Louisiana State Senate > Fiscal Services > FY04 Budget Highlights

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Higher Education

Higher Education was appropriated $2.1 billion for Fiscal Year 2004 or about 5% greater than the FY03 budget. The State General Fund appropriation increased by about 7% over the current budget. This appropriation includes the Board of Regents, the Louisiana State University system, the Southern University system, the University of Louisiana system, and the Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges system.
State General Fund appropriations to Higher Education that are not typically provided to state agencies include: $3.6 million for the cost to annualize FY03 classified state employee merit increases, $6 million for FY04 classified state employee merit increases, $11.2 million for risk management increases, and $15.9 million for group insurance increases.
The major programmatic enhancements to Higher Education funded by State General Fund in Fiscal Year 2004 totaling approximately $57 million are summarized below.

State General Fund Enhancements in HB 1 Enrolled

Annualize FY 03 classified state employee merit increases	$3,622,389
FY 04 classified state employee merit increases	$6,037,940
Risk Management adjustment ($17.1M total)	$11,198,942
Group insurance adjustment ($17.1M total)	$15,947,595
Total Statewide Adjustments	$36,806,866
HIED Performance Pool (FY03: $6.4M)	$5,250,000
Endowed Chairs and Professorships ($6M 8g per year)	$2,000,000
Community and Technical College Pool (FY03: $7.6M Base)	$5,000,000
Health Care Workforce Development	$2,700,000
Gene Therapy Research Consortium	$610,180
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Pgm. (State Match)	$250,000
Faculty recruitment at LSUHSC at N.O. and Shreveport	$1,500,000
Pennington for new bio-imaging center and expansion	$1,000,000
LSUHSC-NO for Dept. of Psychiatry (FY03: Sched. 01)	$310,000
UL-Monroe for Pharmacy & Health Sciences	$1,500,000
McNeese-Women's softball facility and gender equity	$150,000
Total Hied Specific Adjustments	$20,270,180
COMBINED TOTAL	$57,077,046

The appropriation also continued funding of $4 million in State General Fund for the Governor's Biotechnology Initiatives.

Louisiana Community and Technical College System

$5 million added for projected community college growth (noted above)
$10 million in Fees and Self-generated Revenues added due to tuition increases and projected enrollment increases at various community colleges
$0.4 million added for rent and expenses for the new Louisiana Delta Community College to be located on the University of Louisiana - Monroe campus

Special Schools and Commissions

$9.9 million added to cover the increased number of TOPS awards to cover the state's portion of a 3% annual tuition increase at various colleges and universities