Appropriations panel agrees to place three campus building projects on long sheet

The Appropriations - Education and Environment Division agreed by consensus to include three campus capital projects in the working long sheet, continuing the legislature’s prior intent to fund specified building work carried in earlier session language.

Chairman Sarvaugh said the three projects had been in the prior session’s list of intent and argued the committee should “follow through with the legislative intent.” Several senators supported adding the projects to the long sheet; Senator Scheibler said communities rely on the state’s published intent language when fundraising.

What committee agreed to include

- The committee directed staff to put the three previously intended projects into the long sheet for consideration. The projects were described in prior materials as projects that had passed intent language in the prior legislature; committee members said funding would be considered in light of the long-sheet totals.

Why it matters

Committee members noted that local communities and institution fundraisers plan around legislature intent language and that including the projects in the long sheet would permit campuses and communities to move forward on local planning while negotiations continue.

Next steps

Staff will include the three projects in the long sheet. Members said final authorization and funding amounts will be decided in later committee action once the long-sheet totals and competing priorities are clearer.