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Show 't tt"" ? rv-? III! I ..... ' v m3n v.Wy IS I ' The real work of (he Legislature goes on after the sessions in informal conferences such as these on the floor of the house chamber in the State Capitol Monday. Photo by Jennifer Stetn Rampton: no tuition increase' By RANDY DRYER Chronicle Staff j The walls of the Utah House of ' Representatives are lined with people unable to find a seat in the packed gallery. A man and his two young sons walk through the crowd carrying signs demanding a mass transit system. Downstairs the legislators cheerfully greet new friends and quietly acknowledge old rivals. The crowd quiets and the legislators return to their seats as the chief clerk begins his yearly intonation to officially open the session. His deep monotone voice seems strangely out of place in the dignified chambers. i The governor enters amid the glare of floodlights and the whir of T.V. cameras. The crowd in the gallery eagerly peers over the railing. The legislators, veterans of many budget messages, settle back comfortably in their chairs. The governor begins to talk and once again the machinery of government is cranked to a start. For the most part, the governor's budget message yielded few surprises. However, many students breathed a little easier today when the governor announced he would not seek an increase in tuition this year nor did he deem an increase necessary. Addressing the 20-day budget session which opened Monday, the governor recommended an appropriation of $55,912,600 for higher education. This amount is a 10.9 percent increase over the appropriation for the current year. The governor stated his recommendation was based on a 6.91 percent increase in enrollment plus a four percent increase in unit costs to cover inflation. The governor also recommended a sum of $80,000 be appropriated to the University's Museum of Natural History (funding for the Museum was previously denied during the 1971 general session). In light of the skyrocketing enrollments in Utah's technical colleges, the governor recommended that both colleges receive a 33 percent increase in funding over last year. The University Hospital also received badly needed shot in the arm when Gov. Rampton recommended a sum of $1,320,000 be appropriated to cover an existing deficit. The governor also recommended that the appropriation to the University Hospital for the next fiscal year be increased from $200,000, as has been customary, to $500,000. For the past several years the University Hospital has operated with a yearly deficit. During the early 1960's when the hospital first began operation it has hoped to be self-sustaining. However that expectation has proven to be unreasonable. The University Hospital is a teaching hospital and these teaching costs are not passed on to the patient. Also, as a public institution the University Hospital handles most of the state's indigent health care and as a result has a high number of uncollectable accounts. The complete budget the governor recommended for fiscal 1973 totaled $590,533,300 and contained $25.7 million more for operation of state departments and agencies than is currently being spent. Noting that this has been his easiest budget to prepare he stated "this year's budget will enable us to meet some needs, particularly in social services, which have been inadequately funded in years when available revenues were too tightly stretched." He was careful to point out, however, that considerable trimming had been necessary, since departmental requests were $58 million higher than the current budget. As the governor previously indicated, he recommended a $15 million bonding program for outdoor recreation facilities and a 4.4 percent . "catch-up" wage increase in-crease for state employees in addition to the regular five percent increment pay boosts. Two hours passed as the massive and technical budget was spelled out. The T.V. cameras had long since ceased their whir, the family of picketers had gone home to dinner and the once crowded gallery was only sprinkled with listeners. The governor thanked the legislators for coming and the President of the Senate spoke for all in thanking the governor and everyone quickly left for lunch. The portly chambers, once noisy and jam-packed, jam-packed, are now silent and empty. The wheels of government are at rest. At least until this afternoon. |
