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Show Statehouse Report Legislation Appro ching Finish With Budget Pro blems Foremost BY C. SHARP Legislators staff members . and Gov. Calvin L. Rampton were working long and hard this week trying to fit together to-gether the pieces to balance bal-ance the state's budget for the next fiscal year. Thursday, by law, is the final day of the 60-day session ses-sion of the Legislature. The Senate has passed a school bill which would cost an additional $12.1 million in state funds and $4 million from local school districts. Gov. Rampton addressed a caucus of the Republican House members Friday afternoon af-ternoon pressing for enactment enact-ment of the Senate school bill. Stand Pat House leadership told him they still stood for a $11 million mil-lion increase in funds for public schools. The governor said he would do whatever he could to prevent a teacher strike next fall. The Senate, meanwhile, has withheld final approval ' cf the one per cent sales tax increase. This is not because be-cause the senators are not convienced of the necessity for this tax but because they may want to amend it to an increase of Hi per cent. House members are saying "no" to a two-mill ($2 per-$1,000 per-$1,000 property valuation) in crease in local school district property tax. The quarter of a per cent additional sales tax may be necessary. Work for Balance The Joint Appropriations Committee, meanwhile, was trying to fit recommended appropriations to come with; in available revenue. Since available revenue will vary with the school bill enacted, this task is difficult. This committee on March 6 fixed state general fund appropriations for higher education at $39.83 million for the next fiscal year. This is an increase of about 12.4 per cent over the current fiscal year. Gov. Rampton had recommended recom-mended $40 million for higher high-er education. Subcommittee chairman Sen. W. Hughes Brockbank, R-Salt Lake, said the increase in-crease amounts to only two per cent after allowance for instructing additional students stu-dents next year. "Short End of Stick "Higher education is getting get-ting the short end of the stick," he asserted. Rep. Frank V. Nelson, R-Salt R-Salt Lake, Co-chairman of the Joint Appropriations Committee, said it had cut about $2 million from Gov. Rampton's tight budget recommendations. re-commendations. The proposed budget ICS the University of Utah was $18.66 million in general fund money. This is a 12.5 per cent increase over the current cur-rent year. Utah State University is to receive S9.99 million for a 14.3 per cent increase. Sums for Colleges Wiber State College would receive $4.87 million for a 23 per cent increase; College Col-lege of Southern Utah, Cedar Ce-dar City, $1.49 million, 18.4 per cent increase; College of Eastern Utah, Price, $4i!3, CO, 16.3 per cent increase; Snow College, Ephraim, S(i!5 C00. 24 per cent increase; Dixie Colhge, St. George, $515.000, ' 15.8 per cent increase: in-crease: Utah Technical Coi-hge, Coi-hge, Salt Lake City, $1.32 million, 34.2 per cent increase, in-crease, and Utah Technical Colkge, Provo, $735,000, 6.4 per cent increase. Upon recommendation of Sen. Ezra T. Clark, R-Bonti fi;l. chairman of the health and welfare subcommittee, the full committee restored $300,000 to the appropriation to the Welfare Division for medical assistance. He said this would enable the state to get more than ' $630,000 in matching federal funds. It also would permit some increases in state payments pay-ments for nursing home care and for doctors' fees for care for the needy. |