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ICCTA Action Alert
Nov. 10, 2003
Ask your Senators to restore "hold harmless" funds
Last Thursday (November 6), the Illinois House of Representatives voted 115 - 0 -1 to override the
Governor’s amendatory veto to the community college section of House Bill 2671 and to restore $3.7 million
in "hold harmless" funding for the Illinois community college system. In order to successfully override
the Governor’s veto, the Illinois Senate must now also vote to override his veto.
- ACTION NEEDED: Please contact your local Illinois State Senators in their district offices during the week
of November 10 and encourage them to support an override of the Governor’s item reduction veto to House Bill 2671.
All senators are in their home district offices this week and will return to Springfield to consider this and
other issues on Tuesday, November 18. A successful vote in the Senate will restore $3.7 million to the community
college budget that was reduced by the Governor after an agreement to fund a "hold harmless" appropriation
affecting 30 of the 39 community colleges.
To increase our chances for a positive outcome, please report the results of your conversations with your
senators to the ICCTA office at 1-800-454-2282 or e-mail us at ICCTA@communitycolleges.org.
Please feel free to use the talking points below to advance this issue:
- Gov. Blagojevich amendatorily vetoed the FY 2004 appropriation for community colleges. In a
surprise move, he applied an item reduction veto to a General Assembly-negotiated "hold harmless"
provision and reduced the original $7.4 million appropriation for this item to $3.7 million. The
Illinois Community College Trustees Association is requesting that the General Assembly override
the item reduction veto to House Bill 2671 and restore the appropriation to $7.4 million.
- A new funding formula was developed in direct response to leadership requests in the General
Assembly. Designed in consultation with the Governor’s Office, the formula recognizes significant
changes in student enrollments and student needs. We appreciate the efforts of the members of the
General Assembly to fully fund the $7.4 million appropriation needed to mitigate the negative impact
to many colleges. This appropriation is a critical element of the new funding formula and is designed
to help community colleges adjust to the resulting new base operating grant allocations.
- Thirty of the 39 community colleges are negatively affected by the Governor’s item reduction veto
and were to receive funding to make up the losses that occurred by moving to a new formula. The new
funding formula was intended to be implemented only if the "hold harmless" were fully appropriated in
FY 2004. Since the full appropriation was approved by the General Assembly, the new funding formula
was approved by the General Assembly and included in the Budget Implementation Act. The negative
impact funds provision was later reduced after the formula had already been approved.
Report your Senators' comments to ICCTA at
1-800-454-2282
Illinois Community College Trustees Association
401 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701-1711
217-528-2858 (phone)
217-528-8662 (fax)
ICCTA@communitycolleges.org (e-mail)
http://www.communitycolleges.org |
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