House and Senate Approve Own Budgets

On February 21, the House and Senate reported their amendments to former Governor Kaine’s budget introduced in December for both the current fiscal year and the next biennium. The House and Senate budget amendments were adopted by each house yesterday.  The most contentious item in former Governor Kaine’s budget of eliminating the state payment to localities to replace car tax revenue ended up being treated identically by both the House and Senate; both bodies recommend that this payment be continued. 

Both Delegate Lacey Putney and Senator Charles Colgan, respective chairs of House Appropriations and Senate Finance, indicated that this was the most difficult budget that they had ever encountered in their decades of service in the General Assembly.  In his opening remarks  on February 21, Delegate Lacey Putney remarked, “I have never seen a budget situation this bad” and Senator Charles Colgan’s address referred to the budget deliberations as “painful and difficult.” The House’s budget amendments contain a $4.1 million reduction in the community college transfer grant program between the current fiscal year and the end of the biennium and a $20 million reduction in other student financial aid. The House budget amendments also include a $500,000 reduction to the VCCS. The Senate budget amendments contain an in-state capital fee of $2.50 per credit hour which would be charged to all public higher education students but returned to the state. Other Senate amendments affecting Virginia’s community colleges are the inclusion of seven furlough days to be spaced over three years. For all state employees, both the House and Senate amendments include a 3 percent bonus in December 2011 if funding is available. 

Having been approved by both the House and Senate, the budget bills now cross over to the opposite house. The last day for each house to act on the opposite house’s budget bill is Wednesday, March 3. Today, Speaker of the House Bill Howell announced that the House budget conferees will be returning delegates Lacey Putney, Kirk Cox, Johnny Joannou, Beverly Sherwood,  and new conferees Steve Landes and Chris Jones.  The budget conference committee report is scheduled to be ready by Tuesday, March 9.

Transfer Grant, VCCS Transferable General Education Certificate Bills Advance

The Higher Education subcommittee of the House Education  Committee heard SB 182, which would allow more students to access the Community College Transfer Grant by lowering the grade point average from 3.0 to 2.5.  Approximately 1,400 students would become eligible for the transfer grant funding with the adjusted grade point average. The subcommittee recommended on February 23 to the full  House Education Committee that the bill be reported and re-referred to the House Appropriations Committee. The House Education Committee ratified this recommendation on February 24. The bill now awaits action by the House Appropriations Committee next week.

HB 1066 (Athey) was heard in the Higher Education subcommittee of Senate Education and Health Committee on February 25 and was unanimously recommended to the full committee for reporting. HB 1066 asks that SCHEV, the VCCS, and four-year institutions work together to establish a uniform transferable general studies certificate.  Senate Education and Health is scheduled to take up the bill on Thursday, March 4.

Posted by Ellen Davenport