To provide a “template” or “place holder” for the Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Community Colleges budget. This bill contains no appropriations, but may be amended at a later date to include them.   Official Text and Analysis.

With the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

To adopt a version of this budget that expresses the fiscal and policy preferences of the Republican-majority in the Senate on various spending items and programs.

To increase community college spending by $13.8 million, and add some additional money to cover the extra amount colleges will have to contribute to cover underfunded employee pensions and optional retiree health insurance benefits.

To not use money from the state School Aid Fund for this budget, but instead use money from the state general fund. Although under the state constitution the SAF is to be "exclusively for aid to school districts, higher education, and school employees’ retirement systems," the K-12 public school establishment contends that the 1994 Proposal A initiative earmarking a sales tax increase to the SAF means it can only be used for K-12 schools.

The Senate version of the community colleges budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2012. This would appropriate $294.1 million in gross spending, compared to $251.9 million the previous year.

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

To send the bill back to the Senate "stripped" of all actual appropriations. This vote is basically a procedural method of launching negotiations to work out the differences between the House and Senate budgets.

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

The House-Senate conference report for the community colleges budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2012. This would appropriate $294.1 million in gross spending, compared to $251.9 million the previous year. Note: House Bill 5365 contains an identical version of this conference report.