| Members Present: Sen. Keith Grover, Senate Chair Rep. Michael K. McKell, House Chair Rep. Susan Duckworth, House Vice Chair Sen. Deidre M. Henderson Sen. Lyle W. Hillyard Sen. Karen Mayne Sen. Ann Millner Sen. Evan J. Vickers Rep. Melissa G. Ballard Rep. Jon Hawkins Rep. Kelly B. Miles | Rep. Candice B. Pierucci Rep. Rex P. Shipp Rep. Mark A. Strong Rep. Mark A. Wheatley Members Absent: Sen. Jerry W. Stevenson Staff Present: Sean C. Faherty, Finance Officer Ben Leishman, Finance Manager Lorna Wells, Committee Secretary |
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Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the
meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.
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| 1. Call to Order |
| Chair McKell called the meeting to order at 1:07 p.m. |
| 2. Approval of Minutes |
| MOTION: Rep. Hawkins moved to approve the minutes of the February 14, 2020 and February 19, 2020 meetings. The motion passed with a vote of 10-0-6. |
| Yeas - 10 | Nays-0 | Abs-6 | |
| Sen. K. Grover Rep. J. Hawkins Sen. D. Henderson Sen. L. Hillyard Rep. M. McKell Rep. K. Miles Sen. A. Millner Rep. C. Pierucci Rep. R. Shipp Sen. E. Vickers | Rep. M. Ballard Rep. S. Duckworth Sen. K. Mayne Sen. J. Stevenson Rep. M. Strong Rep. M. Wheatley |
| Seán Faherty gave a brief introduction regarding how to participate in this WebEx meeting. |
| 3. 2020 General Session Review |
| 1a-New and Expanded Funding from the 2020 General Session |
| Seán Faherty gave a brief review of the 2020 General Legislative Session. |
| 4. Options for Adjusting Base Budgets by 2%, 5% and 10% |
| Ben Leishman explained the directives from the Executive Appropriations Committee (EAC) and provided some overview information regarding the FY 2021 Base Budget for committee members. |
| 3a-HED Budget Adjustments Presentation |
| Seán Faherty gave a presentation regarding a reduction option list. |
| 4-2, 5, and 10 Percent LFA Options for HED Subcommittee |
| Sen. Millner asked for clarification regarding the criteria used. Seán Faherty responded. |
| Sen. Vickers mentioned that giving flexibility to the individual institutions may be more favorable. Seán Faherty responded. |
| Sen. Mayne asked for a question about Item #37 regarding Eliminating Ongoing Equipment funding. Chair McKell and Seán Faherty responded. |
| Rep. Hawkins asked about the criteria for the different tranches. Seán Faherty responded. |
| Rep. Pierucci asked for clarification about the procedure for the meeting. Chair McKell responded. She asked about the status of the Confucius Institute and Line #3 on the Budget cut document. Seán Faherty responded. |
| Ruth Watkins, President, University of Utah also responded to this question. |
| Ben Leishman discussed the dual language immersion program in public schools and the bridge program to higher education institutions. |
| Rep. Ballard discussed the issue of cutting new programs. She asked if institutions would be able to choose which of these programs would be cut. |
| Chair McKell and Seán Faherty responded. |
| David Woolstenhulme, Interim Commissioner, Utah System of Higher Education stated that the Board of Regents supports giving flexibility to institutions. |
| Sen. Vickers mentioned that he will be making a motion later to allow institutions to develop a strategic plan regarding budget cuts. Chair McKell responded. |
| Sen. Hillyard spoke in favor of performance funding and other new programs. He would be opposed to cutting some of these programs. He also discussed the restrictions regarding federal funding from COVID-19. |
| Sen. Millner asked if there would be second option that would be a proportionate budget reallocation. Commissioner Woolstenhulme responded. |
| Rep. Shipp supported giving the institutions more flexibility. Chair McKell responded. |
| Rep. Miles supported giving flexibility to institutions. Chair McKell responded. |
| Commissioner Woolstenhulme gave an overview of the USHE Budget Adjustment recommendations. He also discussed the impact of COVID-19 on institutions. |
| 4g-USHE Budget Adjustment Presentation |
| Rep. Pierucci asked about the "Other lost revenue" category. Commissioner Woolstenhulme responded. |
| Sen. Hillyard asked if tuition was refunded. Commissioner Woolstenhulme responded that in most cases courses were not cancelled. |
| Commissioner Woolstenhulme discussed the CARES Act funding and the restrictions in place for utilizing these funds. |
| Rich Amon, Associate Commissioner, discussed the fact that FY 2021 Funding Priorities, which included a 10% funding increase have now been cut. He also discussed the USHE Recommendation for budget-cutting Scenarios. |
| Sen. Mayne expressed concern about the impact on the economy of the new buildings being cut. She stated that Capital Funding could possibly be funded by bonding. |
| Chair McKell mentioned that the committee's assignment is to make 2%, 5%, and 10% cuts not including Capital Improvements. Seán Faherty gave more clarification. |
| Sen. Millner discussed the bonding issue regarding Higher Education. |
| Rich Amon continued to discuss the Board of Higher Education Administration budget recommendations. They asked that if possible, no scholarships are cut. |
| Sen. Vickers spoke in support of maintaining the scholarships. |
| Jared Haines, Interim Commissioner, Utah System of Technical Colleges discussed the recovery plan. |
| Rep. Shipp supported maintaining scholarships. |
| Commissioner Woolstenhulme discussed the importance of the scholarships in more depth. |
| Pres. Watkins commented about some earlier remarks. She discussed some of the budget cut recommendations from the University of Utah. |
| 4f-U of U Presentation |
| Chair McKell appreciated Pres. Watkins attendance and comments. |
| Sen. Vickers asked about the athletic events in the Fall. Pres. Watkins responded. |
| Brad Mortensen, President, Weber State University (WSU), discussed the budget cut perspectives from Regional Institutions. |
| 4e-Weber State Presentation |
| Rep. Shipp asked about the football game scheduled for the fall in Ceder City. Pres. Mortensen responded. |
| Pres. Mortensen continued his presentation. |
| Rep. Miles asked about only 21 percent of classes taught online. He asked if more classes will now be taught online. He also asked for more clarification about the Noorda building. Pres. Mortensen responded. |
| Deneece Huftalin, President, Salt Lake Community College, discussed the perspective of the impact of COVID-19 and the budget cuts for Salt Lake Community College. |
| 4h-SLCC Presentation |
| Chair McKell asked about the term "Significant Impact to Completion Efforts". Pres. Huftalin responded. |
| Rep. Pierucci asked about the SLCC Herriman campus. Pres. Huftalin responded. |
| Darin Brush, President, Davis Technical College gave a presentation about the impact of the budget cuts. |
| 4d-Davis Tech Presentation |
| Clay Christensen, President, Mountainland Technical College, discussed the impact of the budget cuts at MTECH. |
| 4c-MTECH Presentation |
| Chair McKell asked about flexibility with the Cares Act and also about tuition. Commissioner Woolstenhume responded. |
| Sen. Vickers moved to recommend that the subcommittee recommend proportional reductions to higher education institutions and State Board of Higher Education administration proportional to their base state-fund appropriation for FY 2021 at the 2%, 5%, and 10% thresholds and that the institutions determine where best to implement reductions to maintain institutional priorities. |
| Sen. Hillyard asked about the implementation so that information is not made public before the required cuts are known. |
| Rep. Hawkins asked about the procedure. Chair McKell and Sen. Vickers responded. |
| Sen. Millner asked about the timeline regarding when the report is required. |
| Rep. Shipp stated that the institutions will need to know what the budget cuts this as soon as possible. |
| Sen. Vickers' motion passed with a vote 15-0-1. |
| Yeas - 15 | Nays-0 | Abs-1 | |
| Rep. M. Ballard Rep. S. Duckworth Sen. K. Grover Rep. J. Hawkins Sen. D. Henderson Sen. L. Hillyard Sen. K. Mayne Rep. M. McKell Rep. K. Miles Sen. A. Millner Rep. C. Pierucci Rep. R. Shipp Rep. M. Strong Sen. E. Vickers Rep. M. Wheatley | Sen. J. Stevenson |
| MOTION: Sen. Vickers moved to request the institutions to provide a report to EAC in the time frame as requested by the EAC. The institutions should also prepare a report to the subcommittee during the August 2020 subcommittee meeting and a final report during the 2021 General Session. The motion passed with a vote of 15-0-1. |
| Yeas - 15 | Nays-0 | Abs-1 | |
| Rep. M. Ballard Rep. S. Duckworth Sen. K. Grover Rep. J. Hawkins Sen. D. Henderson Sen. L. Hillyard Sen. K. Mayne Rep. M. McKell Rep. K. Miles Sen. A. Millner Rep. C. Pierucci Rep. R. Shipp Rep. M. Strong Sen. E. Vickers Rep. M. Wheatley | Sen. J. Stevenson |
| 5. Other Business |
| Rep. Ballard wanted to thank Chair Woolstenhulme, the Institution Presidents, and the Board of Regents for their wonderful tribute to her father, Robert H. Garff. |
| MOTION: Rep. Miles moved to adjourn. The motion passed with a vote of 15-0-1. |
| Yeas - 15 | Nays-0 | Abs-1 | |
| Rep. M. Ballard Rep. S. Duckworth Sen. K. Grover Rep. J. Hawkins Sen. D. Henderson Sen. L. Hillyard Sen. K. Mayne Rep. M. McKell Rep. K. Miles Sen. A. Millner Rep. C. Pierucci Rep. R. Shipp Rep. M. Strong Sen. E. Vickers Rep. M. Wheatley | Sen. J. Stevenson |
| Chair McKell adjourned the meeting at 4:08 p.m. |