The U.S. Senate’s economic stimulus package passed Tuesday is $18 billion larger than the U.S. House’s version, but contained billions of dollars fewer in student aid, infrastructure and other higher education funding.
The $838 billion Senate version includes cutting all $6 billion the House bill budgeted for education facilities, as well as $40 billion less in funding to states for K-12 and higher education.
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has called on the state’s publicly funded colleges and universities to freeze tuition for the 2009-2010 academic year in exchange for increased state funding. The increased funding likely would have to come from the stimulus bill.
Granholm unveils the state’s budget Thursday.
Liz Boyd, Granholm’s spokeswoman, said the governor plans to go through with her request even if the final version of the stimulus bill contains fewer federal dollars for higher education than the House bill passed Jan. 28.
“In this time of economic hard times, we believe at the end of the day, we will be able to reward colleges and universities who hold the line on tuition,” Boyd said.
Boyd said a good portion of the stimulus money also would be used toward funding the state’s infrastructure, which includes roads, bridges and sewer construction.
MSU Vice President for Governmental Affairs Steve Webster could not be reached for comment Tuesday night about whether possible MSU construction projects would be affected if the final stimulus bill contained less funding for university infrastructures.
The 61-37 vote by the Senate was a key victory for President Barack Obama but sets up difficult negotiations with the House, which passed a slightly different version than the bill approved Tuesday.
Local educators said they’re excited about the prospect of more higher-education funding across the state.
“In Michigan right now, higher education is one of the few economic motors we have,” said William Strample, Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
University officials have begun asking professors to come up with research projects that could receive federal funding, advertising professor Bruce Vanden Bergh said.
“There could be research money available for people in hard sciences,” Vanden Bergh said. “We’re looking into grant money and we’re highlighting areas that will supplement research.”
Vanden Bergh said he noticed the drop in higher education funding in the Senate’s version of the bill.
In the Senate vote passing the stimulus bill, just three Republicans — Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania — joined 56 Democrats and two independents who align with Democrats in favor of the bill.
Obama’s choice to be commerce secretary, Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, did not vote, keeping his commitment not to participate in Senate business or votes while his confirmation is pending. All other Senate Republicans voted against the bill.
In the House, the legislation didn’t get a single GOP vote.
Staff writer Jeff Kanan contributed to this report.
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