Miami Herald Newspaper

Mar. 11, 2004
 
Graham resists college plan

Sen. Bob Graham says he may sue to block the Legislature's plan to build a chiropractic 
college without getting the approval of Florida's higher-education board.
BY MARC CAPUTO
mcaputo@herald.com

TALLAHASSEE - U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, the father of a constitutional amendment 
changing the way higher education is run in Florida, says he may sue over the Legislature's 
plan to create a $9 million chiropractic college at Florida State University.

Graham said the creation of the college would violate a constitutional provision, approved 
by voters in 2002, that prohibits the Legislature from micromanaging higher education. 
Such decisions are supposed to be made by the Florida Board of Governors.

The creation of the college -- which was once resisted by FSU -- is part of a $30 million 
package designed to pay for pet projects of Republican legislative leaders, and thereby keep 
the political peace in an election year when Gov. Jeb Bush's brother seeks reelection to the 
White House.

Graham, a possible Democratic vice-presidential nominee, has long been a thorn in the side 
of the Bushes. He campaigned against the president last year, and in 2002 he pushed the 
higher-education amendment after Gov. Bush abolished the Board of Governors' 
predecessor when it resisted the pet projects of powerful Republicans.

`FINAL INTERPRETERS'

Graham suggested he might sue, noting that ''the courts are the final interpreters'' of the 
state Constitution. The chiropractic-school bill rocketed through the Legislature and headed 
to Bush's desk Friday.

''This is a classic case of why 62 percent of Florida voters approved this constitutional 
amendment to keep the Legislature from making political decisions about education, like 
who needs a medical program, and what kind and where,'' Graham said. ``Ultimately, I 
would hope the governor would do the right thing and veto this legislation and allow this to 
go through the proper channels. I can't believe they would ignore the will of the people and 
the Constitution.''

APPROVAL LIKELY

Bush will likely sign the bill, having suggested spending money on the special projects of 
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd and Senate President Jim King. However, he doesn't 
completely disagree with Graham's contention that the Board of Governors should make 
the decision to create the college.

''In a perfect world, yes,'' Bush said Wednesday. ``But last time I check, we don't live in 
a perfect world. I'm bending a little bit in order to accommodate President King and 
Speaker Byrd so we can move on to these other issues that a lot of people care about.''

Last year, head-butting between King and Byrd delayed the passage of the budget and 
embarrassed some Republicans, who don't want to see a repeat in an election year in the 
nation's most important swing state.

The Senate wasted little time changing the tone when the Legislature convened its 60-day 
session March 2. Its first order of business this year: giving Byrd $15 million for an 
Alzheimer's center to be named after his father, and spending $6 million on the James and 
Esther King Biomedical Research Program at King's alma mater, FSU, where the $9 
million chiropractic center would go.

OPPOSING VIEWS

Senate Majority Leader Dennis Jones, a chiropractor from Seminole and a close ally of 
King, has pushed for the college for the past five years.

Senate Minority Leader Ron Klein of Delray Beach opposed the $30 million package, 
saying there was too little debate to prove that all the spending was needed -- especially in a 
year when the state is restricting access to subsidized healthcare for poor children.

But Jones said the college proposal was studied by an independent consultant and 
discussed by previous Legislatures as well as the Board of Governors' predecessor, the 
Board of Regents.

''Many, many people have looked at this,'' Jones said. ``I don't know any other place that 
it needs to go other than here.''

FSU President T.K. Wetherell, a former House speaker and Bush ally, noted that the 
university requested the chiropractic college this year, unlike its previous stance. Wetherell 
also noted that the plans for the college preceded the creation of the Board of Governors.

''To bring the Board of Governors in, after the fact, probably isn't the smartest move,'' he 
said. ``Now, if you were to start from scratch, you would start with the Board of 
Governors.''

NEW RULES

Graham isn't buying it.

''We have new rules, so everyone has to play by them,'' he said.

Graham said Bush has fought those new rules by waiting until the last minute to make the 
appointments to the Board of Governors. The board's chairwoman, Carolyn Roberts, sat 
on the board's predecessor and was the chairwoman of the Bush-led committee set up to 
oppose Graham's amendment.

Roberts, who calls the chiropractic college ''an unusual circumstance,'' said she 
understands Graham's concerns and will probably discuss them at the board's meeting 
Friday. But, she said, she isn't itching to take on state lawmakers.

''I don't think it's in the best interest for the State University System to challenge them,'' 
Roberts said. ``Our big challenge is funding. I have a good relationship with the 
Legislature, and I intend to keep it.''