State lawmakers release nearly $32M in workforce funding to Uni­ver­sities of Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. — The state Legislature’s budget committee met Thursday to vote on releasing nearly $32 million in funding to the Universities of Wisconsin to help with expanding workforce development programs.

Thursday’s move was part of a bigger deal made in December involving pay raises and campus construction in which Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos agreed to release funding cut from the budget by the end of February if the Universities of Wisconsin scaled back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) positions...

What You Need To Know

• The Legislature’s budget-writing committee released nearly $32 million in workforce funding Thursday, which is equal to the amount withheld in the budget approved in July


• GOP lawmakers estimated that amount to be what was spent on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts on campuses


• In December, Republican leaders and the Universities of Wisconsin reached an agreement on pay raises, construction projects, and workforce development


• Thursday’s vote restores those previous cut funds to be used on engineering, health care, business, and data science programs