VETOES

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall
take effect July 1, 1988.

May 27, 1988

The Honorable Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.

President of the Senate

State House

Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Dear Mr. President:

In accordance with Article II, Section 17, and Article III,
Section 52(8) of the Maryland Constitution, I have today
expressly disapproved and vetoed the following item in Senate
Bill 271, the General Construction Loan of 1988:

- Item (K)(l)(c) appearing on page 15 of the enrolled bill,
entitled:

"(c) Design and prepare detailed plans and specifications for
the Plant Sciences building......................800,000"

I will subsequently sign Senate Bill 271, which is approved
except for this item.

My Administration has made a concerted effort to develop a
five-year capital improvement program that is based on the
State's Debt Affordability criteria for each of the five years of
the program. Projects funded for design in one year can now
reasonably expect construction funding to be appropriated when
design work is complete. This has eliminated the practice of
providing a level of design appropriations in one year that would
result in a level of construction activity in the following years
in excess of the State's Debt Affordability limits.

The five year capital improvement plan is a comprehensive program
to address the capital needs of the State, and is prepared only
after a careful review of all potential projects. Individual
project decisions made outside of this process compromise the
integrity of the overall program. By adding preliminary design
funds to the General Construction Loan of 1988 for the Plant
Sciences Building at the University of Maryland College Park
campus, the General Assembly has provided for a relatively small
portion of the project's estimated $33,500,000 cost. Given
higher priorities of the University, it is unlikely that
construction funding for this project would be available in the
General Construction Loan before fiscal year 1993. It serves no
purpose to provide design funds at this time for a project that

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