Committee restores and increases general-fund support for university system above House level

The Senate Finance Committee voted to increase state general-fund support for the university system, adding approximately $33 million per year to the House’s appropriation and restoring unique program funding that had been moved during earlier actions.

Legislative budget staff said the House had appropriated about $66.2 million in total funds (roughly $51 million in general funds and $15 million per year from other sources). The committee’s action adds roughly $33 million per year in general funds, which would bring the total general-fund appropriation to about $85 million per year for the university system.

A committee member explained the figure as an intermediate position: the governor’s recommendation was about $91.2 million per year, so the committee’s proposal increases funding beyond the House but remains below the governor’s request. LBA staff explained the arithmetic and said final numbers will be reflected in the consolidated packet that the committee will vote on later in the process.

Senators asked staff to confirm the dollar changes and the sources (general fund versus unique program funds) and were reminded that this is a committee-level decision that will be combined into a final package and re-voted when the complete HB2 package is prepared.

The committee voted in favor of the adjusted funding level; senators stressed transparency about revenue impacts and asked for packet materials to make the line-by-line differences clear before the final vote.