Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 17, 1991                   TAG: 9102170203
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: D-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

FACED WITH A $2.2 BILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL,

The House Appropriations Committee on Monday will consider a measure giving Education Secretary James Dyke the last word on raises for Medical College of Virginia and the University of Virginia Medical Center.

While thousands of government workers lost 2 percent raises under the administration's budget-balancing plan, some staff members at the two hospitals received raises of up to 6.75 percent in January.

Dyke said the legislation would help coordinate salary increases. The measure would not affect the increases awarded last month by the boards of visitors at the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University, MCV's parent school.

Gov. Douglas Wilder had promised that his efforts to erase the $2.2 billion revenue shortfall would not fall disproportionately on state employees.

The administration did not know ahead of time about the most recent pay raises, Dyke said.

The pay raises are intended to prevent a migration of staff from teaching hospitals to private facilities that are offering new and pricey inducements to fill vacancies caused, in part, by a nationwide shortage of nurses.

Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY