NEWS CONFERENCE 699

cent increase in its general fund spending this year, and it's not really
feasible to ask the State to do that in a year when the State's general
fund increase is only six percent. In other words, they have an increase
already in prospect, if they live up to their budget hopes, of more than
double what we were able to do.

Q. You say you are hopeful of giving the City something. Would you
say $5 million is a pretty?.... (fade out)

A. I think that's beyond the ken at the moment.

(Scholarship Program)

Q. Governor, getting back to the legislative program for a moment
— particularly the scholarship program. In your state of the State
message you called upon the Legislature to make what you called a
political sacrifice. Now the Senate Finance Committee has made it
pretty clear that the program is dead. It's not even going to get a
hearing. Do you feel that this is a politically motivated action?

A. No. First of all let me say this. There's no doubt in my mind that
the Senate Finance Committee has not killed this program, but has
merely asked that it be referred for study. You see, I don't have to
depend on what I read about what the Senate is saying. I meet with
them periodically, and I know they are very interested in some of
these reforms. They want a chance to look them over and consider
them — modifications in my proposals — for next year and I have
already agreed that I have no objection to delaying this for another
year if it will make a more objective approach on their part possible.
So I don't think the program's dead. I'll wager that without any ques-
tion there will be some changes in the scholarship program next year,
and that there will be changes in the remission of fees and all other
programs that relate to loans and scholarships. It just isn't going to
happen this year. Sometimes it takes a while to get these things worked
out, but the programs aren't dead and they weren't a waste of time
to submit.

Q. Do you feel that you are getting the same cooperation from the
Legislature this year that you got last year?

A. Well I think I've got to be completely candid and say I have run
into a lot more political opposition this year than I did last year. It
wasn't unexpected totally, and I don't think it's debilitating. I don't
think it need continue to the point that it affects the progress that we
are making. Our relationships are still excellent as of this morning at
eight o'clock. They are very good.