The Virginia General Assembly's short session officially closed Saturday. This session saw passage of 958 bills, including a transportation bill and a budget bill that could have an effect on higher education funding.
The transportation bill will take money from the general fund, comprised of revenue collected by the state through the sales tax and income tax, according to House Speaker William Howell, R-Stafford.
The general fund also subsidizes K-12 education and health and human services, among other services the Commonwealth provides its citizens, Howell said.
Despite recent uncertainty about funding of the transportation bill, Howell noted that funding of the bill will only take one half of one percent of the general fund, still leaving sufficient resources for other areas.
Del. Leo C. Wardrup. Jr., R-Virginia Beach, said the transportation bill will not affect funds allocated to the Commonwealth's colleges and universities.
On the other hand, Wardrup said the budget bill, passed by the General Assembly last week, will have "a dramatic impact" on higher education.
The budget bill includes a variety of stipulations that will benefit the University, said Melody Bianchetto, assistant vice president for budget and financial planning for the University. According to Bianchetto, among these is funding for a four percent salary increase for faculty and staff, undergraduate financial aid, cancer research and capital projects.
Another aspect of HB 1650 that could possibly affect the University is the tuition incentive fund proposal.
The proposal creates a fund of about $7.2 million, a portion of which will be available to state higher education institutions only if schools keep their tuition increases for the 2007-2008 year below six percent. According to the University's proposed six-year plan, in-state tuition costs would increase by nine percent. Facing the choice, Bianchetto said, "We will have to decide what is best for the University."
The governor is expected to review and make amendments to the legislation, in particular the transportation package, Howell said.
According to Kevin Hall, spokesperson for Gov. Kaine, the governor has until March 26 to make amendments to the legislation before the General Assembly reconvenes April 4 for a one-day special session, during which lawmakers will either accept or decline the governor's changes.
Politics Prof. Larry Sabato said "the governor is not in support" of the transportation bill, noting that "if he gets his amendments, he'll sign [the bill]. If not, it's dead because there is not enough support in the House."
-- Courtney Kessler
contributed to this article
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