ICCTA Action Alert May 23, 2003 Legislature OK's Higher Education Budget The Illinois General Assembly adjourned early this afternoon for the Memorial Day weekend. Both the Senate and House will return to Springfield on Tuesday, May 27, to continue through the scheduled final days of the spring session. The session is scheduled to adjourn on May 31, 2003. Before their adjournment, both houses of the General Assembly approved an FY 04 budget for higher education and various other agencies of state government. The total budget for higher education was included in House Bill 2671 and was approved at a level of about $25 million above the Governor’s funding recommendations. The community college budget was approved above the Governor’s recommended level, with the addition of $7.4 million in new funding for "hold harmless" dollars. These additional dollars will be used to implement a new allocation of state funds to colleges by using a new funding formula. The budget will be transmitted to the Governor for his consideration. When the General Assembly returns next week, issues including finding revenue sources and language implementing the budget will be addressed. For additional information on state legislative issues, contact 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 | Home | News | Events | Links |