STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

June 24, 2005

(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.)

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(June 24, 2005)--This 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. Feel free to share this email with friends and associates in or outside the university community. You can also visit the UH System legislative webpage for additional information on federal and state legislative issues, useful links, etc.

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LEGISLATURE CONVENES IN SPECIAL SESSION;
SCHOOL FINANCE AND TAX BILLS ON THE TABLE

The Legislature convened at noon Tuesday, June 21, and promptly adjourned until next Monday, June 27. They did so in order to let the committees meet on the school finance and tax bills. The governor has the sole discretion to set the topics for special sessions and has so far only included those two issues in the call. Typically, the governor will not expand the call to other subjects until progress has been made on the principal issues. However, legislators may file bills on any topic.

Many speculate that tuition revenue bonding legislation will be added. In anticipation of that, Rep. Geanie Morrison, chair of the House Higher Education Committee, has filed HB 6 and called a hearing for Monday morning. UH System Board of Regents Chairman Morgan O’Connor and UH System Chancellor Jay Gogue will be present to testify.

The bill as introduced is the same as that which passed the House during the regular session and includes full funding for at least one project for every university in Texas. For UH System institutions the bill includes the following amounts:

UH	$60 million
UHCL	$38 million
UHD	$30 million
UHV	$30 million

Late negotiations during the waning hours of the regular session had significantly less funding for all institutions than those included in this proposal.
Please see the online Texas Legislature site for the status of legislation.

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.

Information on governmental relations policies

Find the names and addresses of Texas Senators and Representatives