(This legislative update has been assembled by the UH System Office of Governmental Relations and edited by the UH Division of University Advancement as a service to the UH System community.)
After the Senate passed the appropriations bill and the House passed the telecommunications bill, they both adjourned late on Wednesday for a long Easter weekend. They will return on Tuesday, March 29, for long days of meetings and floor debates until the end of the session—and quite possibly a summer special session.
Following long tradition, the Senate did not amend the appropriations bill on the floor. They did, however, spend four hours explaining and discussing the bill. Typically, the Senate bill provides a higher level of funding than the House and such is the case again this session. It is highly unlikely that the final appropriations will be as high as the Senate’s proposal.
As previously reported, the Senate added $127 million to the formulas (using the new matrix), restored the Research Development Fund to pre-vetoed levels, and restored the 5% reduction to the Higher Education Fund. They did include a punitive provision for institutions that raise designated tuition above $94 per semester credit hour.
At the risk of raising expectations beyond practical expectations, we will point out that each UH System university receives significant increases in both general revenue (GR) and estimated educational and general income under the Senate bill:
| University of Houston
5.6 % increase in GR |
10 % increase in all funds |
| UH-Clear Lake
9.3 % increase in GR |
10.8 % increase in all funds |
| UH- Downtown
16.3 % increase in GR |
8.6 % increase in all funds |
| UH-Victoria
2.9 % increase in GR |
8.5 % increase in all funds |
The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to have a final vote on their version of the bill next Tuesday and we will have an analysis available next week. However, it is important to remember as we head toward the conference committee that public school finance and tax relief legislation continue to dominate the state fiscal environment, and that a final resolution is still quite a ways off.
Because of the Easter holiday, the House Higher Education Committee hearing is rescheduled for Tuesday of next week. Among many other bills, they will consider HB 1215 by Rep. Morrison that allows UH-Victoria to offer doctoral programs. The Senate Higher Education Subcommittee will consider bills relating to the top ten percent admission policy next week.