LINCOLN- The Legislature gave first-round approval to the state’s two-year budget on Tuesday, including a marginal increase in state support to the University of Nebraska system. At the end of eight hours of debate, lawmakers advanced the mainline budget bill (LB 261) that would close a projected deficit of $262 million on a 37-6 vote. NU President Jeffrey Gold told faculty, students, and staff he would continue working with Gov. Jim Pillen and state senators “to advocate for the critical mission of the university” as the budget continues through two more rounds of debates.

But, in a letter to lawmakers on Monday, Gold said the funding level approved by the Legislature, along with cuts imposed by the federal government, could mean a “stark” reality for NU moving forward. On Tuesday, senators approved a plan to increase NU’s state appropriation by 0.625% in each of the next two years, or by $8.7 million over the next biennium. The amount represents roughly $36 million less than what the NU Board of Regents requested last year in consultation with the Department of Administrative Services, Gold wrote, or about 17.8% of the total sought.

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