The current Senate version of the state budget has more modest decreases for Ball State University than the governor's proposed budget.
Ball State's operating appropriation is $130.4 million for the 2009 fiscal year, which ends on June 30. The budget advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee would decrease this to $125.5 million in 2010. This is a smaller decrease than the governor's proposal, which would give Ball State $124.6 million next year. The House version of the budget included a modest increase in Ball State's operating funding to $131.7 million.
Sen. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, said the Senate plans to vote on the bill Tuesday to give the conference committee plenty of time to develop a compromise bill. The conference committee consists of the top Democrat and Republican from each branch. It reports the compromise bill back to the full House and Senate for approval.
Errington said she is working to make the budget the best it can be for Ball State. She said Ball State's actual appropriation is likely to be somewhere between the House and Senate amount.
"The last thing we want to do is have a big increase in tuition," Errington said.
The Legislative Services Agency, the General Assembly's research arm, said that except for a few institutions, most of state government would stop running if the legislature doesn't pass a budget before the current one expires on June 30. Money to pay the 31,000 full-time state employees could dry up. People needing to renew their drivers licenses or conduct other in-person transactions with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles might be out of luck - at least for a while. And many schools could be forced to borrow money to keep summer programs running.
Errington said it she felt legislators would work together to complete a budget in time.
"I think it's our duty to have it done," Errington said.
Senate Republicans are working on a backup plan if a budget isn't passed in time.
Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said it would be irresponsible not to have a contingency plan in case budget negotiations collapse. The bill to indefinitely continue state spending at current levels would need approval by both the GOP-led Senate and the Democrat-controlled House.
"Only one scenario is worse than lawmakers not passing a new budget, and that is the state coming to a screeching halt and shutting down critical services to our citizens," Long said.
Errington said it is too early to pass this bill. Errington and other Democrats said lawmakers would feel more pressure to pass a budget if they were working without a safety net.
House Speaker Patrick Bauer said the Democrat-led House wouldn't even consider the proposal to allow Gov. Mitch Daniels to continue spending without a budget approved by the Legislature.
Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman said it was a good idea to have a contingency plan in case lawmakers can't reach a compromise by June 30. But the administration has kept quiet on exactly what would happen if lawmakers don't pass a budget or a bill to continue spending.
"We're researching what happens if there is no budget, but with the exception of the 1860s when Governor (Oliver) Morton raised private funds to keep state government going for two years when a budget wasn't passed, Indiana has always reached a budget accord," Jane Jankowski, Gov. Daniels spokeswoman, said.
In 1991, lawmakers met in a special session when now U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh was governor. Bayh's budget director said then that Bayh - without legal authority - would keep state prisons and state police running without a new budget. Lawmakers ultimately passed a spending plan that Bayh signed in time, avoiding the issue of whether spending could legally continue.
Chris Paliga contributed to this story.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
