The 1964 Northern Development Grant Act was a landmark piece of appropriations legislation that provided the first significant federal funding to the University of Pulma in District IV.
Proposed by Pavel Iric, the newly elected leader of Northern Power, the Act represented the first major political victory for the regionalist movement following the merger of the BPP and Northern Power in 1963. It legitimized the party as a serious parliamentary player capable of extracting concessions from the central government in Sinj.
Background
The “Cooperative University”
Since its founding in 1944, the University of Pulma had operated outside the state system. It was funded entirely by local agricultural cooperatives and the Iric family fortune. While this granted it academic freedom, it lacked the resources to compete with state-chartered institutions like Sinj University, and faced frequent threat of crackdowns from the Council for Education under the 1948 University Standards Act.
The Budget Bargain
In 1964, the Blue Dawn government of Leon Rukavin faced a budget crisis. The cost of implementing the peace treaty in the south and modernizing the Civil Order Force was high. Rukavin needed votes to pass the 1964 Federal Budget, but faced rebellion from his own party’s right wing and total obstruction from Vjetrusa.
Pavel Iric seized the opportunity. He offered the two votes of Northern Power (himself and Dalibor Pralinovic) to pass the budget, on the condition that the government pass a separate bill guaranteeing â‚10 million in annual funding for the University of Pulma.
The Act
The Act designated the University of Pulma as a “Regionally Chartered Institution of Strategic Importance.”
- Funding: It provided funds for the construction of a new law library and student housing.
- Autonomy: Crucially, Iric negotiated a clause that allowed the university to retain its existing curriculum, shielding it from the immediate censorship of the Council for Education, which viewed the school’s regionalist teachings with suspicion.
The act passed 10-8.
| Senator | Vote |
|---|---|
| Vladi Korunic (BD) | For |
| Ante Brov (BD) | For |
| Adam Corak (CRF) | Against |
| Vanja Zulim (BD) | Against |
| Sonja Tolik (CRF) | For |
| Tihomir Bran (SoK) | Against |
| Pavel Iric (NP) | For |
| Neda Jovan (SoK) | Against |
| Nika Radman (BD) | Against |
| Marko Cabraja (CRF) | For |
| Leon Rukavin (BD) | For |
| Haret Trn (VJ) | Against |
| Davor Banit (SoK) | Against |
| Tamara Velar (BD) | For |
| Sonja Duval (CRF) | Against |
| Dalibor Pralinovic (NP) | For |
| Stojana Czyhlarz (BD) | For |
| Ivic Davor Kovrekovic (BD) | For |
| Nadja Vrasch (BLF) | - |
| Lutz Diekwisch (BLF) | - |
Impact
The passage of the Act was a turning point for the north.
- Institutional Growth: The influx of cash allowed the university to hire top-tier academics, transforming it into the intellectual hub of the opposition.
- Political Legitimacy: It proved that Northern Power could deliver tangible results for its constituents, helping to cement the party’s dominance in Severnivaraje for the next half-century.
- Opposition: The Act was fiercely opposed by Vjetrusa, who argued that federal money should be spent on subsidizing the SeverMin mines, not “educating radicals.”