By
Eric Swedlund
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Senate Education Committee also approves bill to double state's contribution to student finacial aid
PHOENIX - A Senate panel yesterday approved a bill that would exempt certain university records - including intellectual property such as grant proposals - from the Arizona public records law.
Sen. Linda Aguirre, D-Phoenix, proposed Senate Bill 1527 as a way to protect grant research proposals from being accessible to potential competitors.
The measure passed the committee unanimously.
Arizona State University attorney Paul Ward told the Senate Education Committee that the bill is consistent with three objectives that were outlined by the governor's task force on higher education.
The bill promotes stronger and more effective relations between the state universities and Arizona's business community, improves research capabilities and encourages an increase in private support.
Under the bill, grant applications and unfunded research proposals would not be considered public records, nor would information about prospective university donors.
Once contracts are signed, whether for research or donations, those documents would fall under public records law.
"This will level the playing field with universities in other states," Ward said.
Phil MacDonnell, an attorney representing the Arizona Newspapers Association, said he met with representatives of the state's universities to draft the proposal in order to avoid minimizing the scope of the state's public records law.
Also in yesterday's Senate Education Committee, the panel approved a bill that would double the state's contribution to a need-based student financial aid fund.
Matt Ortega, Arizona Board of Regents lobbyist, said that while tuition is relatively low in Arizona, there has been traditionally very little in the way of state-sponsored financial aid.
Ortega added that the bill shows the state is aware that tuition raises have an impact on students - particularly low-income and minority students.
He said ABOR is expected to support the legislation at its meeting today at the UA.
The bill is in the midst of several funding bills, meaning the measure faces an uphill battle, Ortega said.
"With the students, universities and regents behind it, it will have a fighting chance," he said.
