Missouri House assigns committees
Published Jan. 25, 2005
The Missouri House of Representatives set its committees earlier this month, placing representatives in key positions to decide the fate of the Southwest Missouri State University name change and the budget for higher education.
Rep. Kathlyn Fares, R-Webster Groves, was appointed chairwoman of the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee. She will sit on the committee with Rep. Judy Baker, D-Columbia, and Rep. Ed Robb, R-Columbia.
"We have to generally deal with the amount of money that is allotted to us from the budget committee," Fares said. "That is a constraint. By the same token we, as the education committee, are the highest priority. If the budget has any extra money, we would be the first to get it."
Fares indicated higher education might receive a higher priority in the appropriations committee this session.
"They have been set back significantly in the past few years," Fares said. "As monies improve, we'll strive to improve the money going to higher education."
More than $800 million from the education budget went toward higher education last year, Fares said.
Robb also was appointed to the House Budget Committee. He said it is still too early to know how higher education might fare this session. He said more details would likely emerge Wednesday, when Gov. Matt Blunt will give his State of the State address and present his executive budget.
As chairman of the newly re-instated House Higher Education Committee, Rep. Gayle Kingery, R-Poplar Bluff, said his committee would be a voice for higher education in the state.
"We basically would like to make sure we address the higher education issues," Kingery said. "With the tight budgetary problems, most of the discussion and priority had been given to elementary and secondary education."
Kingery said the committee, which was eliminated during a House streamlining process several years ago, was brought back because higher education was not getting the attention it deserved.
"Basically, we want to help higher education get back on level playing field," Kingery said. "We would like to make all of our college system, from community colleges up through to the University of Missouri, the best educational deal in the nation."
All 11 members of the House Higher Education Committee have backgrounds in education but none hail from Columbia.
Robb said he was not concerned there are no Columbia representatives on the committee.
"You don't have to be on the committee to have a voice," Robb said.
Kingery said the Higher Education Committee is basically a policy committee and that finances will still go through appropriations committees.
Any SMSU name-change bill would go through the House Higher Education Committee. Kingery, as chairman, said he would not oppose to a name change.
"I don't see that it's that detrimental to the UM system," Kingery said. "Whenever you make a name change like that, it just gives them a status they're looking for. There's not going to be any economic impact for at least 10 to 20 years."
Kingery said legislators would be able to better deal with the economic situation by then.
"What it would do in the long run is give our students a choice," Kingery said. "It would also create a little competition that would create better education."
