House Finance subcommittee trims university budget

By Bradners’ Alaska Legislative Digest

The state is awash in cash from oil revenues but a House Finance subcommittee has still trimmed $6.1 million from Gov. Sarah Palin’s request of $21 million in additional University of Alaska funding for fiscal year 2008, the state budget year beginning July 1. The reductions were made from scheduled pay increases for university faculty and staff as well as new programs to study climate change effects in the state, according to Pat Pitney, the university’s vice president for planning and budget.