Good evening. Happy end of the work week.
Governor Susana Martinez today signed House Bill 2, the state general appropriations act, but with vetoes Thanks to HSC budget analyst Vanessa Hawker, supplemented with verbiage from the Governor's executive message, this is a preliminary analysis of the veto actions:
The following was vetoed from the Higher Education section of the bill:
-- language restricting RPSP overhead to 6%
From the executive message:
Institutional overhead costs are determined by detailed cost allocation systems using institution and project specific information. Consequently, while the goal of maintaining low overhead is laudatory, I cannot approve of the Legislature's efforts to cast those systems aside in favor of a single maximum percentage on overhead costs for all institutions and all research and public service projects. In addition, such a one-size fits all maximum leaves too little managerial discretion over the expenditure of appropriated funds.
-- language requiring revisions to the higher ed funding formula, including mission specific measures
-- language stipulating the additional $100K to WICHE is for 'an additional four' students to participate in WICHE's dental program.
There are no vetoes in the HSC section of the bill.
Your Government Relations team continues to closely monitor actions on the Capital Outlay bills (HB 190, HB191, HB 315, & SB66) and we will keep you posted.
Have a grand weekend.
Susan McKinsey