Legislative update: a briefing for faculty and staff of the University System of Georgia, No. 13 (Apr. 7, 2009)

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
A Briefing for Faculty & Staff of the University System of Georgia No. 13, April 7, 2009
"Creating a More Educated Georgia"

Conference Committee Delivers FY 2010 Budget as Session Ends
USG Gets $108M in Formula Funding, $7.8M for Medical-Education Expansion

The Georgia General Assembly ended its 2008 Legislative Session at midnight on April 3 with several good-news items that preserved the Board of Regents' basic priorities in the final budget approved for the University System of Georgia (USG) for Fiscal Year 2010.
Additions
The bright spots include $108 million in formula funds, $7.8 million for the expansion of medical education in Georgia, and the restoration of funding for:
u The aviation campus of Middle Georgia College;
u The liberal-arts mission of Georgia College & State University;
u The leadership mission of North Georgia College & State University;
u The instructionaltechnology program at Georgia Southern University;

u Additional faculty and library collections at Georgia Gwinnett College; and
u Medical research at the Medical College of Georgia.
Reductions
However, the Conference Committee on the FY 2010 Budget did not restore funding for several items, including the budgets of the P-16 Office, the Early College program, the Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP), the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia and the Georgia Academy of Aviation, Mathematics, Engineering and Science (GAMES) program at Middle Georgia College.
"This is very disappointing," said Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. "We will need to review all of these functions carefully to determine what action must be taken."
Gov. Sonny Perdue's original budget rec-

ommendations at the start of the session in January increased the USG's reductions from 10.6 percent to 11.3 percent, which represented an additional cut of .7 percent for FY 2010 over the FY 2009 Amended Budget. The House of Representatives increased these reductions to 11.6 percent and the Senate to 12 percent. The Conference Committee modified this slightly to 11.7 percent or $236 million in reductions, which means an additional cut of 1.1 percent for FY 2010 over the FY 2009 Amended Budget.
Capital Budget
The Governor originally recommended $325 million in bonds for the University System's capital projects. The Conference Committee raised that figure to $369 million.
However, the Conference Committee did not include design funds for the Ray Charles Center at Al-

bany State University or the Health Sciences Building at Valdosta State University, renovation funds for Ennis Hall at Georgia College & State University or construction funds for the marine biology building at Savannah State University.
The Conference Committee settled on $60 million in Major Repair and Rehabilitation (MRR) funding for the University System, $10 million less than was initially recommended.
The committee did include funding for two projects at Georgia State University, a project at Atlanta Metropolitan College, additional funds for the Dental School at the Medical College of Georgia and funds for science and technology equipment. The committee also added a number of public library projects.
Further details will be forthcoming at a later date. Q