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Promise Kept: Increasing student grants

Tom Kertscher
By Tom Kertscher October 5, 2018

The idea here was to increase higher education grants so more students could afford college; and to target the money to high-demand fields for students who commit to staying in Wisconsin.

All our Tammy Baldwin and Leah Vukmir fact checks in the U.S. Senate race.

 

Our most recent rating on this promise, in January 2016, was In the Works. That's when Gov. Scott Walker announced a series of higher education initiatives, including two bills sponsored by Republican lawmakers involving grants.

One bill was to increase the needs-based Wisconsin Grants program for technical college students by $500,000 in 2016-'17 and by $500,000 in 2017-'18. It became law in March 2016.

The other bill was to provide $130,000 to University of Wisconsin System two-year colleges and $320,000 to technical colleges to provide emergency grants to help needy students facing difficulties to remain in school. This bill also became law in March 2016.

Our rating

Walker promised to increase higher education grants for certain students and two bills he signed into law during his second term did so. One increases grants to students who suffer financial emergencies and the other increases grants to technical college students. We rate this a Promise Kept.

Our Sources

Email, Gov. Scott Walker press secretary Amy Hasenberg, Oct. 3, 2018

Wisconsin Legislative  Council, memo, March 30, 2016

Wisconsin Legislative  Council, memo, March 30, 2016

Interview, Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau director Bob Lang, Oct. 4, 2018