(This legislative update is produced by the UH System Office of Governmental Relations and the UH Division of University Advancement as a service to the UH System community, our alumni, and our friends.)
BUDGET DOMINATES DISCUSSIONS IN AUSTIN--As expected, the budget continues to dominate all discussions at the State Capitol. As a result, fewer bills are being filed on other subjects. As of last week, representatives had filed 33 % fewer bills than last session at this time and Senate bill filings were down by 16 %. While it is not strictly enforced in the Senate, the deadline for filing bills is March 14. The Office of Governmental Affairs is currently tracking over 200 bills, a number that should more than double by the filing deadline.
CHANCELLOR AND PRESIDENTS TO TESTIFY WEDNESDAY--Next Wednesday, the UH System universities are scheduled to testify before the Senate Finance Committee. Mark-up in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education should begin this week as well.
Last week, the House Committee of Government Reform heard testimony from the UH System administrations regarding the services they provide. Vice Chancellor John Rudley and Assistant Vice Chancellor Ed Hugetz testified on behalf of the UH System Administration, providing an overview of our system's centralized services and coordinated initiatives (e.g., UH System centers at For Bend and Cinco Ranch, PeopleSoft).
SENATOR INTRODUCES SINGLE EXCELLENCE FUND BILL--Sen. Steve Ogden recently filed SB 666, which would abolish the Texas Excellence Fund and University Research Fund in favor of a single Matching Excellence Fund through which funding would be distributed to universities based on external research awards. The bill has been assigned to the Senate Education Committee.
Several senators have also signed on as co-sponsors of SB 362. Filed by Sen. Rodney Ellis, the bill would authorize the issuance of tuition revenue bonds to cover losses UH suffered from Tropical Storm Allison. Co-sponsors include Sens. Mike Jackson, Ken Armbrister, Mario Gallegos, Kyle Janek, and Jon Lindsay. A similar bill for the University of Texas Health Science Center has been filed by Sen. Janek.
The House Higher Education Committee will hold a public hearing today on several bills: HB 255 by Rep. Hochberg, which exempts peace officers from tuition, HB 256 by Hochberg, relating to excused absences for religious holidays. This week the committee held a public hearing on HB 484, requiring automatic admission to graduate programs. The bill was left pending.
WATCH HOUSE, SENATE PROCEEDINGS ONLINE—Now you can watch the legislative sessions and committee meetings on line. Click on any of these links for live audio and video images…
Live broadcasts from House chamber and from committee rooms
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/house/broadcast.htm
Live broadcasts from Senate chamber and from committee rooms