$129M in cuts for four major state universities
By Eric Boehm | PA Independent
HARRISBURG — After a daylong battle Tuesday between Republicans and Democrats over funding for the state’s four largest universities, the schools will get their money on time, and a possible stumbling block to the state budget was removed.
After Democrats blocked the funding bills Monday night, they reversed course and backed down Tuesday afternoon, allowing the bills to progress.
At a Tuesday news conference, Gov. Tom Corbett told lawmakers to pass the university funding bills immediately to prevent the schools from having to borrow money.
“In my opinion, this is not the time to play chicken with the future of our students and their families,” Corbett said.
By the end of the day, Democrats who were opposing the funding cuts agreed to fund the four schools — Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple, and Lincoln universities — at 81 percent of their funding from this past year in the new state budget. Originally, Corbett had called for 50 percent cuts in the four schools’ funding, but the General Assembly brought the level higher with amendments.
Democrats blocked the approval of the school funding bills — which require a two-third majority instead of only simply majority, meaning one vote more than half the chamber — on Monday night in the state House and Senate. But on Tuesday they relented and moved the bills forward.
The cuts approved by the state House — and an hour later moved through the state Senate Appropriations Committee — will amount to a $129 million reduction among the four schools, down from the $270 million cut proposed by the governor in March. A portion of the cuts are due to the disappearance of the federal stimulus funds, which accounted for about $23 million of the schools’ funding this past year.
Penn State will receive $272 million this year, down from $335 million last year. Pittsburgh will receive $136 million, down from $167 million. Temple will receive 139 million, down from $172 million, and Lincoln will receive $11 million, down from $13 million.
For less than 24 hours, it looked like the bills would not be passed, leaving the schools in limbo until the fall and jeopardizing the completion of the budget on time.
Funding the four schools requires a two-thirds majority, unlike most other budget bills. As a result, Democrats on Monday blocked the passage of the bills despite Republicans holding a 20-seat majority in the 203-member state House and a 10-seat majority in the 50 member state Senate.
What followed was an evening of legislative mudslinging, as Republicans accused Democrats of deliberately obstructing the passage of the university funding provisions.
Democrats responded that they objected to being shut out of the budget process and would not vote for the university bills until they saw the full state budget, which Republicans had negotiated with Corbett in private.
The presidents of the four universities sent letters Monday to the Legislature asking for support of the funding bills because a funding cut was better than not receiving any state appropriation.
After inspecting the state budget, a majority of House Democrats on Tuesday voted for the university funding bills. When it came right down to it, passing a reduced level of funding was better than leaving the schools with nothing from the state, said state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre.
“Once we had seen the budget, we finally had the chance to see what the numbers would mean,” said Conklin, whose district includes Penn State. “We thought it was very important to have all the fiscal notes in line.”
However, the Democratic votes in favor of funding the schools should not be interpreted as an implicit agreement to support the full budget, said Bill Patton, spokesman for House Majority Leader Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday evening to consider the House-passed university funding bills, keeping them on schedule for final passage by Thursday.
State Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, committee chairman, said the bills would move through the state Senate by the end of Thursday.
Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, said his members would not oppose the bills’ passage.
