WISCONSIN STATE
REPRESENTATIVE
Jennifer Shilling
95TH
ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE Contact:
Rep. Jennifer Shilling
March 11,
2008
(608) 266-5780
Shilling bill
to increase financial aid for UW-L students passes
Assembly
Clock is ticking on Senate to act on this important
legislation
MADISON – Tonight in Madison the state
assembly passed AB 854, which would provide an
additional $439,400 in financial aid to incoming
students at UW-La Crosse. Representative Jennifer
Shilling (D-La Crosse), the lead author of the bill,
thanked her Assembly colleagues for their support and
encouraged the state senate to pass the bill before the
session ends.
“UW-L has been on a long
and arduous journey to gain approval for its complete
growth initiative. While tonight’s action on AB 854 is
another step towards completing that journey,
unfortunately we still have a ways to go and not much
time to get there,” said Shilling.
UW-La Crosse received
$664,800 in the 2007-2009 biennial state budget to
implement its growth initiative – aimed at increasing
student enrollment, hiring new faculty and staff, and
improving the overall educational quality. Last
December, the UW-System Board of Regents approved UW-L’s
Growth, Quality and Access initiative. That initiative
will allow the campus to implement a phased-in
differential tuition for incoming students.
A key component of the
Growth, Quality and Access initiative is an increase in
financial aid for incoming lower and middle income
students. AB 854 would provide that increase by
allowing UW-L to use the full $664,800 from the 2007-09
state budget for direct financial aid to new students,
resulting in $439,400 being made available for
approximately 1,750 students.
“I have been, and
continue to be, a supporter of UW-L’s entrepreneurial
efforts to increase higher education access and
quality. An important part of that effort needs to be
increased financial aid for middle class families who
are finding it more and more difficult to afford
college.
“The bottom-line is that
this is about providing more financial aid for more
students to get a college degree. The clock is ticking
on the current session. I continue to encourage the
senate to make the right decision and help hundreds of
middle class students afford a college degree,” Shilling
said.
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<<Shilling
bill to increase financial aid to UW-L students passes
Assembly 3.11.08.pdf>>
