Democrats in the Iowa Senate have voted to extend more money to the state’s three public universities than House Republicans propose. Senator Brian Schoenjahn, a Democrat from Arlington, says the senate’s bill provides the 16-million dollar inflationary increase in state taxpayer support that the Board of Regents requested.
On Monday, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee did not provide the extra money university officials say they need to ensure in-state tuition remains at the same level for a third consecutive year. House Republicans also voted to take nearly 13 million dollars from the University of Iowa’s bottom line and distribute it to Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. Schoenjahn says Democrats are pursuing a plan that doesn’t pit one school against the others.
All 26 Democrats in the Iowa Senate voted for the budget bill that addressed this and other higher education spending issues, while all the Republicans present in the Senate yesterday (Wednesday) voted against the bill.
