and whose job duties consist primarily of teaching or research or who are serving as an academic department, center, or program chairperson or director.
2., in this subsection, “faculty” means all individuals who have at least a 50 percent appointment and whose job duties consist primarily of teaching or research or who are serving as an academic department, center, or program chairperson or director.
(4), the faculty of the institution, shall have the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding the formulation and review, and shall be represented in the development, of all policies and procedures concerning - 2026 Legislature - 7 - LRBs0560/1 ARG:skw SECTION 6 academic staff members, including academic staff personnel matters.
(4), the faculty of the institution, shall have the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding the formulation and review, and shall be represented in the development, of all policies and procedures concerning academic staff members, including academic staff personnel matters.
(4), the academic staff members of each institution shall have the right to organize themselves in a manner they determine and to select their representatives to participate in institutional governance.
(4), the academic staff members of each institution shall have the right to - 2026 Legislature - 7 - LRB-5592/1 ARG:skw SENATE BILL 751 SECTION 6 organize themselves in a manner they determine and to select their representatives to participate in institutional governance.
36.11 (54) (b) the - 2026 Legislature - 8 - LRBs0560/1 ARG:skw S ECTION 9 title, salary, and position description for each limited appointment and the number of limited appointments at each institution.
36.11 (54) (b) the title, salary, and position description for each limited appointment and the number of limited appointments at each institution.
SECTION 10.
- 2026 Legislature - 8 - LRB-5592/1 ARG:skw SENATE BILL 751 S ECTION 10 SECTION 10.
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Action History

  1. Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

  2. Available for scheduling

  3. Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 3, Noes 2

  4. Report adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 3, Noes 2

  5. Executive action taken

  6. Public hearing held

  7. Senate Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Senator Cabral-Guevara

  8. Representative Murphy added as a cosponsor

  9. Representative Knodl added as a cosponsor

  10. Read first time and referred to Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges

  11. Introduced by Senator Cabral-Guevara; cosponsored by Representatives Piwowarczyk, Dittrich and O'Connor

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 3 co-sponsors · 128 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (3)

  • Piwowarczyk
  • Dittrich
  • O'Connor

Not signed on (128)

128 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 128 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Subjects

labor education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 751 do?
An Act to renumber and amend 36.09 (4); to amend 36.09 (1) (e), 36.09 (1) (em), 36.09 (4m), 36.17 (1) and 36.17 (2); to create 36.09 (3) (c), 36.09 (4) (a) and (c) 2. and 36.17 (3) and (4) of the statutes;
Who sponsors SB 751?
SB 751 is sponsored by Piwowarczyk, Dittrich, O'Connor, and Cabral-Guevara, Rachael (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 751?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced December 12, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 751?
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