Issue 11: April 23, 2007

That Was Then..

Two to Tango

For more than a week now, we’ve had both versions of the state budget for fiscal years (FY) 2008-09 to sight-read, but the dance card is only half full. We still don’t know which senators will be trying to call the tune on the bill’s 10-member conference committee. Speaker Tom Craddick (Midland) announced the House conferees Tuesday: House Appropriations Committee (HAC) Chair Warren Chisum (Pampa), HAC Vice Chair Ryan Guillen (Rio Grande City), HAC Education Subcommittee Chair Lois Kolkhorst (Brenham), HAC Health and Human Services Subcommittee Vice Chair Dan Gattis (Georgetown), and HAC Criminal Justice Subcommittee Chair Sylvester Turner (Houston), who also serves as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House.

The full Senate approved the budget recommendations of the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) on April 12 without amendment, unlike the House. But Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has yet to name his five conferees. SFC Chair Steve Ogden (Bryan) is a lock – the two budgetary committee chairs serve as ex officio co-chairs – but the other members are a matter of some speculation.

Whoever rounds out this most influential of legislative top-10 lists will have to reconcile differences in the two competing spending plans. A glance at the big picture reveals these numbers:

The primary differences between the House and Senate funding for the general academic institutions (GAIs), health-related institutions (HRIs), and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) are as follows:

House
• $115.6 million for the Texas Competitive Knowledge Fund for the GAIs
• Both the House and Senate fund the formula “hold-harmless” at 97 percent, but the cost is lower in the House version based on the additional formula funding provided by the Senate
• $15.7 million for an increase to biomedical sciences in the HRI formula
• $47 million increase for the graduate medical education (GME) formula
• $120 million increase for Towards EXcellence And Success (TEXAS) Grants at the THECB
• $15 million for a new financial aid program that provides a state match for designated tuition set-asides at the THECB
• $5 million increase for the College Work-Study Program
• $5 million increase for Texas Educational Opportunity Grants (formerly TEXAS Grants II)
• $9 million increase for the Professional Nursing Shortage Reduction Program
• Higher Education Group Insurance (HEGI) is funded at a rate equal to 90 percent of the contribution rate for state employees

Senate
• $100 million additional GAI formula funding
• Both the House and Senate fund formula “hold-harmless” at 97 percent, but the cost is higher in the Senate version based on the additional formula funding provided by the Senate
• $78.8 million additional HRI formula funding
• $65 million increase for TEXAS Grants at the THECB
• $65 million increase for the B-On-Time Loan Program
• $3.7 million increase for the Joint Admissions Medical Program
• $112 million increase to fund HEGI at a rate equal to 100 percent of the contribution rate for state employees

Another major difference between the two bills is a Senate amendment in the general provisions (Article 9) ratifying the settlement agreement in the Frew v. Hawkins Medicaid case. In addition to another across-the-board reduction, the Senate deducted 0.59 percent from all GR/GR-dedicated appropriations and allocated a total of $706.7 million in GR ($1.8 billion in all funds) to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to pay for the settlement. This reduces FY 08-09 higher ed GR/GR-dedicated funding by $86 million for a total of $14.5 billion, a 9.4 percent increase ($1.246 billion) over FY 06-07.

On Wednesday, the Senate approved introduction of SB 2031 by Ogden. The bill would require legislative consent or approval of the settlement or compromise of a claim or action against the state that involves state expenditures exceeding a certain amount. This apparent response to the Frew settlement would limit how much an attorney general could obligate the state to pay to settle a claim or action without legislative consent. The threshold is as yet unspecified in the bill as filed, which is to be heard in the SFC today.

The Controller’s Office has prepared a side-by-side comparison of the House and Senate versions of House Bill 1, as well as summaries of the House and Senate general revenue appropriations for UT institutions and System Administration.
View side-by-side comparison.
View UT GR summaries: House ll Senate

Budget documents now available on line
Senate version:
• SCSHB 1 [note: 17 MB file]
• Controller’s higher ed overview
• Frew amendment summary

House version:
• CSHB 1 [note: 18 MB file]
• LBB summary
House supplemental appropriations bill, HB 15

 

Fiscal Nuts and Budget Bolts

The budget-writing committees’ regular meeting times and places, clerks and phone numbers are:
House Appropriations – 8 a.m. Mondays (and upon House adjournment as needed) E1.030 (HAC Hearing Room, Capitol Extension 1st floor) Cristina Self, 463-1091

Senate Finance – 9 a.m. Mondays (and upon Senate adjournment as needed) E1.036 (SFC Hearing Room, Capitol Extension 1st floor) Amy Jeter, 463-0370

From session to session, the two houses alternate writing the initial version of the appropriations bill. The starting point this session has been HB 1, but both Finance and Appropriations, or their workgroups and subcommittees, respectively, have met almost daily. Now that the Senate and the House each have approved spending plans, the legislative leadership will appoint a 10-member conference committee to reconcile the differences in the two proposed budgets and present a compromise bill to each house for approval.

Higher Ed Highlights

Moving Right Along

The Senate Thursday passed CSSJR 49 by Jackson limiting the service of appointed officeholders after the expiration of their terms of office. As amended by Sen. Steve Ogden (Bryan), it also would allow the Legislature to remove from office individual appointees whose terms have expired during or prior to a legislative session without having been reappointed or replaced.

The House Wednesday passed HB 120 by F. Brown authorizing UT Austin, Texas A&M and Texas Tech to set resident and non-resident tuition rates lower than otherwise applicable for courses offered during the evenings, on weekends, or other off-peak periods as determined by the boards of regents.

The House Higher Education Committee last week reported favorably:
• CSHB 3851 (Morrison) – promoting the admission of undergraduate transfer students and including grade point average (GPA) in required data on entering class reports.

• HB 3924 (Rose) – making clarifying changes in the student regent law including aligning the regent’s term with the academic year, requiring satisfactory academic progress, authorizing expense reimbursement, and allowing the governor to request additional information on applicants.

• HB 3826 (Morrison) – automatic admission eligibility for college applicants not having completed the recommended or advanced high school curriculum.

• HB 1238 (Noriega) – requiring student health centers to file claims with health plan providers and third-party administrators when students receive health center services and to report to the Legislature monies received from student fees and charges, center pharmacy operations, and claims filing with health plans.

• CSHB 2074 (Krusee) – authorizing Texas A&M University - Central Texas to enter into a partnership agreement with the Temple Junior College District to offer lower-division education at the East Williamson County Higher Education Center in Taylor.

• HB 3215 (Branch) – authorizing eligibility for private/independent colleges and universities for the Advanced Research Program, which awards competitive, peer-reviewed grants for scientific and engineering research projects.

• HB 3382 (Naishtat) – providing computerized instructional material for blind and visually impaired students at public institutions of higher education.

The committee discussed several bills last Monday but left them all pending. Among them were CSHB 3828 by Morrison which provides performance incentive funding for higher education institutions similar to programs in several other states. Chair Geanie Morrison (Victoria) claimed that the state’s Closing the Gaps goals are not being achieved. She said her bill would enhance graduation rates and the number of degrees awarded in critical fields based on a point system. Schools would earn extra points for science, math and engineering courses and education in those subjects, as well as for teaching at-risk students (e.g., those with low test scores or from low-income families). HRIs would be rated on degrees and residencies completed. Monetary awards would be based on a percentage of funding over formula funding, she explained, so HRIs would have the most to gain per student. By rewarding outputs, not inputs, she said the program is designed to improve retention rates, timely graduation, graduation rates, community college transfers, remedial education, and the quality of education. The committee substitute removed exit testing from the bill. The THECB is to assure quality control.

Robert Shepard, THECB chairman, called performance incentive funding an idea whose time has come. He said it has been endorsed by the Council of Public University Presidents and Chancellors and the Texas Association of Community Colleges, noting that the THECB recommended it in 2000. Shepard pointed out that it is not performance-based funding, which requires colleges to earn back part of their budgets if they don’t reach their targets. Incentives provide additional funding for exceeding goals, he said, without endangering basic services. He added that the bill was modeled on Gov. Perry’s plan.

Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes said the THECB could use some existing tests, such as licensing or graduate school entrance exams, or a senior thesis to measure added value, but would not have to create a new exam. The THECB would work with institutions and political leaders to determine which school gets the credit in cases of student transfers. Paredes explained that Closing the Gaps goals are re-evaluated regularly; for example, the student participation goal has been raised from 500,000 to 630,000 by 2015. Paredes said the research funding goal may be next because it was achieved by 2005. He agreed that the enrollment goals for African-Americans and Hispanics are too low and should be raised as well.

Tegwin Pulley of Texas Instruments cited a recent Ray Perryman study on the economic impact of increasing the engineering and computer science graduate pool. It found Texas to be ninth among the 10 most populous states for science and engineering grads per thousand college-age residents. University of North Texas System Chancellor Lee Jackson suggested at least a five-year initiation for the program. He said it should be well-defined for a few key areas but not comprehensive across all higher ed spending because of unintended consequences. Jackson believes it might reopen discussion of how to measure graduation rates. Texas A&M Chancellor Mike McKinney asked for historical data from the state against which institutions could measure themselves in the future.

Danita McAnally of the Texas Community College Teachers Association said her group opposes the bill because community college students often are sent by employers to take only a few specific classes. She echoed Sen. Steve Ogden’s fear of the state paying for diplomas, adding that TCCTA favors the concept but is unsure whether the methodology is right.

The Board of Nurse Examiners (BNE) would not be able to require the accreditation of the governing institution of a school of nursing, according to HB 2165 by Villarreal (San Antonio). The bill would direct the Board of Nursing Examiners to accept the requirements established by the THECB for accrediting nursing schools’ governing institutions. An outgrowth of the BNE’s sunset review, HB 2165 would clarify existing law and prohibit the BNE from requiring accreditation over and above THECB requirements. “We’re not dumbing down nursing curricula but eliminating duplicative regulation,” said Rep. Mike Villarreal. He said his goal is to keep the BNE from overlapping into the THECB’s jurisdiction. Texas Nurses Association spokeswoman Mary Mancini, a UT Arlington nursing professor, testified against the bill’s apparent allowing of career schools to offer non-academic degrees that she claimed could put Texans at risk. She asserted that the state’s nursing shortage is not just in number but also in adequately prepared and qualified nurses.

On the same issue, CSHB 3443 by Howard would create the Texas Hospital-Based Nursing Education Partnership Grant Program to increase the number of nurses in Texas by fostering innovation through partnership models between non-state or federally owned and operated hospitals and accredited nursing education programs at institutions of higher education. Grant funds would have to be expended on costs related to the development and operation of nursing programs leading to initial licensure as a registered nurse and that confer associate or bachelors degrees in nursing. Funds also could be spent on bridge programs for associate-degreed students to undergraduate and/or master’s degrees in nursing, as well as to fund accelerated Bachelor of Science nursing degree programs.

HB 1378 by T. Smith (Euless) would direct the THECB to establish and administer a public school mathematics and science teachers undergraduate education scholarship program. Recipients would have to be enrolled in educator preparation programs at public or private institutions of higher education and agree to teach math or science courses in Texas public schools for a specified period after graduation. The LBB estimated the cost at about $800,000 for FY 2008-09.

HB 1431 by Alonzo would establish the Sustainable Water Supply Research Center at UT Arlington to conduct, sponsor, or direct multi-disciplinary research on developing sustainable water supplies for Texas and mitigating the effects of diminishing water supplies on the state’s economy and people, and to conduct a comprehensive, interdisciplinary graduate instructional program and undergraduate courses in sustainable water development. Witnesses said the center would take a comprehensive approach to water development issues and be an economic boon to North Texas and the entire state.

View the agenda ll Watch the video

The Senate Education Committee voted out several higher ed bills last week with little, if any, discussion, including CSSB 1234 by Zaffirini. Originally calling only for a higher ed master plan, the bill now has incorporated elements of other bills (SBs 1919 and 1772 by Watson and 1055 by Zaffirini) directing various studies and reports by the THECB in order to have uniform reporting dates and no conflicts. Gone is the five-year time frame. The studies will focus on resource allocation for medical schools and graduate medical education; the number and types of disciplines of new faculty members needed to meet the Closing the Gaps goals, including supply and demand; seamless transitions among high schools, community and technical colleges, universities, and HRIs (including concurrent enrollment and dual credit programs); current and projected capacity concerns of UT and A&M; new flagship universities including possible locations and criteria for student diversity; alternative funding methods; and a new work-study element for the TEXAS Grants program. Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes said the package represents a thorough analysis of higher ed that the THECB would oversee by drawing on several sources, but not do alone. He indicated that a newly awarded $2.6 million strategic planning grant from the Houston Endowment would help, adding, “We have to estimate needs in different parts of the state.” Sen. Royce West (Dallas) asked Sen. Judith Zaffirini (Laredo) whether a top 10 percent amendment would be acceptable. She said no, insisting that it would not be germane. Even if it were so ruled, she said she’d pull down the bill before taking one. CSSB 1234 was recommended for the Local/Uncontested Calendar, as were:
• SB 1601 (West) – modifying the Joint Admission Medical Program.

• CSSB 1699 (Shapiro) – modifying the TEXAS Grant Program; creating the Texas Technology Grant Program; changing the TEXAS Grant Legislative Oversight Committee’s purview to state financial aid programs; and requiring studies on student debit cards, raising the minimum GPA for financial aid, and making TEXAS Grant amounts graduated over time. The substitute would require tuition equalization grant recipients to make satisfactory academic progress (i.e., a 3.0 GPA).

• CSSB 1052 (Zaffirini) – granting 25 percent tuition credits to GAI transfer students who complete core curricula at two-year colleges.

• CSSB 1146 (Shapiro) – shifting development and maintenance of higher ed online “report cards” to the THECB and altering some of the required content.

• SB 1446 (Duncan) – removing indirect cost recovery from educational and general funds appropriations by definition.

• CSSB 114 by Van de Putte – providing independent retailers the same lists of instructional materials and other opportunities as are provided to affiliated (but not school-owned) bookstores, with some cost recovery provisions added.

View the agendas: Tuesday ll Thursday

Watch the videos: Tuesday Pt. 1 ll Pt. 2 ll Thursday

Last Monday, the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee reported favorably to the full Education Committee:
• CSSB 1749 (Duncan) – transferring Angelo State University from the Texas State University System to the Texas Tech University System along with bond issuance authority and Higher Education Assistance Fund (HEAF) allocations.

• SJR 60 (Duncan) – proposing a constitutional amendment continuing the participation of Angelo State University in the HEAF.

• SB 1045 (Wentworth) – making performance evaluations of the higher education commissioner and the chief executive officers of academic institutions of higher education, including university systems, confidential and excepted from public disclosure.

• CSSB 1138 (Duncan) – requiring fraternities and other registered campus student organizations to provide a risk management program for their members, with training provided by the institutions of higher education, on issues including drugs and alcohol, hazing, sexual abuse and harassment, fire and safety, and conduct at parties and events.

• SB 1242 (Averitt) – creating tuition exemptions at public institutions of higher education for students who have served in school district tutoring programs.

All the bills except SB 1045 were recommended for the Local/Uncontested Calendar.

View the agenda ll Watch the video: Part 1 ll Part 2

Miscellany

Let It Be?
The House State Affairs Committee heard calls Thursday to end resident tuition for children of illegal immigrants and other undocumented residents attending public colleges and universities, but many students and several lawmakers defended the policy.

"I think the people of my district are demanding that we do something regarding illegal immigration," said Rep. Debbie Riddle (Tomball), as quoted in the Austin American Statesman. "They're demanding that both federal and state governments do something about securing our borders … and they're incensed that illegal immigrants are getting in-state tuition."
HB 104 by Riddle would limit eligibility for the much cheaper resident (in-state) tuition to legal residents. Four other bills considered would alter students’ current three-year residency requirement or prohibit non-citizens from establishing Texas residency for tuition purposes.

Riddle said her proposal would not prevent undocumented immigrants from attending state universities, "but they're going to have to pay (the more expensive) tab," according to the Statesman. Gallery Watch quoted Rep. Ken Paxton (McKinney) as saying that Texas does not have unlimited money or seating for its public schools. Paxton, the committee vice chair, is authoring HB 39.

The bills’ fiscal notes estimate that between 2,000 and 4,000 students would be affected if either of the bills is enacted. One top UT Austin nursing student, a Mexican native, told the newspaper that she pays about $4,000 in tuition per semester for three courses, equivalent to the cost of a single course at the non-resident rate.

In 2001, Texas was the first state to offer tuition breaks to undocumented Texas high school graduates who had lived here at least three consecutive years prior to graduation. Since then, nine other states have passed similar laws, but three have restricted access, the Statesman reported.

It cited 11,130 students having taken advantage of the discount since its inception, based on data including both undocumented and legal residents from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Because resident tuition is available across the board, and undocumented recipients must seek citizenship as soon as they are eligible, defenders maintain that the statute does not violate federal immigration law.

They argued Thursday that these students had no choice about coming here, usually with their parents who typically are self-sustaining taxpayers. Texas already has invested about $100,000 each to educate them in public schools, they noted, citing a Texas Education Agency estimate.

"When you have students that we know have a higher degree of education, they're able to contribute back to the economy," Rep. Rick Noriega (Houston) told the Statesman. "It just makes sense for us to protect our economic investment." Noriega authored the bill enacting the tuition break six years ago.

On the fairness issue, Rep. Rafael Anchia (Dallas) asked Riddle why someone from Arkansas could live in Texas for a year and be eligible for in-state tuition but not someone who has lived here for 17 years. Riddle said the bottom line is many Texans are frustrated with illegal immigration not being handled in the appropriate manner, according to Gallery Watch.

Referring to Riddle’s comment about undocumented workers burdening public services, particularly health care, Rep. Roberto Alonzo (Dallas) cited economists who attribute a $300 million net gain to their labor, Gallery Watch wrote.

The committee also heard Rep. Geanie Morrison (Victoria) explain HB 3829 requiring documentation of application for US citizenship from students seeking resident tuition.
All the immigration-related bills were left pending.

View the agenda ll Watch the video [beg. 57:23]

…This Is Now

 

If It’s Monday, It’s Higher Ed

Among the bills before the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee Monday were:
• SB 101 (Shapiro) − allowing general academic teaching institutions to limit automatic (top 10 percent) admissions to not more than 50 percent of first-time resident undergraduates in an academic year, and requiring applicants to complete the recommended or advanced high school curriculum, or the equivalent if unavailable.

• SB 479 (Janek) − requiring student health centers to file claims with health plan providers and third-party administrators for services rendered.

• SB 554 (Shapleigh) − requiring the employment contract of the president or other chief executive officer of a public institution of higher education to require an annual performance evaluation including consideration of changes in graduation rates during the evaluation period.

• SB 577 (Ellis) − requiring the 20 percent set-aside from designated resident undergraduate tuition and the 15 percent set-aside from designated resident graduate or professional tuition be used for need-based financial aid, and requiring the 5 percent set-aside from designated resident undergraduate tuition for the B-On-Time Loan Program be in addition to the 20 percent set-aside.

• SB 944 (Janek) − amending the Advanced Research Program to allow participation by accredited, degree-granting private colleges or universities.

• SB 1029 (Shapiro) − authorizing incentive funding for higher education by establishing programs for general academic teaching institutions, community colleges, and medical and dental units, with funds allocated based on proportional point systems.

• SCR 47 (Shapleigh) − requesting of the governor and legislative leadership a select commission on higher education and global competitiveness to draft a compact reflecting a long-term vision and step-by-step plan to attain certain goals by 2020.

View the agenda ll Watch the hearing

Among the bills before the House Higher Education Committee today are:
• HB 1099 (Lucio) – requiring the UT Board of Regents to establish and maintain the Reynaldo G. Garza School of Law at UT Brownsville in Cameron County.

• HB 1367 (Madden) – expanding the authority of institutions of higher education to use criminal history record information maintained by the Department of Public Safety beyond security-sensitive employment application review to include student-related uses.

• HJR 80/HB 2141 (Rose) – amending the constitution to allow the Legislature to give student regents shorter terms (one year) than those of the other members of the boards; granting student regents the same powers and duties, including voting, as the other members of the boards on which they serve; and filling one of the three UT regents’ positions whose terms expires February 1, 2009 with a student regent.

• HB 2225 (Giddings) – authorizing a non-voting student representative on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board selected through a process similar to that used for student regents.

View the agenda ll Watch the hearing

The Senate Education Committee is to meet at least twice this week. On Monday it considered only one bill, SB 1051 by Zaffirini, which allows certain course exemptions for international students enrolled in joint baccalaureate degree programs. Tuesday’s agenda includes SB 1943 by Patrick, which would set criteria for private school admission to the University Interscholastic League.

View the agendas: Monday ll Tuesday

Watch the hearings

 

St. Elsewhere

Other committees hearing bills of interest this week:
[click on committee name to view agenda]

HOUSE
State Affairs
• HB 2508 (King) – prohibiting a state agency from using public resources or facilities to attempt to influence the passage or defeat of a legislative measure.

• HB 3646 (Kolkhorst) – prohibiting state agencies, including institutions of higher education, from contracting with private entities for more than 20 years, except state securities approved by the Texas Bond Review Board (TBRB) and certain toll road agreements.

Government Reform
• SB 470 (Brimer) – allowing the comptroller to prescribe a uniform format for and a uniform method of reporting financial information included in annual financial reports, and requiring state agencies to report expenditures in the uniform manner required.

Appropriations – invited testimony on Medicaid reform and hospital financing

House Select Public/Higher Ed. Finance – initial meeting to hear invited testimony from the Texas Education Agency, THECB, and the Texas Workforce Commission, with possible discussion of the Texas Tomorrow Fund.

SENATE
Finance
• SB 769 (Zaffirini) – expands contracting statutes to require state agencies (excluding higher ed) to submit additional information about major contracts ($5 million or more) to the Texas Building and Procurement Commission for posting on its electronic procurement marketplace.

• SB 1332 (West) – expands the TBRB, creates a Debt Management Committee and appears to require the TBRB to evaluate and rank each capital project proposal before it by using objective criteria to compare each proposal to other proposals.

Your Hit Parade

Bills of interest scheduled for full House consideration:
Monday
• CSHB 1196 (Kolkhorst) – requiring a business that applies for a public subsidy through a public agency, state or local taxing jurisdiction, or economic development corporation to certify that the business, or a subsidiary, does not employ an unauthorized alien or contract with an entity employing an unauthorized alien.

• HB 2732 (Gattis) – allowing private plaintiffs to proceed with Medicaid fraud “whistleblower” lawsuits and obtain substantial damages (from 25 percent up to 30 percent), if they prevail under a preponderance of the evidence standard, and increasing the amount that plaintiffs could recover if the state takes over the action.

• HB 2427 (Truitt) – continuing the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) and limiting disability retirement annuity benefits for disability retiree members based on earned income, among other changes.
Access House calendars

Bills of interest eligible for full Senate consideration:
Notice of Intent
• HB 1098 (Bonnen) – precluding vaccination against the human papilloma virus (HPV) as a requirement for public school admission.

• CSSB 110 (Van de Putte) – requiring two state agencies to coordinate HPV information collection and distribution to public schools.

• SB 685 (Van de Putte) – mandatory fees exemption for Texas National Guardsmen.

• SB 1052 (Zaffirini) – providing tuition credits for students completing the core curriculum at two-year public institutions of higher education who enroll at general academic teaching institutions.

• SB 1146 (Shapiro) – online higher ed performance “report cards.”

• SB 1447 (Duncan) – expanding and modifying TRS’s investment authority and practices.

• SB 1458 (Seliger) – authorizing the governor to contract with the FutureGen Industrial Alliance to carry out a clean-coal technology energy demonstration project.

• SB 1459 (Seliger) – requiring the attorney general to defend an owner/operator of the FutureGen clean-coal project from lawsuits arising from carbon dioxide emissions.
Access Senate agendas

Access Senate agendas

Session Snapshot

 

Week	16
Days Remaining	35
Bills/Joint Resolutions Filed*	6,322
Bills/Joint Resolutions Passed**
>House	460
>Senate	494
Bills Enacted*	25
Legislation Tracked	1,891
High Priority Bills	367

*Incl. SCR 20 (const. spending limit)
**By each house

The bill filing deadline was March 9, the 60th day of the session. To file a bill now requires a four-fifths vote of the members present in either house, and several bills have been introduced this way. This week the House will begin meeting on Fridays for the first time this session. Legislative deadlines and other important dates may be found at Key Legislative Dates.

House Committees’ permanent meeting schedules

Senate Committees’ permanent meeting schedules

Duly Noted

“Sometimes we are too busy stomping on ants in the basement while hippopotamuses are running wild on the first floor."

Rep. Edmund Kuempel (Seguin), regarding a request for sunset review of the Lower Colorado River Authority during a House Government Reform Committee hearing last Monday.