Longwood University Governmental Affairs

The Longwood University Governmental Affairs web site is dedicated to keeping you informed and will provide you with information on key issues in the Virginia legislature, as well as certain Federal issues, that affect Longwood.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Brenda Atkins at 434-395-2027 or atkinsbl@longwood.edu .

Current Legislative Issues

 

Legislative update

February 10, 2010

 

 

The 2010 General Assembly Session is almost at its half-way point.   A total of 2,574 legislative bills were introduced  this session. To date, 171 of those have passed both the House of Delegates and the Senate; 132 are being continued until next year’s session, 282 bills have failed, leaving 1,989 yet to be resolved.  Each chamber must deal with its own bills by February 23.

 

The Senate and House of Delegates are both working on their respective revisions to Governor Kaine’s proposed 2010-2012 budget.  Both the House of Delegates and Governor McDonnell have stated that they will not support Governor Kaine’s proposal to eliminate State general fund reimbursement to localities for the “car tax” and they do not support his proposed one percent income tax surcharge that would have gone to the localities to replace those funds.  With the elimination of these two items, the Senate and the House are working to reduce the proposed budget by an additional two billion dollars.  

 

At this point, each Chamber is deliberating the issues and looking at various areas to cut.  It has been suggested that everything is on the table for discussion, including K-12 public education, Medicaid, and public safety – areas that in the past that have been mostly off-limits and have not suffered large budget reductions.  We do not know if higher education will have additional cuts, since the acceptance of Federal stimulus money requires that the Sate maintain the funding level for higher education and K-12 public education at the 2006 level.  The Senate Finance Committee and the House Appropriations Committee will each release their budgets on Sunday, February 21.  While there will have to be a compromise reached on those two budgets, we will know after that point, what the possible scenarios are that we are facing.

 

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact me at atkinsbl@longwood.edu or call 434-395-2027.

Brenda L. Atkins

Executive Assistant to the President for Governmental

   Affairs & Special Projects

 

 

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

January 5, 2010

 

 

On December 18, 2009, Governor Kaine released his budget recommendations for the remainder of this fiscal year and for the 2010-2012 biennium.   Governor Kaine’s proposed budgets will now go to Governor-elect Robert McDonnell (who will be sworn in as Virginia’s new Governor on January 16) and to the General Assembly.  There are likely to be substantial changes made to the 2010-2012 biennium budget proposed by Governor Kaine since it includes abolishment of the car tax relief. Governor Kaine recommends replacing the general funds used to fund the car tax relief with a one percent income tax surcharge, which would go to local governments to replace the loss of the State dollars.  Currently, the car tax relief is capped at $950 million.  Both the Governor-elect and members of the General Assembly have voiced their opposition to this proposal.  If this is removed from the proposed budget, then $950 million must be identified in new revenues to replace the funding or additional budget reductions of $950 million will have to be made.  The General Assembly session begins on January 14 and the upcoming biennium budget will certainly be the top priority of the planned 60-day session.

 

While we will not know the outcome of the 2010-2012 budget until mid-March, below are some of the items that are included in Governor Kaine’s proposed budget:

 

·         The 2010-2012 biennium budget proposed by Governor Kaine includes additional budget reductions, although for Longwood, not at the 15 percent level we had been told earlier, but rather just under 12 percent.  This change was made in order to meet the “Maintenance of Effort” requirement for receiving the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. 

·         The Governor did include additional base operating funding for Longwood’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in the 2010-2012 budget.   

·         Funding for the Renovation of French Hall for the Technology Center is included in the budget; however, the funding is based on the State having sufficient debt capacity to issue bonds for the project.

·         Unfortunately, Governor Kaine’s recommendations do not include salary increases for faculty and staff during the 2010-2012 biennium. 

·         Governor Kaine has also proposed that all state employees contribute toward their retirement plan -- one percent of their salary in 2010-11 and two percent in 2011-12.

·         The 2010-2012 budget also proposes to take some auxiliary reserve funds from the public colleges and universities, as well as interest earnings.

 

The Governor’s recommendations still include one unpaid furlough day this fiscal year for all state employees, including faculty and staff at the public colleges and universities.

 

I will keep you posted as the General Assembly session progresses and will keep you apprised of the changes to the 2010-2012 biennium budget.  If you have questions, please contact me.

 

Brenda Atkins

Executive Assistant to the President for Governmental Affairs & Special Projects

(434) 395-2027