The House Appropriations Committee will consider HB 1839, the Texas Excellence Fund (Tier 1 bill), on today (April 8). UH System Chancellor Arthur K. Smith will testify on the bill. Click here to watch Chancellor Smith's testimony live.
Tomorrow, April 9, the full House will debate the Appropriations Bill, the final event before the conference committee is appointed. Few, if any, amendments are expected. The Calendars Committee has adopted a rule saying that amendments that add money in Articles I through IX must take away within the same article.
Two significant bills were reported from the House Higher Education Committee on Tuesday, April 3. The tuition bill was amended to provide for a $2 increase for the first five years and a $1 increase in the last five (legislation to increase tuition is still pending before the Senate Education Committee). The tuition revenue bond bill, HB 658, was also amended and approved by the House committee and authorizes the following amounts for our campuses:
| UH: | $54,000,000 for a science and engineering building |
| UHCL: | $32,737,500 for a student services and classroom building |
| UHD: | $19,305,000 for a classroom building |
| UHV: | $630,000 to remodel the University West facility |
| $945,000 to acquire and renovate a facility services building | |
| $1,215,000 to renovate and expand the center for community initiatives |
The UH facility was the largest bond authorized.
The effects of a redistricting session are beginning to be felt as debate on bills become more contentious. Both the House and the Senate are staying in session longer and longer each day and working in committees until late at night. They will probably take a short break for Easter and start holding Friday sessions later in April.
Also this week, UH General Counsel Dennis Duffy testified before the House Civil Practices committee on a mandatory venue bill. The bill was left pending.
Update on a few bills of interest:
--HB 1021 by Clark and Capelo, authorizes governing boards to consult with legal counsel via telephone conference call, is on the House calendar tomorrow.
--HB 1641 by Rangel, which placed restrictions on factors (including test scores) that could be considered for graduate school admissions, was amended to make it permissive rather than mandatory.
--HB 1685 by Rangel, relating to approval of affiliation agreements, was amended and reported from committee in the House.
--HB 2218 by Rangel, which authorizes an increase in the international fee, passed the House on the consent calendar.
--SB 353 by Ellis, creating a program to increase the number of engineering and computer science graduates, passed the Senate.
--SB 385 by Bivins, establishing the recommended curriculum as the default curriculum for high school students, passed the Senate.
--SB 555 by Ellis, creating the college savings plan, passed the Senate.
--SB 974 by Wentworth, requiring that students must take the recommended or advanced high school curriculum in order to qualify for automatic admission (top 10% rule), passed the Senate.
--HB 1545 by Uher, eliminating regulatory burdens for higher education, passed the House.
Remember to watch Capitol Report on KUHT Sundays at 3 p.m. after it resumes airing the first week of April.
Guidelines for Contacting Legislators
It's important that legislators hear from faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the UH System. But if you are a member of the faculty or staff (a state employee) wishing to contact your legislator, it's equally important to follow certain guidelines when you write or fax letters. Go to <http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/gov/process/letter_writing.html>. for letter-writing guidelines.
For information on governmental relations policies, go to <http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/gov/policies/lobbying.html>.
To find the names and addresses of U.S. Senators and Congressmen/women, go to <http://www.usfronline.com/congress.htm>
To find the names and addresses of Texas Senators and Representatives, go to <http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members.htm>, or <http://www.house.state.tx.us/house/byzip.htm>.