E-mail
PrintJEFFERSON CITY — By agreeing to submit his plan to lawmakers, Gov. Matt Blunt may
have to wait nearly a full year for the fruition of what he has described as an urgently important deal to build college facilities from student loan profits.
The Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority was going ahead with a scheduled vote today on the $350 million plan, although it would no longer be the final say.
As revised Monday at the request of Blunt’s administration, the arrangement would not take effect unless it also receives approval from the legislature in 2007. Unless Blunt can rally a two-thirds majority in each the House and Senate, that legislation would not take effect until Aug. 28. Only then would MOHELA begin making payments toward the college buildings.
It’s unclear whether approval would require — as Nixon has sought — a change in the state law governing MOHELA to specifically allow it to transfer money to the state to be spent on college buildings. Blunt has contended such a change is not necessary.
It’s possible the language in the MOHELA deal could be fulfilled merely through a legislative resolution authorizing the agreement to be carried out.
The deal also would be contingent upon enactment of legislation stating that MOHELA board members who are employed by a state educational institution or who also serve on the Coordinating Board for Higher Education did not have an illegal conflict of interest in voting for the plan. Nixon has claimed they could.
Blunt’s administration has claimed that each day of delay on the campus construction projects could increase their combined cost by $70,000.
But because the legislature does not convene until January, there is no pressing reason why the MOHELA board would have to vote today on Blunt’s plan. A scheduled Sept. 8 vote already was delayed because of concerns over a potential lawsuit, and three members subsequently resigned.
Board member John Smith, of
St. Charles, has been one of the staunchest backers of Blunt’s plan. He expressed disappointment that it now would be contingent upon legislative approval.
“I don’t see any advantage of waiting” for a MOHELA vote, Smith said. “If this is going to be a series of steps, let’s go ahead and take this step and get it concluded.”
Comments