Table games stalemate in Pa. Capitol is bumping up against schools’ 2nd-semester tuition bills

Pa. table games stalemate bumps into tuition bills

HARRISBURG, Pa. — An entrenched stalemate in the Capitol may mean students at major Pennsylvania universities will soon see higher second-semester tuition bills.

The latest meeting Wednesday between Gov. Ed Rendell and state legislative leaders to resolve remaining budget-related differences broke up without an agreement, leaving subsidies for several universities in limbo.

Three universities — Temple, Pitt and Penn State — that are in line to receive a combined $675 million expect to post second-semester tuition bills as early as next week for more than 150,000 students.

But tuition bills could rise if the Legislature does not provide more assurance soon that the schools’ money is on its way, officials said.

“We’re not in crisis, but we do need to know where we stand pretty soon because we’re going to be sending out the tuition bills for the spring semester” on Nov. 13, said University of Pittsburgh spokesman Robert Hill.

Stalling the schools’ money in Harrisburg is a disagreement among top legislators over details of a bill to legalize and tax table games such as poker at the state’s slot-machine casinos.

Last month’s budget agreement between the Democratic governor and legislative leaders assumed the approval of a table games bill to raise $200 million for the cash-strapped state government. Until a bill is approved, Rendell and House Democrats are holding up discretionary taxpayer dollars slated for Penn State, Pitt, Temple and other institutions because, he said, it would create a deficit next year.

The Senate’s Republican majority and the House’s Democratic majority still disagree on key parts of the bill.

Those include how high to set the tax rate on the casinos’ take from table games and whether to allow more slot machines at the state’s miniature “resort” casinos, as House Democrats want.

Last month, the presidents of Temple, Pitt, Lincoln and Penn State wrote a letter to top state officials warning that the holdup could force them to increase second-semester tuition.

“We have not yet set our tuition for the second semester, and those decisions must be made very soon so that bills can be mailed beginning November 13th,” they wrote. “In order to maintain the low tuition increases at our universities, there needs to be assurance that the funding levels in our pending appropriation bills will be enacted soon.”

School officials have not said how high they would raise tuition bills.

Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers said the school does not see any reason to boost spring tuition bills, set to be sent Nov. 13 by e-mail. However, that could change if the stalemate drags on for a couple more months or the Legislature pares down the $334 million Penn State appropriation that was approved by the Senate, but is on hold in the House.

Temple spokesman Ray Betzner said the presidents’ letter best explains his school’s position. Temple is supposed to receive about $173 million, or more than 20 percent of its budget.

Pitt is line to get about $168 million.

Rendell said the schools have not been pressing him to release their money.

“No, they know that I’m on their side,” Rendell said. “I think they’re talking to the legislators, but to little avail as of yet.”

Senate Republicans say the budget agreement is designed to generate a projected surplus of more than $200 million this fiscal year, leaving no reason for Rendell to hold up approval of the universities’ money.

“There’s no legal issue that’s holding it up,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman, R-Centre.