Doyle signs "self-dealing" bill

Madison, Wis. - Gov. Jim Doyle has signed into law Senate Bill 338, which is designed to eliminate some of the bureaucratic obstacles that stand in the way of University of Wisconsin researchers.

Doyle said the law would help researchers more quickly turn research ideas into potential business opportunities. He said current law requires a lengthy, bureaucratic review whenever UW faculty and staff try to start businesses based on their research, and the delay results in missed opportunities for vital start-up financing.

Senate Bill 338, also known as the "self-dealing" bill, exempts a research company that contracts with the University of Wisconsin System, or one of its institutions, if the contract passes a UW-System review process and reveals no conflict of interest. Doyle said the UW System already uses a series of rigorous processes to assure that all potential conflicts are managed, and there is no need for a research company to do the same.

UW-Madison related companies generate more than $1 billion a year, and employ nearly 7,000 people.

The bill's legislative sponsors included State Senators Ted Kanavas, R-Brookfield, and Fred Risser, D-Madison, and State Representatives Terese Berceau, D-Madison, and Andy Lamb, R-Menomonie. The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation also supported the bill.