| Tuition retention proposed by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff 
aking a different tack on funding the state's higher education institutions, the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday unveiled a proposal to allow public campuses to retain all tuition monies, a step that could provide more than $90 million for the five-campus University system. The $22.6 billion fiscal 2004 budget blueprint also calls for an appropriation of $293,748,600 to the UMass system. Combined with the retained tuition, the five campuses would receive $386.7 million, or about $30 million more than the appropriation approved by the House of Representatives earlier this month. That difference could help blunt the impact of the nearly $80 million or 18 percent cut passed by the House. A preliminary review of the Senate Ways and Means Committee budget also includes level funding of $1.715 million for Commonwealth College. Like the House budget, the Senate also retains the office of University President William M. Bulger, which has been targeted for elimination by Gov. Mitt Romney. In another break from the House, the proposal put forth by the Senate Ways and Means Committee calls for pegging state employees' health insurance contributions to salary levels. Public employees currently pay 15 percent of monthly premiums, but under the Senate proposal, the share could range from 15 percent to 30 percent. The Senate plan also includes provisions for early retirement incentives, but proposes allowing employees to add a combination of four years to their age or years of service to qualify for higher pension benefits. The plan approved by the House offers an incentive of five years. Senators have until Friday to file amendments to the budget proposal. Debate in the Senate is scheduled to begin on May 28. After the Senate adopts a budget, differences with the House version must be resolved by a legislative conference committee before a final spending plan is approved by both chambers and sent to the governor. |
