(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.)
Having accomplished none of its goals, the First Called Session (special session) of the 79th Texas Legislature adjourned sine die late last night, July 20. The House and Senate failed to agree on tuition revenue bonds, public school finance, tax restructuring, judicial pay raises, eminent domain and telecommunications regulations. The Governor has included all of these issues except for eminent domain in the call for the second session which began this morning, July 21.
Rep. Geanie Morrison has refilled the same tuition revenue bond (TRB) bill that passed the House in the first called session. Speaker Tom Craddick has announced that the House will pass that bill on Monday, July 24. The Senate and House TRB bills are vastly different, so it appears that the principals have yet to come to an agreement on the total amount to be authorized. For the University of Houston System institutions, the HB 6 includes the following amounts:
| UH | $60 million |
| UHCL | $38 million |
| UHD | $30 million |
| UHV | $30 million |
(Caveat: HB 6 includes authorization for bonds far in excess of the amount appropriated for debt service.)
The House plans to pass the public school finance bill and the tax restructuring bill next Tuesday, July 25. The Senate, in turn, will pass the telecommunications bill and the judicial pay raise on Monday, July 24.Information on governmental relations policies
Find the names and addresses of Texas Senators and Representatives