AB 750 — Summary (2025–26 Wisconsin Legislature)
Status: Introduced Dec. 3, 2025; read first time and referred to the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities.
Authors / Sponsors: Introduced by Representatives Dittrich, Armstrong, Brill, Donovan, Duchow, Green, Gundrum, B. Jacobson, Kaufert, Moses, Murphy, Mursau, Nedweski, O’Connor, Piwowarczyk, Snodgrass, Tittl, and Wichgers; cosponsored by Senators Tomczyk and Hutton.
Purpose / Intent
AB 750 adjusts admission-priority rules for Wisconsin technical colleges. It preserves the Technical College System (TCS) Board’s role in setting residency-based admission priorities but expands local district boards’ authority to reserve program seats for particular groups — notably students entering protective services training — and codifies a local “special circumstances” reservation mechanism.
Key Provisions
- Renumbers current statute 38.22(5) to 38.22(5)(a) and creates a new 38.22(5)(b).
- 38.22(5)(a): Restates that the TCS Board shall promulgate rules establishing admission priority among (1) district residents, (2) in-state non-district residents, and (3) out-of-state students (subject to par. (b)).
- 38.22(5)(b)(1): Allows a district board, with TCS Board approval, to adopt a policy reserving program spaces for students admitted under “special circumstances.” Example factors listed: hardship, school-to-work participation, special needs, school–employer partnerships, and enrollment diversity.
- 38.22(5)(b)(2): Independently (i.e., not subject to TCS Board approval), permits a district board to adopt a policy reserving program spaces for students in protective services programs — defined to include programs preparing students for law enforcement, paramedic, emergency medical technician (EMT), or firefighting services.
Who/What Is Affected
- Local technical college district boards: gain clearer statutory authority to reserve seats for specified populations.
- Technical college applicants: potential change in admissions priorities and availability of program seats.
- TCS Board: retains rulemaking authority for overall admission priorities but loses a layer of required approval for district-level protective-services reservations.
- Employers and public-safety workforce: may benefit from increased local ability to prioritize training for protective services.
Procedural Notes & Timeline
- Introduced Dec. 3, 2025; currently referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities (first reading completed).
- Bill text amends statute 38.22 and is intended for the 2025–26 legislative session. No appropriation or fiscal amounts are specified in the text.
Potential Impacts and Considerations
- Pros: Increases local flexibility to respond to workforce needs (public safety), supports partnerships with employers, and allows targeted admissions for students with special circumstances.
- Cons/Questions: May reduce available seats for non-prioritized applicants; raises equity concerns if local reservations are unevenly applied across districts; shifts some oversight away from the TCS Board for protective-services programs.
This summary reflects the bill text creating statutory authority for district-level seat reservations while preserving the TCS Board’s role in setting broader admission priorities.
