To provide a “template” or “place holder” for the Fiscal Year 2014-2015 Higher Education budget. This bill contains no appropriations, but may be amended at a later date to include them.   Official Text and Analysis.

With the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

To not use any money from the state School Aid Fund in this budget, but only money from the state general fund.

To remove a provision requiring universities to report on their attempts to "accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs of students enrolled in accredited counseling degree programs." The provision relates to allegations in news reports that universities are disciplining or discriminating against students in counseling, social work, or psychology programs because the student refuses to counsel a client about goals that conflict with the student's sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions.

To strip out language that mandates reports from universities on their embryonic stem cell research.

To require universities to submit a report on how much they spend on health care services for uninsured students.

To remove a prohibition on universities providing health insurance or other fringe benefits for "unmarried partners" of employees.

The Senate version of the higher education budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2014. This would appropriate $1.527 billion in gross spending, compared to $1.430 billion the previous year.

To adopt a version of the budget that contains no appropriations, but is instead intended to launch negotiations to work out the differences between the House and Senate budgets.

To send the bill back to the Senate "stripped" of all actual appropriations. This vote is basically a procedural method of launching negotiations to work out the differences between the House and Senate budgets.