Wisconsin Senate panel votes to fire regents who voted against scaling back UW diversity initiatives

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A state Senate committee is recommending a full-house firing of two Wisconsin university regents who voted against a deal calling for limits on campus job diversity in exchange for state funding.

The Republican-controlled Senate Committee on Universities and the Internal Revenue Service voted 5-3 along party lines Thursday to recommend that the complete body deny confirmation of regents Dana Wachs and John Miller. They voted against the agreement twice last December. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointed them each.

The Senate is anticipated to convene on Tuesday for what is going to likely be its final term before the tip of the two-year legislative session. Asked whether nominations could be confirmed, Brian Radday, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, said only that the agenda wouldn’t be finalized until Monday.

Wachs, an Eau Claire attorney who served three terms within the State Assembly and briefly considered running for governor in 2018, said in a telephone interview Friday that he was disenchanted with the committee’s vote and will consider running for the State Assembly again this yr. autumn to help restore civility towards state policy.

“This (rejection) could be an example of the distortion of partisan politics,” he said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience on the Board of Regents. We’ll see what happens later this week. I hope to stay on (the board).”

Miller, who owns a enterprise capital fund, declined to comment, saying he would wait for the complete Senate to act.

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The state budget that Republicans approved and Evers signed last summer called for raises for university staff. However, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos refused to release the cash in an attempt to force the regents to reduce the variety of positions handling diversity, equity and inclusion projects. Vos argued that such efforts only deepen divisions, reflecting a broader cultural battle over college diversity initiatives going down across the country.

In December, Vos reached an agreement with the regents during which he called on lawmakers to unencumber money for raises and various campus construction projects, including a brand new engineering constructing at UW-Madison. In return, the regents had to agree to a hiring freeze for diversity-related positions through 2026, shifting no less than 43 diversity-related positions to deal with “student success,” eliminating statements supporting diversity in student applications, making a position focused on conservative thought and ending the positive opinion share recruitment program at UW-Madison.

The regents initially rejected the agreement by a 9-8 vote. Four days later, they held one other vote, this time approving it 11 to 6 after regents Amy Blumenfeld Bogost, Jennifer Staton and Karen Walsh modified their minds from “no” to “yes.”

Wachs and Miller voted against the plan every time. Senate President Chris Kapenga published on social media between two voices that opposing the deal will cost them approval.

“It is good to know ahead of the upcoming Senate votes that several regents have chosen their holy ideology over preparing our students for careers,” Kapenga wrote on X, a platform formerly generally known as Twitter.

Blumenfeld Bogost. who modified “no” to “yes” on the deal can be yet to be confirmed. The Senate committee voted 7-1 on Thursday to recommend her confirmation to the Senate.

Senate Republicans have thus far fired 13 Evers nominees by refusing to confirm them.