OUS Legislative Newsletter

Legislative Wrap-up
Tuesday, September 02, 2003

EOU Bills
SB 413 Learning Center Planning Dollars
Final Action: 17-MAR-03: Referred to Ways and Means by prior reference with "Do Fund" recommendation

Status Upon Sine Die: In committee upon adjournment.

SB 870 Semesters
Status Upon Sine Die: 19-JUN-03: Effective date (signed into Law), July 1, 2003

HB 2807 EOCCC Reinstatement
Final Action: 24-JUL-03: Referred to Ways and Means

Status Upon Sine Die: In committee upon adjournment.

Other Bills
SB 10 Considers certain students to be residents for purpose of determining tuition and fees at state institution of higher education.
Status Upon Sine Die: In committee upon adjournment.

SB 345 Abolishes Office of the Chancellor
Status Upon Sine Die: In committee upon adjournment.

SB 240 & SJR 1 OUS Deferred Maintenance Bonding Package
Final Action: 06-MAR-03: Referred to Ways and Means by order of the President in agreement with President Pro Tempore

Status Upon Sine Die: In committee upon adjournment.

SB 437 OUS Efficiency Package
Status Upon Sine Die: 21-AUG-03: Governor Signed.

SJR 7 OUS Efficiency Bill
Status Upon Sine Die: In committee upon adjournment.

HB 2003 Relating to public employees' retirement; declaring an emergency
Status Upon Sine Die: 09-MAY-03: Governor signed.

HB 2172 Grants Public Employees' Benefit Board explicit authority to provide self-insurance programs
Status Upon Sine Die: 12-AUG-03: Chapter 640, (2003 Laws): January 1, 2004.

HB 2628 Establishes Portland State University as public corporation
Status Upon Sine Die: In committee upon adjournment.

HB 3600 Restricts Student Incidental Fees from being used to pay membership dues
Status Upon Sine Die: In committee upon adjournment.

HB 3140 Prohibits instruction of classes at charter school, community college or state institution of higher education on legal holiday or Saturday
Status Upon Sine Die: In committee upon adjournment.

HB 5027 OUS Operating Budget
Final Action: 24-JUL-03: Referred to Budget
* See following newsletter

HB 5028 Appropriates moneys from General Fund to Department of Higher Education for capital construction.
Final Action: 20-AUG-03: Third Reading. Carried by Messerle. Passed. Ayes, 23; Absent, 1--Corcoran; Excused, 2--George, Westlund; Attending Legislative Business, 4--Metsger, Morse, Nelson, Shields.
* See following newsletter

OUS LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER August 27, 2003
This is it! This is the Final OUS Legislative Newsletter for the 2003 Legislative Session. The Government Relations office staff would like to thank you for your readership and hope that you found this to be an informative publication.

OUS BUDGET APPROVED WITH $11 MILLION ADD-BACK

In a 40 to 18 vote Tuesday afternoon, the House approved HB 5077, an omnibus budget bill that contained the OUS budget for 2003-2005. The measure included the OUS budget as it was approved by the House on August 13 in HB 5021, and then adds $11 million in General Fund support above that level for campus Education and General budgets to support instruction.

In another amendment to HB 5077, the measure requires an exchange of General Fund for Certificate of Participation (COP) authority. The result of this "flip" is to extract $5 million in General Fund support for information technology purchases from the OUS budget, which is then replaced with $5 million in COP authority for the same purpose.

The exchange leaves the OUS budget with the same information technology purchasing power during the biennium, less debt service. The exchange is for the 2003-05 biennium only, with the $5 million in General Fund restored to the OUS Budget in the 2005-07 biennium. The OUS exchange is part of a budget-balancing plan affecting many large state agencies, calling for back-filling a total of $25 million in General Fund resources with $25 million in COP authority.

Also contained in HB 5077 was a $4 million addition to the Oregon Opportunity Grant appropriation in the Oregon Student Assistance Commission budget. The measure also contains an addition of $100,000 in General Fund to support administrative costs of the Oregon Council on Knowledge and Economic Development (OCKED).

The omnibus budget package passed the Senate on Saturday, by a vote of 19 to 10. It now goes to the Governor for his signature.

See you Next Legislative Session in January 2005.