Loading
Print This Issue
Subscribe:
E-Almanac

Government Affairs Update
PDF
January 12, 2010, Volume 56, No. 17

Penn’s Commonwealth Appropriation for FY 2009-10

On December 17 the Pennsylvania General Assembly gave final approval to Senate Bill 1039, Penn’s non-preferred appropriation bill for Fiscal Year 2009-10. As passed by the Legislature this bill would have provided $34,419,000 in funding for the Veterinary School and $113,000 in funding for the University Museum. However, the next day Governor Edward G. Rendell exercised his line item veto authority by reducing the Vet School appropriation to $30,000,000, a 12.8 percent or $4.4 million reduction below the amount approved by the General Assembly (see table below). The University Museum was reduced to $56,000, a 50 percent cut below the amount approved by the Legislature. The Governor reduced all other state-aided non-preferred appropriations by 50 percent. Governor Rendell did not reduce any portion of the state-related universities’ funding due to federal stimulus maintenance of effort requirements for public universities.

The Governor indicated that these reductions were necessary because of insufficient revenue due to the Legislature’s failure to approve necessary legislation legalizing table games at Pennsylvania casinos. He stated that he could support future supplemental appropriations to restore funding for the Veterinary School and other state-aided institutions if the state’s revenue picture improves.

This year’s state budget was marked by severe and difficult cuts in all program areas, including higher education, due to reduced revenues available to the Commonwealth. With the Governor’s veto, funding to the Veterinary School was reduced by 30 percent below the amount originally authorized for the prior fiscal year. All other state-aided colleges and universities were reduced 89 percent below last year’s appropriated funding level.

The Legislature had previously approved House Bill 1416 (Act10A of 2009), the Commonwealth General Fund legislation for Fiscal Year 2009-10.  This bill includes $6.8 million in funding in the Department of Public Welfare for Penn’s physician practice plan, the line item now being used to provide support to Penn’s Medical School, Cardiovascular Studies and Dental Clinics. This amount is the same as originally recommended by the Governor in February, and represents a 4.2 percent reduction below what was originally authorized for these programs last year. Also included in HB 1416 is $300,000 in funding through the Department of Health for Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center.

—Jeffrey Cooper, Vice President of Government and Community Affairs

University of Pennsylvania Non-Preferred Appropriation
(in thousands of dollars)

 

FY 2005

FY 2006

FY 2007

FY 2008

FY 2009

FY 2009

FY 2010

FY 2010

 

Actual

Actual

Actual

Actual

Authorized

Revised**

Final

%Inc***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

w/ Gov. Veto

Veterinary School

 37,364

 38,111

39,254

39,450

39,647

37,268

30,000

-24.3

Center for Infectious Disease
(Vet School)

 

 

3,200

3,216

3,190

2,999

0

-100.0

       Total Vet School

 37,364

 38,111

42,454

42,666

42,837

40,267

30,000

-30.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

University Museum

 231

 231

254

254

251

236

56

-77.7

Medical Instruction*

 3,861

 3,919

4,037

4,057

2,012

1,891

 

 

Dental Clinics*

 1,035

 1,051

1,083

1,088

539

507

 

 

Cardiovascular Studies*

 1,531

 1,554

1,601

1,609

797

749

 

 

Physician Practice Plan Approp.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Medical Instruction/
Dental Clinics/
Cardio. Studies)

 

 

 

 

3,751

3,526

6,800

 

Total University

44,022

44,866

49,429

49,674

50,187

47,176

36,856

-26.6

*Approx. 50% of line item transferred to DPW and appropriated through physician practice plan appropriation, beginning 1/1/09;
For FY 2010 all funding appropriated through physician practice plan appropriation.
** Reflects reductions due to 6% budgetary reserve announced 12/08
*** Percentage decrease below FY 2009 authorized amount

OGCA Staff Update

Vice President Jeffrey Cooper announced the recent addition of Kristi Guillory Reid and Gina Lavery to his staff.

Kristi Guillory is OGCA’s Associate Director of Federal Affairs. She is a graduate of Duke University School of Law. In addition, she earned her master of science in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University and her bachelor of arts from Loyola University in New Orleans. Previously, she served as Assistant Counsel & Senior Policy Analyst for The Council of State Governments. She was a Presidential Management Fellow at the US Department of Health and Human Services and served as Legislative Director for a member of Congress. She is working to advance Penn’s initiatives in the areas of transportation, higher education, urban affairs and the humanities in Washington, DC.

Gina Lavery, C’09, joined OGCA as the administrative coordinator for Federal Affairs after earning her degree in political science and European history with a minor in Italian literature in May. She manages administrative functions for OGCA’s Washington office and coordinates the office’s activities across the campus community. She previously worked for Alumni Relations’ Classes and Reunions team and for Dean Meleis’s office in Penn Nursing.

 

Almanac - January 12, 2010, Volume 56, No. 17