2007 House Bill 4350 / Public Act 136

Appropriations: 2007-2008 Higher Education budget

Introduced in the House

Feb. 28, 2007

Introduced by Rep. Pam Byrnes (D-52)

The executive recommendation for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2007-2008 higher education budget for “non-research” universities, meaning all four-year state universities except U of M, MSU, and Wayne State. This appropriates $852.6 million in gross spending. Of this, $720.8 million will come from the general fund (funded by actual state tax revenues). Note: Gov. Jenifer Granholm’s executive budget recommendations are premised on the legislature adopting a 2 percent tax on services which along with other tax increases and a proposed reduction in business taxes represents a net tax hike of approximately $1 billion.

Referred to the Committee on Appropriations

Aug. 22, 2007

Reported without amendment

With the recommendation that the substitute (H-4) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

Substitute offered

To replace the executive proposal for this budget with one that expresses the preferences of the House majority on various spending items and funding sources. For more see the House-passed version, and for detail see <a href="http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2007-2008/billanalysis/House/pdf/2007-HLA-4350-4.pdf">analysis</a> from the non-partisan House Fiscal Agency.

The substitute passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Reps. Alma Smith (D-54) and Alma Smith (D-54)

To include funding for the three state "research" universities in this bill (University of Michigan, Michigan State, and Wayne State), rather than funding these in a separate budget as proposed by Gov. Granholm.

The amendment failed 51 to 59 (details)

Aug. 23, 2007

Amendment offered by Reps. Jacob Hoogendyk (R-61) and Jacob Hoogendyk (R-61)

To require each university to include in the information it submits to a state higher education data bank ("HEIDI") a record of all spending of state dollars, as well as a list of salaries by job classification. As with other Republican amendments, this one was ultimately defeated when late in the process the House Democratic majority adopted a new "substitute" for the entire bill on a non-record roll call "voice vote".

The amendment passed 63 to 47 (details)

Amendment offered by Rep. David Agema (R-74)

To prohibit state universities from discounting the net tuition and fees paid by an individual illegally residing within this country below the standard nonresident tuition and fee rate. As with other Republican amendments, this one was ultimately defeated when late in the process the House Democratic majority adopted a new "substitute" for the entire bill on a non-record roll call "voice vote".

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Fran Amos (R-43)

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. David Agema (R-74)

To prohibit universities from spending money to provide employee benefits to the unmarried partners of employees. As with other Republican amendments, this one was ultimately defeated when late in the process the House Democratic majority adopted a new "substitute" for the entire bill on a non-record roll call "voice vote".

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Kimberly Meltzer (R-33)

To require universities to post a sample tuition bill available in electronic internet format on their website, which must include all fees and assessments in addition to tuition and boarding charges. As with other Republican amendments, this one was ultimately defeated when late in the process the House Democratic majority adopted a new "substitute" for the entire bill on a non-record roll call "voice vote".

The amendment passed 100 to 9 (details)

Amendment offered by Rep. Tom Pearce (R-73)

To prohibit universites from spending any money to fund or promote new or expanded activities related to embryonic stem cell research. As with other Republican amendments, this one was ultimately defeated when late in the process the House Democratic majority adopted a new "substitute" for the entire bill on a non-record roll call "voice vote".

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Kimberly Meltzer (R-33)

To require universities to make all transfer policies clearly and easily accessible in electronic internet format on their website.

The amendment passed 100 to 10 (details)

Amendment offered by Rep. Brian Calley (R-87)

To make university funding contingent on the university adhering to a 3 percent annual tuition increase cap. As with other Republican amendments, this one was ultimately defeated when late in the process the House Democratic majority adopted a new "substitute" for the entire bill on a non-record roll call "voice vote".

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Craig DeRoche (R-38)

To establish as the intent of the legislature that a workgroup be formed to evaluate, discuss, and make recommendations for future action to move from current university operations funding to a per-pupil university funding model.

The amendment failed 55 to 55 (details)

Amendment offered by Rep. David Agema (R-74)

To prohibit universities from spending money on activities which include a display of human waste on religious symbols, nudity, profane language, a display of a sex act, or a depiction of flag desecration. As with other Republican amendments, this one was ultimately defeated when late in the process the House Democratic majority adopted a new "substitute" for the entire bill on a non-record roll call "voice vote".

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. David Agema (R-74)

To establish as the the intent of the legislature that universities not spend money on a project or equipment intended for or to accommodate specific religious purposes. This comes after a controversy involving the University of Michigan's Dearborn Campus planning to spend $100,000 on foot-washing stations in restrooms for Moslem students whose religion requires them to wash their feet and hands before praying. As with other Republican amendments, this one was ultimately defeated when late in the process the House Democratic majority adopted a new "substitute" for the entire bill on a non-record roll call "voice vote".

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Alma Smith (D-54)

To require universities to admit any high school graduate finishing in the top 10 percent of his or her class in either junior or senior year. This practice is seen as a substitute for banned racial preferences in admissions, which were prohibited by the 2006 Proposal 2 Constitutional Amendment.

Consideration postponed

Withdrawn

To withdraw the Alma Smith amendment.

Amendment offered by Rep. Alma Smith (D-54)

To require universities to admit any high school graduate finishing in the top 10 percent of his or her class in either junior or senior year. This practice is seen as a substitute for banned racial preferences in admissions, which were prohibited by the 2006 Proposal 2 Constitutional Amendment.

The amendment passed 63 to 46 (details)

Substitute offered by Rep. Steve Tobocman (D-12)

To adopt a new substitute version of the bill that does not include the mostly Republican amendments previously offered and passed.

The substitute passed by voice vote

Passed in the House 59 to 50 (details)

The House version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2007-2008 higher education budget for “non-research” universities, meaning all four-year state universities except U of M, MSU, and Wayne State. This appropriates $957.9 million in gross spending, $720.8 million of which is from the general fund (funded by actual state tax revenues). When delays in previous year disbursements are considered that pushed some of those appropriations into this budget, the net increase in funding is around 5 percent over the previous fiscal year, divided unevenly among the various universities. Note: As with all House Budgets, this one authorizes spending well in excess of projected revenues, and is based on the presumption of a substantial tax increase.

Motion to reconsider by Rep. Steve Tobocman (D-12)

The vote by which the House passed the bill.

The motion passed by voice vote

Motion by Rep. Craig DeRoche (R-38)

To allow consideration on third reading of the Republican amendments whose earlier passage was negated by the adoption of a new substitute that is essentially identical to the previous one. This was in response to a series of parliamentary maneuvers whose effect was to prevent Republic amendments from being considered or adopted as part of the final bill.

The motion failed 54 to 55 (details)

Received

The House version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2007-2008 higher education budget for “non-research” universities, meaning all four-year state universities except U of M, MSU, and Wayne State. This appropriates $957.9 million in gross spending, $720.8 million of which is from the general fund (funded by actual state tax revenues). When delays in previous year disbursements are considered that pushed some of those appropriations into this budget, the net increase in funding is around 5 percent over the previous fiscal year, divided unevenly among the various universities. Note: As with all House Budgets, this one authorizes spending well in excess of projected revenues, and is based on the presumption of a substantial tax increase.

Passed in the House 59 to 50 (details)

Received in the Senate

Aug. 30, 2007

Referred to the Committee on Appropriations

Sept. 6, 2007

Substitute offered

To adopt a version of the bill that essentially strips out all of the appropriations of the House-passed version, which is basically a procedural method of launching negotiations to work out the differences between the House and Senate budgets.

The substitute passed by voice vote

Passed in the Senate 24 to 14 (details)

To send the higher education budget for “non-research” universities back to the House "stripped" of all actual appropriations, and $100 “placeholders” in their place. These and some changes in the remaining “boilerplate” language prescribing policies the department must follow establish “points of difference” with the House version, the presence of which makes them subjects for negotiation between the bodies. This vote is basically a procedural method of launching negotiations to work out the differences between the House and Senate budgets.

Received in the House

Sept. 6, 2007

To concur with a Senate-passed version of the bill. The vote sends the bill to a House-Senate conference committee to work out the differences.

Failed in the House 0 to 107 (details)

Sept. 11, 2007

Received

Received in the Senate

Sept. 12, 2007

In the House

Oct. 29, 2007

Passed in the House 87 to 22 (details)

The House-Senate conference report for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2007-2008 higher education budget. This appropriates $1.896 billion in gross spending, compared to $1.787 billion, which was the FY 2006-2007 amount enrolled in 2006. Of this, $1.761 billion will come from the general fund, and the rest from other state revenue sources. Individual universities will receive an operations grant increase of approximately 1 percent.

In the Senate

Oct. 30, 2007

Passed in the Senate 38 to 0 (details)

Signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm

Oct. 31, 2007