[Education and Welfare] Senate panel's budget spares higher education cuts

[Elton Thomas]

All,

This is good news. The Senate is slightly moving to our side. They are listening. I think it's important to call and email the Senators and Reps who are showing us support and thank them. I noticed that when I've sent emails with a thank you in the subject line I get a more personal response. So let's keep showing them our appreciation and support.

Elton

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 5, 2012, at 2:42 AM, "Denny Huff" <dhuff at moblind.org<mailto:dhuff at moblind.org>> wrote:

Senate panel’s budget spares higher education cuts

By
Rudi Keller

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

JEFFERSON CITY — State colleges and universities will be spared budget cuts in the coming year, the Senate Appropriations Committee decided this morning.


It also appeared that a program that provides health care for about 2,800 blind Missourians, cut in the House to find money for higher education, also is
likely to be spared cuts.

After the committee recessed, Chairman Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, said the action locks in the budget plan approved in the Missouri House that rejected
Gov. Jay Nixon's call for a $66 million cut to higher education budgets.

"This is enormous," Schaefer said. "We just took the most devastating cut to higher education it has ever seen, and it is over."

Restoring the blind health care funding is a top priority for Nixon. If Schaefer wants the higher education allocations to survive Nixon's veto pen, funding
the blind health care would be a place to start.

The committee this morning began going over the $24 billion spending plan for the year beginning July 1. The committee agreed to keep a $5 million increase
in state basic aid to public education and made additional general revenue available by limiting a proposed pay raise for state workers to those making
$45,000 or less.

Overall, Schaefer told the committee he expects to present the Senate with a budget that spends $40 million less in general revenue than the House proposal.


The University of Missouri, in addition to receiving the $397.9 million allocated by the House, would receive $182,000 to perform economic modeling for
state job creation programs. That work is now done in the Department of Economic Development.

Nixon had recommended that the university receive $367.2 million, or about $26 million less than he allowed the school to receive from this year's appropriation.


Schaefer said he and House Budget Committee Chairman Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, had "agreed public education would be a top priority, and we are demonstrating
that in our actions on this budget."

As he returned to his office from the committee meeting, Schaefer was greeted by Gretchen Maune of Columbia, who was there to ask him to restore a House
cut to health care services for the blind. Maune represents the Missouri Council for the Blind and was in the Capitol as part of a lobbying day on behalf
of the disabled.

"Before I could say what I was doing, he said he's working on it," Maune said, pleased that the cut is facing opposition in the Senate. "That is definitely
a big assurance for me."

The House budget plan found money for higher education by eliminating a $28 million program that provides health care for about 2,800 blind Missourians.
The House restored $2 million, and Nixon has proposed using $17.8 million from a federal grant program as well.

During the hearing, more conservative Republicans were rebuffed on proposed cuts. Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, wanted to remove $100,000 used to buy lunches
for participants in Special Olympics events. "Here we are with a $500 million hole, and we are paying for lunch," Schaaf said, referring to the amount
of belt-tightening measures needed to make the budget balance.

And Sen. Jim Lembke, R-St. Louis, questioned the need for a $95,000 allocation for the Midwest Higher Education Compact, which provides bulk purchasing
and other services to 130 Missouri colleges and universities.

"Do they know we are cutting health care for blind?"  Lembke asked.

"Who said we are cutting health care for the blind?" Schaefer responded.

Reach Rudi Keller at 573-815-1709  or e-mail
rkeller at columbiatribune.com<mailto:rkeller at columbiatribune.com>.


_____________________________________________________________________________
Denny Huff- President
Missouri Council of the Blind
P: (636) 262-1383
TF: (888) 362-1383
F: (314) 558-0298
Phone Cast: (816) 298-8969

DHuff at MoBlind.Org<mailto:DHuff at MoBlind.Org>
www.moblind.org<http://www.moblind.org>
The purpose of Missouri Council of the Blind shall be to promote the general well-being of our members and legally blind people in Missouri, and to support
or participate in other programs promoting the best interests of legally blind people everywhere.


ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE JOURNEY
Your host: Denny Huff
Listen live,
SUNDAY MORNINGS AT 8:00 AM CST
WWW.KLPW.COM<http://WWW.KLPW.COM>


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