THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 13, 1997 TAG: 9701130072
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: 51 lines
Advocates for Virginia's public colleges this week will begin pushing for a chunk of the state's $247 million budget surplus.
Gov. George F. Allen has announced budget amendments that would gobble up $226 million, leaving just $21 million unspent. The General Assembly does not have to go along with his recommendations, however.
Allen suggested only $116,000 in new spending for higher education in the second year of the 1996-98 budget. He noted in his State of the Commonwealth speech that the budget approved last year already boosts college funding by $260 million, a 15 percent increase over the previous two-year budget.
However, last year's cash infusion was short of the $400 million the colleges wanted, so they would like a bigger share of the surplus than Allen is recommending.
John T. ``Til'' Hazel, a developer who heads the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, said he will seek more money for colleges at a public hearing on the state budget today.
Hazel said the council, an organization of business executives interested in improving the state's colleges, had not decided by Friday how much money to request. But he said the group would not be timid.
``I have no fear at all when you're justified in what you're asking for,'' Hazel said. ``I'm going to focus on how much is in the pot and how you divide it up.''
The State Council of Higher Education is seeking $40 million in new money. Gordon K. Davies, executive director of the council, said he will make his pitch to the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. Davies said he expects several college representatives to speak at today's public hearing before the Senate Finance and House Appropriations committees. The hearing will be the last of five conducted by those panels.
Scores of speakers are likely to attend the hearing to seek more money for a wide array of state services, including environmental protection, mental health programs and the arts.
Other committees also will get down to business in the first full week of the 46-day session, said Del. Jay W. DeBoer, D-Petersburg. He said the collegial atmosphere that marked the session's first three days probably will begin to wane.
``That tends to wear off when you start talking about real issues, like money,'' he said.
A heavy workload also can fray legislators' nerves, and they should get some idea this week how busy they will be. The deadline for filing bill-drafting requests is 5 p.m. today.