TOWSON ADVOCACY PROGRAM (TAP)
2011 Legislative Session Wrap-Up Continued
Operating Budget:
As a state institution, the operating and capital budgets are paramount. The Governor and General Assembly members continued their strong support of higher education again this year. The received a $4 million reduction from the Governor's proposed budget. The fiscal year 2012 operating budget provides approximately $1.048 billion in overall General Fund and Higher Education Investment Fund (HEIF) support.
For the first time in three years State employees will not be furloughed and will receive a $750 bonus. Reforms were also made to the State Retirement system which takes effect July 1, 2011. Please refer here for more detailed information.
Finally, with the general fund allocation, a 3% undergraduate in-state tuition increase is likely to occur. The Board of Regents has final authority over tuition rates for the USM and it is likely they will vote on the issue in the coming weeks.
Capital Budget:
As we move forward with our strategic plan, Towson University 2016: Building Within -- Reaching Out, campus construction remains a key component of moving the campus forward and critical state funding keeps us on track to accomplishing our goals. The State's $925M Capital Budget includes $158.1 million for USM higher education projects in FY2012. Towson received approval for $1.2 million for design funds for our Campus Safety & Circulation Phase II project. The main element of this project is a pedestrian bridge spanning Osler Drive connecting the academic core of campus to the residential West Village, allowing students, faculty, staff and visitors to cross Osler Drive safely.
Key Bills:
SB 167/HB 470 -Public Institutions of Higher Education - Tuition Rates - Exemptions
Final Status: Passed
Beginning July 1, 2011, Senate Bill 167 would exempt individuals who attended and graduated from a Maryland high school from paying nonresident tuition at public institutions of higher education. To qualify for an exemption from paying nonresident tuition, an individual must have attended a secondary school in the State for at least three years; graduated from a high school in the State or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in the State; registered as an entering student at a community college in Maryland no earlier than the fall 2011 semester and was awarded an associate's degree or achieved 60 semester credits; provided documentation that the individual or the individual's parent or legal guardian has had Maryland income tax withheld or has filed a Maryland income tax return annually while the individual attended secondary school, community college and a USM institution; and made application to attend the institution within three years of high school graduation.
An individual who qualifies for the exemption and is not a permanent resident must also provide an affidavit stating that the individual will file an application to become a permanent resident within 30 days after becoming eligible to do so.
SB 695/HB 995 Higher Education - Regulation of Public, Private Nonprofit, and For-Profit Institutions of Higher Education
Final Status: Passed
SB 695 aims to distinguish between public, private nonprofit, and for-profit institutions of higher education in the State; creates a Guaranty Fund to reimburse students at for-profit institutions of higher education who are entitled to a refund of tuition and fees due to breach of agreement; alters the process for approval of programs offered by for-profit institutions of higher education; and prohibits the payment of a commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based on success in securing enrollment. The University System of Maryland testified in support of SB 695.
Current law differentiates between institutions of higher education, institutions of postsecondary education, private career schools, public senior (four-year) higher education institutions, regional higher education centers, and proprietary institutions. Out-of-state institutions are addressed in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR). While nonpublic and private institutions of higher education are used throughout the Education Article, they are not defined terms.
Senate Bill 695 will insure that there is certain degree of accountability for for-profit institutions of higher education operating in Maryland while increasing consumer protection for students.
HB 1156 Task Force to Study the Creation of a Regional Higher Education Center in Northeastern Maryland
Final Status: Passed
House Bill 1156 would establish a Task Force to Study the Creation of a Regional Higher Education Center in Northeastern Maryland; providing for the membership, chair, and staffing of the Task Force; requiring the Task Force to study and make recommendations regarding the higher education needs of the Northeastern Maryland region; requiring the Task Force to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and certain committees of the General Assembly on or before December 1, 2011
To review the USM Session report, please click here.
2011 Legislative Bills and Information
Below is a list of additional legislative bills relevant to higher education that have been introduced in the General Assembly this session:
PASSED
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HB 70 Budget Bill Fiscal Year 2012, PASSED Enrolled
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HB 71 Creation of State Debt - Maryland Consolidated Bond Loan of 2011, and the Maryland Consolidated Capital Bond Loan of 1996, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, PASSED Enrolled
- HB 72 Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2011, PASSED Enrolled
- SB 287 State Board of Public Accountancy - Education Requirements for Examination and Licensure, PASSED
- HB 79/SB 772 Task Force to Study the Creation of a Maryland Center for School Safety, each bill PASSED Enrolled
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SB 288 Higher Education - Cultural Diversity Programs - Reporting Requirements, RETURNED PASSED
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SB 292 Institutions of Postsecondary Education - Falsified Transcripts, Diplomas, and Grade Reports -- Penalties, RETURNED PASSED
- SB 347 Task Force to Study the Impact of Adjunct Faculty on Graduation Rates at Historically Black Institutions, PASSED
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SB695 Higher Education - Regulation of Public, Private Non-Profit, and For-Profit Institutions of Higher Education, RETURNED PASSED
- SB746 Task Force on Job Creation, PASSED Enrolled
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HB1088 Audit Responsibilities - State Department of Education, Maryland Higher Education Commission, and State Retirement Agency, PASSED Enrolled
- SB358 Audit Responsibilities - State Department of Education, MD Higher Education Commision and State Retirement Agency, RETURNED PASSED
- SB557 Commission on Maryland Cybersecurity Innovation and Excellence, PASSED
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HB 130/SB 14 Vehicle Laws - Race-Based Traffic Stops, PASSED
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SB 14 Vehicle Laws - Race-Based Traffic Stops, PASSED
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SB 167 Higher Education - Tuition Charges - Maryland High School Students, PASSED Enrolled
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HB 487 Janet L. Hoffman Loan Assistance Repayment Program -- Internships, PASSED
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SB 289 Higher Education - Edward T. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program -- Eligibility, PASSED
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HB 758 Green Technology, Life Science, and Health Information Technology Loan Assistance Repayment Program, PASSED
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HB1208 Higher Education, Exemption from Tuition for Foster Care Recipients - Eligibility Age, PASSED
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HB573 Fertilizer Use Act of 2011, PASSED Enrolled
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SB487 Fertilizer Use Act of 2011, PASSED Enrolled
UNFAVORABLE
- HB 384/SB 633 Gaming - Video Lottery Terminals - Repeal of Constitutional Amendment - Changes to Statutory Provisions, Ways and Means, UNFAVORABLE
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HB803 Criminal Law - Posession of a Handgun - Insitutions of Higher Education and Hospitals, Bill is in the House, Judiciary, UNFAVORABLE
- HB179 Environmental - Recycling - Apartment Buildings and Condominiums, Bill is in the Senate, UNFAVORABLE
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SB 229 General Assembly Scholarships - Modification of Programs, UNFAVORABLE
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HB1155 Pension Reform Act of 2011, UNFAVORABLE
- HB1133 Procurement - Prevailing Wage - Rates, Economic Matters, UNFAVORABLE
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HB 451 Council on Efficient Government, UNFAVORABLE
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HB 857 Construction Contracts - Hiring Agreement, House: Health and Government Operations, UNFAVORABLE
- HB687 Chesapeake Bay Nitrogen Reduction Act of 2011, UNFAVORABLE
- HB706 Chesapeake Bay Phosphorus Reduction Act of 2011, UNFAVORABLE
- SB622 Nonresidential Electricity and Gas - Energy Benchmarking and Disclosure - State Buildings, UNFAVORABLE
WITHDRAWN
NO ACTION TAKEN
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HB 127 State Board of Education - Financial Literacy Curriculum - Graduation Requirement, Bill is in the House, First Reading Ways and Means
- SB 109 Public Institutions of Higher Education - Course Credit - Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Examinations
- SB 311 Weapon-Free Higher Education Zones, Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Judicial Proceedings
- SB 856 Maryland Higher Education Commission - Review of Program Proposals, Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs
- HB 932 Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers (BOAST) in Maryland Tax Credit
- HB 470 Higher Education - Tuition Charges - Maryland High School Students
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HB 401 Public Institutions of Higher Education - Tuition - Undocumented Aliens
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HB655 Citizen's Tuition Protection Act
- SB 725 Tuition Cap and College Opportunity Act of 2011
- SB 628 State Health and Retirement Benefits - Public Employees and Retirees
- SB629 Teachers' Retirement and Pension Systems - Local Employer Contributions
- SB 401 Higher Education - Use of State Employees Instead of Service Contracts
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HB 764 Higher Education - Use of State Employees Instead of Service Contracts
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SB 222 Procurement - Living Wage - Repeal
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SB659 Procurement - Prevailing Wage - Repeal
- SB544 Chesapeake Bay Nitrogen Reduction Act of 2011
For more information regarding this legislative session, please visit the Maryland General Assembly's website.
Alumni Relations
Administration Building, Room 317
Phone: 1-800-887-8152
Phone: 410-704-2234
alumni@towson.edu
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