$3.6 million probable for Vet School

The University's Veterinary School will likely receive $3.6 million from the state, despite the defeat earlier this week of a bill that would have given the school $15 million, Commonwealth Relations Director Paul Cribbins said yesterday. Cribbins said that the state agriculture department included the Vet School in its portion of the $136 million request for preferred supplemental appropriations made by Gov. Robert Casey for the current fiscal year. Preferred supplemental appropriations consist primarily of money requested by state departments. The governor's funding request was passed by the House Wednesday and sent to the State Senate for consideration. Representative Joseph Pitts (R.-Talmidge), Republican House Appropriations Chairperson, tried to have an amendment tacked on to the preferred supplemental appropriations package that would have restored $15 million to the Vet School for the current fiscal year. The amendment was defeated 102-96 earlier this week, in what House Appropriations Executive Director Michael Rosenstein said was "a classic split-party vote." Cribbins said that this defeat does not necessarily signify strong opposition to a restoration of state funding for the University. "I think [Wednesday's vote] was the beginning step in a process to negotiate supplemental appropriations," Cribbins said. "I think we are still hopeful of our chances of receiving funding." Cribbins said the amendment was defeated because the Democratically-controlled House wanted to send Casey's request for supplemental appropriations to the Senate without any additions. "I think [the Democrats] wanted to send that bill over [to the Senate] without any amendments," he said. "The Republicans were unsuccessful in passing any amendments to that bill. "Many Democrats stood up on the floor [of the House] and said that there were many good amendments proposed but that they wanted to move it over to [the Senate]" he added. "We're still hopeful the final figures will show support for the University." Cribbins also said that the Senate will have a chance to add items to the bill, but that it "is difficult to predict what will happen." There is still money in non-preferred supplemental appropriations which the state legislature can appropriate at its discretion and which could be used to fund the University. Last month, a bill passed the Senate by unanimous vote that would, if enacted, restore $36.3 million to the University. This bill, part of a 10-bill, $70 million package sponsored by State Senator Vincent Fumo (D-Phila.), is currently awaiting action by the House Appropriations Committee. Fumo spokesperson Jim Hertzler said earlier this week that the bills are essentially "stuck" and that there has been no action on any of them. In addition to the Fumo bill, a few other bills that would restore varying amounts of funding to the University are pending in the House, Cribbins said. "Bills are just vehicles," Cribbins said. "There are a lot of different proposals out there from different caucuses, but once an agreement has been reached I think one of those bills will move forward." Cribbins added that he does not know when action will be taken on University funding, but that it will probably not occur before the legislature's Easter recess at the end of next week.