Senate opens debate on $23.2b budget

Package restores $11.5m to system

by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff

he Senate opened debate this week on a proposed $23.2 billion fiscal 2003 budget that called for level-funding the University system at $460.6 million - $11.5 million more than the $449 million approved last month by the House.

     Unlike the House spending plan, the proposed Senate budget does not include any reserve for the FY02 costs of the University's collective bargaining agreements.

     The preliminary budget prepared by the Senate Ways and Means Committee also does not include any separate funding for Commonwealth College or the Endowed Chair Program. The House voted to level fund Commonwealth College at $1.715 million and allocated $2 million for the endowment incentive. As the Chronicle went to press, the Senate had not yet acted on proposed amendments to fund both items at the same level as the House budget.

     Action also was awaited on an amendment sponsored by Sen. Stan Rosenberg (D-Amherst), Sen. Steven Tolman (D-Brighton) and Sen. Robert O'Leary (D-Barnstable) to increase the Senate's funding for library materials from $5 million to $8 million. The House approved $2.4 million for the Education Reference Materials (ERM) reserve, which provides funding to libraries across the University, state college and community college systems. The University usually receives about 60-65 percent of the funds.
Rosenberg also filed amendments to eliminate the 20 percent cap on refilling vacancies created by the early retirement program and to strike language in the Board of Higher Education's account requiring all public institutions to dedicate 5 percent of their total budgets to capital adaptation and renewal.

     Elsewhere across the UMass system, the Senate's proposed budget includes more than $3 million for the Dartmouth campus' Star Store renovation project in New Bedford, an increase of $600,000 over this year. The House approved $2.4 million for the project.

     Another Dartmouth campus initiative, the Advanced Technology Center in Fall River, would see about $1.1 million under the Senate Ways and Means Committee plan, the same amount approved by the House and about $15,000 less than this year. The Senate plan also agrees with the House budget for reducing funding for UMass Lowell's Toxic Use Reduction institute by almost $86,000.

     Senators are being asked to increase the state scholarship program by $1 million to $94 million. The House approved $90 million for scholarships.

     If approved, the Senate Ways and Means Committee plan would reduce state college sector funding by 0.8 percent and cut the community college system by 2.7 percent.

     Once the Senate adopts a final budget, differences between its bill and the version approved by the House must be reconciled by a six-member conference committee.