FIRST REGULAR SESSION

House Resolution No. 552

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1780L.01I

      Whereas, on February 4, 2009, the Governor submitted a Reorganization Plan to the General Assembly which would transfer postsecondary education assistance programs from various state departments to the Department of Higher Education; and

            Whereas, Sections 26.500 to 26.540, RSMo, enacted in 1967, authorize the Governor to reorganize executive departments without prior approval from the General Assembly; and

            Whereas, as set forth in Section 26.510, RSMo, a reorganization plan submitted to the General Assembly becomes effective 90 days after the final adjournment of the session of the General Assembly which it is submitted, unless it is disapproved within 60 days of its submission by adoption of a resolution by one house of the General Assembly; and

            Whereas, unless the proposed Reorganization Plan contained in Executive Order 09-09 is disapproved by the General Assembly by April 5, 2009, the proposed Reorganization Plan will become effective August 28, 2009; and

            Whereas, Executive Order 09-09 states that the proposal to transfer postsecondary education assistance programs from various state departments to the Department of Higher Education "will improve efficiencies within state government, as the Department of Higher Education already administers the vast majority of state grants and scholarships"; and

            Whereas, transferring all postsecondary education assistance programs to the Department of Higher Education will not achieve the efficiency improvements within state government as proposed by the Reorganization Plan; and

            Whereas, a change of this significance should not be undertaken without a full hearing in committee and debate of the full House of Representatives; and

            Whereas, the postsecondary education assistance programs currently administered by state departments other than the Department of Higher Education are designed to target specialized areas such as the A+ Schools Program, the Missouri Teacher Education Scholarship Program, the Missouri Minority Teaching Scholarship Program, and the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship Program administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; the Large Veterinary Student Loan Program administered by the Department of Agriculture; and the Minority and Underrepresented Evironmental Literacy Program administered by the Department of Natural Resources; and

            Whereas, these programs are best served through administration by the state department with the expertise and experience in working within the specialized areas targeted by such programs; and

            Whereas, the various state departments administering postsecondary education assistance programs have demonstrated success in matching students with the various scholarship and assistance provided by these specialized programs; and

            Whereas, transfer and centralization of these specialized assistance programs to the Department of Higher Education may actually have the unintended consequence of inefficient administration of the financial assistance provided by these programs which would likely result from the Department of Higher Education's insufficient expertise and experience in the specialized areas needed to successfully and efficiently match and award assistance to students:

            Now, therefore, be it resolved by the members of the Missouri House of Representatives, Ninety-fifth General Assembly, First Regular Session, that the Reorganization Plan issued by Governor Jay Nixon on February 4, 2009, and read in the House on February 4, 2009, be disapproved; and

            Be it further resolved that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for Governor Jay Nixon.

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