No. 7, Feb. 24, 2003
Halfway Through the Session, Budget Talks Abound
Nearing the halfway point of the 2003 legislative session, committees and subcommittees of the House and Senate are working furiously beneath the gold dome to resolve budget issues.
Last Wednesday, Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith addressed the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education concerning the University System of Georgia's budget request for Fiscal Year 2004. Meanwhile, across the street in the Legislative Office Building, Senior Vice Chancellor for External Activities and Facilities Thomas E. Daniel and Budget Director Usha Ramachandran represented the University System before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education.
Throughout the week, Daniel, Ramachandran and several other members of the Board of Regents' staff - including Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Affairs William Bowes and Jim Flowers, special assistant to the chief information officer -attended numerous meetings of these and other committees, either to clarify budget questions or to monitor discussions and proposed legislation of interest to the System.
On Friday, Daniel also accompanied Rep. Louise McBee, chair of the House Higher Education Committee, as she led a group of House members on a tour of the University of Georgia's bio-containment facility, expected to be the region's premier bio-containment facility upon its completion. Gov. Sonny Perdue had recommended $15 million in bonds in the FY '03 Amended Budget for the redevelopment of the facility, which is part of UGA's Animal Health Research Center. The House deleted the item, however, when it passed the amended budget on Feb. 13. McBee is championing its return to the budget.
Budget discussions will continue at a fast and furious pace this week, with committees and subcommittees taking advantage of the Legislature being in recess on Monday and Tuesday.
Chancellor Makes Pitch for GALILEO Continued Funding
Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith continued to press legislators for the funding critical to the operation of the University System of Georgia last week. He answered questions about the Board of Regents' formula funding, major capital outlay priorities and special funding initiatives, and detailed the implications of cutting funds for the System's technology projects.
During a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2004 Budget conducted by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education on Wednesday, legislators agreed with Meredith about the need to preserve funding for existing USG programs that traditionally have been supported by Lottery money.
A recommendation to limit Lottery funds in the future to the state's HOPE Scholarship and pre-kindergarten programs, would severely curtail such statewide public services as GALILEO, the University System's online library system, Meredith explained. Without state money for GALILEO, the regents would have to redirect existing operational dollars to continue providing this award-winning service to all Georgians, he said.
The chancellor noted that the Montana Libraries recently rated GALILEO as the best digital library in the country. "We have built something that is the envy of other states, something that they haven't been able to equal," he said. "If you stop putting money into it now, it won't stay that way."
"GALILEO is one of the best things you've ever done as far as providing access to knowledge," Subcommittee Chair Chuck Clay told Meredith in agreeing with others on the committee that funding somehow must be preserved to continue offering online library resources statewide.
"Lottery money represents a huge chunk of our technology budget," Meredith said, reminding the legislators that the University System matches every dollar of state funds allotted to the System's Equipment, Technology and Construction Trust (ETACT) Fund with dollars from the private sector. ETACT provides critical funds for the purchase of equipment, installation of infrastructure, and renovation and construction of facilities related to technology.
The chancellor also addressed the recommendation to eliminate continuation funding for the University System's African-American Male Initiative, a special funding initiative launched in 2002. A statewide task force and an independent research firm that have been studying the lack of college participation by this population will present the regents with recommendations based on their findings in April. "Without funding, these recommendations cannot be acted on," Meredith said.
Members of the subcommittee expressed support for the need to continue funding this initiative. In response to questions from the legislators about the lack of money in the FY '04 Budget for salary increases, Meredith acknowledged that University System officials are worried about the loss of competitiveness.
"We are in a national market when it comes to recruiting faculty. Georgia has been able to recruit some of the best people in the nation." Meredith said. We need to do all we can to preserve that reputation. We are nervous about losing our position nationally."
One unit of the University System, the Georgia Public Library Service, has a special problem. Until GPLS was placed under the administration of the University System in 2000, library employees received incremental salary increases based on seniority and were paid on the same scale used for public school teachers.
"Our rural libraries have been able to stay competitive with the local schools," State Library Director Lamar Veatch told the subcommittee. "But if salaries are no longer tied to teacher pay scales, there is concern they won't be able to compete."
Did You Know ??
You can quickly get up to speed on the major issues before the General Assembly on any given day via a new feature available on the University System of Georgia's website (www.usg.edu).
Jim Flowers, special assistant to the Board of Regents' chief information officer, has created a "Legislative Affairs" site that contains web links to the latest newspaper articles on session news as well as issues of Legislative Update. Powered by the e-newsletter CapitolImpact.com, the site also allows browsers to track specific bills and look up the names, home districts and committee assignments of legislators.
The Legislative Affairs site is accessed by clicking on "Publications" on the USG home page and then clicking on "General Assembly."