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Committee redirects some university recruitment funds to student behavioral‑health grants; companion decrement withdrawn
Summary
The committee adopted an amended amendment that preserves recruitment funding for the university while redirecting $500,000 to behavioral‑health services across multiple campuses; a companion decrement was subsequently withdrawn by its sponsor.
Juneau — During April 1 markup of HB 53 and HB 55, the House Finance Committee amended a university funding change so that recruitment and retention funding largely remained intact while $500,000 was directed to campus behavioral‑health programs.
Representative Stapp moved Amendment 91 to reallocate a portion of university recruitment and retention dollars and to direct funds to campus behavioral‑health programs (UACARE teams). Representative Galvin offered a conceptual amendment to reduce the proposed decrement and earmark $500,000 for student behavioral health across Anchorage, Fairbanks and Southeast campuses. After discussion and removal of objections to the conceptual change, the committee adopted the amended amendment.
Representative Stapp, explaining the amendment, said it would reduce certain recruitment allocations and ensure a discrete behavioral‑health appropriation to campuses that requested assistance. "This amendment would currently, decrement, a portion in the budget for the university reducing the recruitment, and retention funding and direct 500,000 of that dollars to behavioral health grants," Stapp said.
Representative Bynum and others questioned using general fund dollars for recruitment that primarily generates tuition receipts, suggesting scholarships might be a more direct use of state funds. Bynum later moved a companion decrement (Amendment 92) intended to conform to the committee's action; after discussion he withdrew Amendment 92.
With the amended Amendment 91 adopted, the committee preserved $2.5 million for recruitment and retention activities (per the subcommittee's prior figures) and directed $500,000 explicitly for behavioral‑health services for students at multiple campuses. The clerk recorded adoption of the amended amendment; no roll call was provided in the transcript for the final adoption announcement beyond the committee adopting the amendment.
