ICCTA Action Alert May 25, 2001 Although the Illinois General Assembly was scheduled to adjourn today (Friday, May 25), the spring session has been extended to next week. As a result, members of the House and Senate will observe Memorial Day in their districts and return to Springfield on Tuesday, May 29, in the late afternoon. As noted in numerous media accounts, lawmakers and Gov. George Ryan have not been able to reach agreement on the makeup of the FY 2002 state budget. One major area of disagreement has been over what the state's FY 02 capital budget will look like. Gov. Ryan has recommended that community colleges receive a $250 million capital improvement budget, spread over two years. But some legislative leaders are questioning the wisdom of the Governor’s budget and the necessary increase in bonding authority that accompanies a capital program. All capital appropriations and increased bonding authority recommended for the next fiscal year are in serious jeopardy during the final days of the spring 2000 session. The community college capital funding program is no exception. Most non-budget business that the General Assembly wanted to consider this spring has been completed, while several issues have been put off until the fall veto session. ICCTA will continue to e-mail you with updates as the General Assembly completes its deliberations. 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 |