UNI Legislative Update
The Office of Governmental Relations provides legislative updates to the campus community through online communication and bimonthly campus presentations. These updates will inform faculty, staff and students of hot topics facing the legislature and legislative actions affecting UNI and the Regents institutions.
April 2, 2008
Iowa revenues to be predicted; distributed
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Check back with UNITE to see the official numbers from the Revenue Estimating Conference on Friday. With good news anticipated, Math & Science will receive some momentum as the Education Budget heads to the floor of the House of Representatives.
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By Dan Gearino | Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Legislative proposals that would otherwise be on the chopping block may get new life Friday from a panel of financial experts.
The Revenue Estimating Conference will meet to set the official forecast for state revenues. If the three-person panel decides to increase the estimate, legislators will have many possible uses for the money.
“We just have to take a look and see just how much money is going to be out there,” said Sen. Frank Wood, D-Eldridge, who oversees the education budget.
In December, the budget panel members said they expect the state to have $6.4 billion in tax receipts for the 2008-09 fiscal year. Legislators have used that number as a baseline as they assemble a budget.
Several items are unlikely to be included in the budget but may be added if the pie is expanded. They include:
* A $4.7 million plan to improve the way math and science are taught in K-12 schools The initiative, based at the University of Northern Iowa, would be run by the Board of Regents and the Iowa Department of Education.
* Senior Year Plus, a series of items that would pay for high school seniors to attend college courses and cover the cost of advanced placement exam fees. The cost would be $3.5 million.
* The All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship, a program intended to help needy students attend college. Gov. Chet Culver wants $5 million, and legislative leaders say $1.5 million is available.
There is little room for new programs this year because legislators need to pay for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of multi-year commitments from previous years, such as teacher pay raises and public assistance for preschool.
Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, thinks the math-science teaching initiative should be funded, regardless of what the budget experts say on Friday. The program would be based in his district, although he emphasizes that the whole state would benefit.
“I believe our budget should reflect our core priorities,” Danielson said.
The Revenue Estimating Conference is led by Dennis Prouty, director of the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency. The two other members are Charles Krogmeier, budget adviser to Culver, and David Underwood, a retired executive from Mason City.
The panel’s December estimate is the one that legislators are required to use as the basis for the budget. However, lawmakers have waived the rule in the past when the panel’s April estimate showed an increase.
The forecast is one of many indicators about the condition of the state economy. Over the past year, the projections have shown the economy slowing but still growing at a healthy clip.
Culver said earlier this week that the new estimate will help bring focus to budget negotiations.
“We want to make sure that we protect our priorities, that we fund initiatives that build on those priorities, and at the same time we balance the budget and protect our cash reserves,” he said.