HARTFORD – The Board of Regents for Higher Education would have to seek approval from the General Assembly before the closure of any college or state university campuses, under legislation approved in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The bill, which was initially proposed as a response to an announced closure of the Meriden campus of Middlesex Community College and was expanded in the Senate last week, passed 86-56. It heads to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for final review approval.
“It’s unfortunate that this legislation is before us today,” said Rep. Roberta Willis, D-Salisbury, co-chairman of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, who introduced the legislation. The bill, which does not include the University of Connecticut, emerged in the Senate last week after an abrupt announcement from Board of Regents President Gregory W. Gray, with a vote from the full board.
“We had not been given notification,” Willis said, adding that the board is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to open up the enrollment process, which has been suspended. “It’s very unfortunate that we’re here doing this. We have to make sure there are procedures and the Legislature is watching.”
Opponents charged that the Legislature was attempting to overstep its authority by telling university administrators how to do their jobs in a challenging fiscal environment. House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, questioned the entire exercise. “Do we really know what we’re doing here?” she asked. “Making legislation in a piecemeal way, I would say, is very, very dangerous.”
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