PRINTER'S NO. 539
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 170
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY MARTIN, APRIL 3, 2025
REFERRED TO APPROPRIATIONS, APRIL 3, 2025
AN ACT
1 Providing for funding for certain State-aided universities for
2 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30,
3 2026, for costs basis, for frequency of payments and for
4 recordkeeping requirements; imposing a duty on the Auditor
5 General; providing for financial statements, for the
6 Agricultural College Land Scrip Fund and for restrictions;
7 and making appropriations.
8 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9 hereby enacts as follows:
10 Section 1. Short title.
11 This act shall be known and may be cited as the State-aided
12 University Nonpreferred Appropriation Act of 2025.
13 Section 2. Definitions.
14 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
15 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
16 context clearly indicates otherwise:
17 "Auditor General." The Auditor General of the Commonwealth.
18 "Current fiscal year." The fiscal year beginning July 1,
19 2025, and ending June 30, 2026.
20 "Department." The Department of Education of the
21 Commonwealth.
 1 "Prior fiscal year." The fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024,
2 and ending June 30, 2025.
3 "Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
4 "State-aided university." The term includes:
5 (1) The Pennsylvania State University.
6 (2) The University of Pittsburgh.
7 (3) Temple University.
8 (4) Lincoln University.
9 (5) The University of Pennsylvania.
10 Section 3. Cost basis during current fiscal year.
11 Payments made to a State-aided university on account of an
12 appropriation under this act shall be made on the basis of costs
13 during the current fiscal year.
14 Section 4. Frequency and basis of payments.
15 (a) Monthly payments.--Payments made under section 10(a) to
16 a State-aided university from an appropriation provided in this
17 act shall be made monthly during the current fiscal year.
18 (b) Estimated costs.--The monthly payments shall be made to
19 a State-aided university under section 3 on the basis of
20 estimated costs. The estimate of costs shall be submitted by the
21 State-aided university to the secretary, the General Assembly
22 and the State Treasurer not later than 30 days prior to the date
23 on which the payment is to be made.
24 Section 5. Purposes of expenditures and statement of
25 expenditures and costs.
26 (a) Duties of State-aided universities.--
27 (1) A State-aided university shall apply the money
28 appropriated by this act only for such purposes as are
29 permitted in this act and shall at all times maintain proper
30 records showing the application of the money.
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 1 (2) Not later than 120 days after the close of the
2 current fiscal year, the State-aided university shall file,
3 with the secretary, the General Assembly and the Auditor
4 General, a statement that specifies the amounts and purposes
5 of all expenditures made from money appropriated by this act
6 and other university accounts during the current fiscal year,
7 as provided in section 3, used as a basis for receipt of an
8 appropriation during the current fiscal year.
9 (b) Duties of Auditor General.--The statement of
10 expenditures and costs shall be reviewed by the Auditor General.
11 The Auditor General may, with respect to the money appropriated
12 by this act, audit and disallow expenditures made for purposes
13 not permitted by this act, recover the sums from the State-aided
14 university and transmit the recovered sums to the State
15 Treasurer. In respect to expenditures made by the State-aided
16 university from money other than that appropriated by this act,
17 the Auditor General may review only, and shall file annually
18 with the General Assembly, information concerning those
19 expenditures as the General Assembly or any of its committees
20 may require.
21 Section 6. Duty to provide information.
22 (a) General rule.--A State-aided university shall provide
23 full, complete and accurate information as may be required by
24 the department or, in the case of the University of
25 Pennsylvania, the Department of Agriculture, or the chairperson
26 or minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the
27 Senate or the chairperson or minority chairperson of the
28 Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives.
29 (b) Cost reduction reporting.--The Board of Trustees of the
30 University of Pennsylvania shall report, on forms provided by
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 1 the Department of Agriculture, to both the chairperson and
2 minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the
3 Senate and the chairperson and minority chairperson of the
4 Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives by
5 September 30 of the current fiscal year, how State-appropriated
6 funds were expended for the prior fiscal year to reduce the
7 costs to Pennsylvania resident students or to provide services
8 to Pennsylvania residents. The Board of Trustees of the
9 University of Pennsylvania shall file a similar report by
10 September 30 of the fiscal year following the current fiscal
11 year relating to the current fiscal year.
12 Section 7. Financial statements.
13 A State-aided university shall present and report its
14 financial statements required under this act in accordance with:
15 (1) The generally accepted accounting principles as
16 prescribed by the National Association of College and
17 University Business Officers, the American Institute of
18 Certified Public Accountants, or their successors, or by any
19 other recognized authoritative body.
20 (2) The "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Budget
21 Instructions for the State System of Higher Education, State-
22 Related Universities and Non-State-Related Colleges and
23 Universities."
24 (3) The financial reporting policies and standards
25 promulgated by the Federal Government and by the Commonwealth
26 that apply to the State-aided university.
27 Section 8. Agricultural College Land Scrip Fund.
28 The money of the restricted account within the Agricultural
29 College Land Scrip Fund is hereby appropriated for the current
30 fiscal year, in accordance with the act of April 9, 1929
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 1 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, establishing the
2 restricted account.
3 Section 9. Restrictions, limitations and conditions on use of
4 appropriations.
5 The following restrictions and limitations apply:
6 (1) Money appropriated by this act to the University of
7 Pittsburgh may not be used for costs of personnel and
8 operations of an environmental law clinic.
9 (2) Money appropriated by this act to the University of
10 Pittsburgh shall only be used for costs directly related to
11 the provision of instruction for graduate and undergraduate
12 students and costs incurred in providing student-related
13 services and community outreach services consistent with the
14 existing laws of this Commonwealth.
15 (3) Money appropriated by this act to the University of
16 Pennsylvania shall be conditioned on continuing authority for
17 inclusion on the Board of Trustees of the University of
18 Pennsylvania of a minimum of four persons who are not elected
19 officials and who are appointed by the President pro tempore
20 of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker
21 of the House of Representatives and the Minority Leader of
22 the House of Representatives for terms of office coterminous
23 with that of the respective appointing authority; and shall
24 be further conditioned on these appointees receiving full
25 voting rights as members of the board of trustees.
26 Section 10. Appropriations.
27 The following sums, or as much thereof as may be necessary,
28 are hereby appropriated to the boards of trustees of the
29 respective State-aided universities for the current fiscal year,
30 for the purposes and in the amounts as follows:
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 1 (1) To The Pennsylvania State University, for general
2 support.
3 State appropriation..........................$242,096,000
4 (2) To The Pennsylvania State University, for the
5 Pennsylvania College of Technology.
6 State appropriation...........................$33,971,000
7 (3) To the University of Pittsburgh, for general
8 support.
9 State appropriation..........................$151,507,000
10 (4) To the University of Pittsburgh, for rural education
11 outreach.
12 State appropriation............................$3,791,000
13 (5) To Temple University, for general support.
14 State appropriation..........................$158,206,000
15 (6) To Lincoln University, for general support.
16 State appropriation...........................$20,848,000
17 (7) To the University of Pennsylvania, for veterinary
18 activities.
19 State appropriation...........................$31,560,000
20 (8) To the University of Pennsylvania, for the Center
21 for Infectious Diseases.
22 State appropriation............................$1,793,000
23 Section 11. Effective date.
24 This act shall take effect July 1, 2025, or immediately,
25 whichever is later.
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