Temple, Pitt, Penn State, and Lincoln are a step closer to getting months-delayed state funding

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities cleared a major hurdle blocking them from receiving more than $600 million in state funding for in-state tuition discounts Tuesday, as the Pennsylvania House advanced the funding after months of delay.

House Republicans had been holding up funding until the state’s four quasi-public institutions — the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, and Lincoln University — agreed to be more transparent with the public and accountable to the General Assembly.

Tuesday’s approval was the result of behind-the-scenes negotiations that led the four universities to agree to be subject to reporting more information about their academics and operations. All four universities will also be required to freeze tuition next year, as part of the House proposal approved Tuesday in a 145-57 vote.

“The days of blank checks to these universities must come to an end,” said House Minority Leader Bryan Cutler (R., Lancaster) at a news conference Tuesday. “We are finally saying, ‘This is how we think it’s a good way to govern.’ We believe in creating a fair bargain for Pennsylvanians, for the schools, for the students, and the taxpayers who are funding these programs.”

A different bill passed by the House on Monday would expand these institutions’ public disclosures, state-related universities would be required to report the salaries of its 200 highest-paid employees, with faculty members’ salaries listed in ranges rather than specific dollar amounts. Currently, these schools need to report the salaries of only their 25 highest paid employees, while staff salaries at Pennsylvania’s state-owned schools are all available online.

It’s been difficult for state-related universities to gain funding approval from House Republicans for the last several years, and the legislation failed to pass twice this summer. Their reasons for holding up the funds for months after the state budget deadline at the end of June included antiabortion Republicans’ opposition to Pitt’s fetal tissue research. Others, meanwhile, questioned Temple’s ability to keep students safe at its main campus after the killing of Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald in March.

The House bill passed Tuesday would increase funding for the universities by 7% over the appropriations lawmakers already approved for the schools in August. House Democrats praised the funding increase Tuesday as a way to help make college in Pennsylvania more affordable.

“We all know someone who either works at or attends one of our state-related universities,” House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia) told reporters. “We’re proud, in a bi-partisan way today, they have gotten a 7% increase for these incredible institutions that are in both rural and urban communities all across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

The legislation now must be approved by the Senate and signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro before the universities receive the funds.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) said the Senate will review the House proposal.

“We are pleased the House was able to finally reconcile their internal disagreements on the non-preferred appropriations, however, to be clear the allocations do not reflect the funding we contemplated when balancing the budget earlier this year,” Pittman said in a statement.

Still, getting enough House Republicans to support the bill was the funding’s main obstacle. In previous years, state-related funding has passed the GOP-controlled Senate without issue. The Senate will return to session Nov. 13. Several other line items in the state budget also still require legislative approval, including bills authorizing a number of new programs Shapiro proposed this year.

House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) claimed that House Republicans’ change of heart was more politically motivated.

“Everyday we get closer to [next week’s] elections, I think people realize that continuing to hold this up based on abortion, politics, social issues is just bad politics,” Bradford added.

Some House Republicans said the compromise reached Tuesday doesn’t mean all their concerns are resolved.

“Definitively no,” said House Republican Whip Rep. Tim O’Neal (R., Washington), when asked if this week’s vote means House Republicans will support future funding for the universities.

“It’s not enough,” O’Neal added. “What we showed today is that the House Republicans are willing to come to the table. And as we make reforms in the system, we’re willing to continue the relationship and continue to build upon the reforms going into the future.”

House Republicans are still interested in implementing performance-based funding, which Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi argued would “reward institutions with additional dollars for achieving agreed-upon metrics,” in a recent op-ed published by PennLive.

Universities need to come to the table to negotiate earlier than June, when the state budget is due, O’Neal said.

“Because we will again demand reforms,” O’Neal added.