A special Arkansas legislative committee has approved sending $825,000 in state rainy-day funds designed for covid-19 relief to Henderson State University.
The money will help the cash-strapped public institution avoid furloughing employees for the remainder of the fiscal year ending June 30.
The deciding vote was cast by Senate President Pro Tempore Jim Hendren, R-Sulphur Springs, who switched his vote from “no” to “yes” after lengthy debate on the matter Wednesday afternoon, giving the relief measure the support needed to pass.
Hendren said Thursday he was among the “many” lawmakers who were concerned about whether the money would be properly spent by the university, which is nearly broke after years of financial mismanagement.
Hendren also had objected to disbursing the funds without a full hearing. Doing so would be okay for emergencies, but aid for a higher education institution didn’t constitute one, he said.
After Wednesday’s discussion, in which Arkansas State University System President Chuck Welch and Arkansas Division of Higher Education Director Maria Markham answered questions from lawmakers for more than an hour, Hendren was confident that new leadership was fixing the university.
“I think it was important for the legislature to hear that before sending an $825,000 check to the university,” Hendren said.
Henderson State, prompted by financial disarray, plans to merge into the ASU System by next year.