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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: April 19, 2010
George Ray
Program Specialist for Government Relations
Summary Sentence:
Funds recommended for most USG and GT priorities; Bonds for Eco-Commons project removed
Full Summary:
No summary paragraph submitted.
FY11 House Budget DetailsAfter three months and 35 legislative days spent analyzing revenues and expenditures, the Georgia House of Representatives agreed on an allocation plan for the coming fiscal year. By a vote of 120-52, the chamber passed their long-awaited version of the FY2011 budget on Wednesday, April 14th. The budget now goes to the Senate for consideration
The $17.8 billion spending plan, down more than $4 billion from the peak achieved in recent years, was crafted with a combination of agency spending cuts and new revenue streams. Though the University System was not immune to these cuts, legislators did show support for higher education by providing full or partial funding to most of the USG and Georgia Tech’s budget priorities.
If the House plan is agreed to by the Senate, the Institute stands to achieve its key objective of securing $7 million to finish and equip the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons (ULC). These funds, secured through general obligations bonds issued by the state, will support the completion and furnishing of the ULC, expected to open in 2011.
The House also supported University System-wide requests for new funding for day-to-day operations and facility maintenance. Of the $139.8 million in new Formula Funds requested, the House recommended funding of $113 million. In Major Repair and Rehabilitation Funds, the House approved funding of the $75 million USG request at a $55 million level.
The House, however, did not approve every Tech and USG request. Missing from the capital section of the budget was $4.5 million in bond funds for construction of the Eco-Commons water relocation project at Georgia Tech. Recommended by Governor Perdue and the Board of Regents, this project would provide infrastructure improvements that are necessary for expansion of GT’s biotechnology campus.
USG “B-units” are expected to be subject to continued cuts. Most, including the Enterprise Innovation Institute and the Georgia Tech Research Institute, saw an additional 3% reduction in funds from the governor’s original budget recommendation in January.
“We are pleased that the House supported the USG and Georgia Tech’s primary capital request, but we are not fully satisfied,” said Dene Sheheane, Executive Director of Government and Community Relations. “We will continue to share the importance of the Eco-Commons project and our B-units with senators and our budget conferees, and I hope that our alumni and friends will help us seek their support, too.”
The State Senate must now pass a version of the FY2011 budget and reconcile any differences with the House. The final budget then will go to governor for his signature.
