Legislative update: a briefing for faculty and staff of the University System of Georgia, No. 7 (Feb. 18, 2002)

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
A Briefing for Faculty & Staff of the University System of Georgia

No. 7, Feb. 18, 2002

Amended Budget Passes House With USG Funds Intact

NGCSU Mission-Related Initiative Moved to Amended

T he University System of Georgia's share of the state's Fiscal Year 2002 Amended Budget fared quite well when the House Appropriations Committee finalized its recommendations and the House of Representatives approved them on Thursday, Feb. 14.
Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith shared the good news in a memorandum updating the Board of Regents. "The House agreed with most of the Governor's recommendations, including the $30 million to offset funds lost due to semester conversion and the $19.4 million for health insurance.

These two items will be vital in sustaining the System's momentum, he said."
"We are very grateful that these key items remained intact as the amended budget moved to the Senate," added Tom Daniel, senior vice chancellor for external affairs and facilities. "This is absolutely crucial funding."
A notable addition to the budget is funding for an initiative at North Georgia College and State University related to its mission as the state's military college. The House recommended $750,000 in SpecialInitiative funding for

the implementation of a leadership program at NGCSU that includes the development of a leadership minor and the revitalization of the Corps of Cadets through special efforts to address recruitment and retention. North Georgia is the only four-year, liberal-arts, co-educational, military college in the United States.
The $750,000 was part of the University System's FY '03 Budget Request, but the House chose to move it to the FY '02 Amended Budget. The recommendation is a welcome one. "Our goal will be to encourage the

General Assembly to continue those funds into the next fiscal year," Chancellor Meredith said.
The House also recommended boosting the funding of two units of the University System that are facing more extensive budget cuts than the 2.5 percent ordered for all state agencies by Gov. Roy E. Barnes. The recommendations would add back $121,536 to the budget of the Agricultural Experiment Station and $285,624 to the budget of the Cooperative

Extension Service.

The Countdown: Halfway There?
Today -- Day 20 -- marks the halfway point of the 2002 Legislative Session, but lawmakers still have some negotiating to do regarding redistricting, in addition to budgeting and other matters that will fill the legislative calendar.
Final arguments in the lawsuit over new maps for the state Senate, House and U.S. congressional districts are scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 26.
Democrats would like to handle the resulting changes during the current 40-day session. They have started carving time out of the agenda for this purpose. Political observers say the GOP strategy is likely to be to delay the negotiations, forcing a special session and possibly a return to the courtroom, where a judge would redraw the political boundaries.

"The amended budget will now move to the Senate," Daniel said. "Today is the 20th day of the legislative session. While the Senate reviews the amended budget, the House will begin its work on the FY '03 Budget."