The House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees for Higher Education have moved their respective budget proposals, House Bill 5377 and Senate Bill 955.
The Senate version calls for $1.4 billion in funding, matching the recommendations of Governor Rick Snyder. Among the significant items is a call for a difference in allocation of the performance-based portion of the funding to universities from the Governor’s recommendations. The Senate panel has included a measure for universities using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) as a means to compare the institutions with others nationally. Additionally, the Senate version distributes the performance formula based funding differently than the executive recommendations with more going to Wayne State University.
The House Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee struck a bit more controversial chord with their version, completely changing the criteria within the performance based funding portion of the budget. The measure includes five specific funding criteria for additional resources beyond the baseline dollars – two of which are reporting on embryonic stem cell research and certifying that undergraduate students are not required to carry health insurance.
The House budget is roughly $340,000 less than the $1.4 billion recommended by the Governor. Both versions passed their respective Appropriations Subcommittees on party-line votes.
Next week’s PAAdvisory will include brief analyses of some departmental budgets, such as transportation and corrections.