Issue 12: Week of April 30, 2007

That Was Then …

Now We’re Talking

The appropriations process, temporarily stalled in the Senate for reasons not fully known or made public, got back on track last week when the Senate approved its half of the conference committee on the budget bill, HB 1. Named to the panel Wednesday by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst were Senate Finance Committee (SFC) Chair Steve Ogden (Bryan), Vice Chair Judith Zaffirini (Laredo), SFC Special Issues Workgroup Leader Robert Duncan (Lubbock), and Sens. John Whitmire (Houston) and Tommy Williams (The Woodlands). Their House counterparts are Appropriations Committee (HAC) Chair Warren Chisum (Pampa), Vice Chair Ryan Guillen (Rio Grande City), HAC Education Subcommittee Chair Lois Kolkhorst (Brenham), Rep. Dan Gattis (Georgetown), and Speaker Pro Tem Sylvester Turner (Houston). These 10 people will hash out the final details of the state’s spending plan for fiscal years (FY) 2008-09.

The conferees met Thursday for a brief overview presentation by the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) staff contrasting the two budget bills they’ve brought to the table. According to The Quorum Report (QR), LBB Director John O'Brien estimated a $2 billion difference between the House and Senate versions, excluding about $471 million in supplemental funding in HB 15. In terms of general revenue (GR) and general revenue-dedicated (GR-D) funds, the gap is about $400 million, O'Brien said. QR noted that the House budget is $3 billion over the LBB baseline bill, while the Senate’s is $4 billion over baseline. But the Senate included the cost of a proposed $1.8 billion settlement of the Frew Medicaid case, approximately $700 million of which is GR (the rest is federal funds).

Based on the figures O’Brien cited, according to QR, the Senate would spend more on formula funding for higher education, correctional managed care, Medicaid, debt service for public school facilities, overhauling the Texas Education Agency's educational data-gathering system, the student success initiative, border security, retooling the Texas Youth Commission, merit pay for state employees, and special measures for natural resources and bonds for the state water plan.

The House would boost spending on a research-based formula for higher education, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, trauma care, retired teacher pensions, technology allotments for public schools, addressing school dropouts, contracted temporary added prison capacity, border security, and incentives for the film industry.

The conference committee co-chairs were to meet Friday to assign workgroups and set a schedule with a possible meeting today, but no announcements were forthcoming. The Senate conferees, however, have received their assignments. Duncan will handle education; Zaffirini, health and human services; and Ogden, general provisions. The House has granted its conferees permission to meet while the House is in session.

QR quoted Dewhurst on Thursday saying that he would meet with Speaker Tom Craddick later in the week to lay ground rules for the budget negotiations. Asked whether an across-the-board teacher pay raise would survive, Dewhurst said he wouldn't second-guess the conferees but noted that the Senate had gone above and beyond in prior special sessions.

The UT System 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]
• LBB summary
• 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 House and Senate each have approved spending plans, the legislative leadership has appointed 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

Follow the Bouncing Bill
The Senate’s efforts to limit the volume of automatic admissions at the state’s public universities are fast becoming a referendum on tuition flexibility and financial aid. A bill to cap admissions under the so-called “top 10 percent law” emerged from three sometimes contentious hearings last week as an opt-in plan with a $4 million carrot and system-wide admission guarantees for entitled students denied their first preferences. And more changes could be in the offing.

SB 101 by Sen. Florence Shapiro (Plano) originally limited the proportion of top 10 percent admittees to 50 percent of each entering class and required them to complete the recommended or advanced high school curriculum. But from the outset Shapiro acknowledged the inevitability of amending the bill to appease both those comfortable with the status quo and those favoring repeal. Sen. Judith Zaffirini (Laredo) mentioned the possibility of requiring more outreach, notification and recruiting.

The focus is on UT Austin, where 71 percent of the 2006 entering resident undergraduates were top 10-percenters. Officials’ pleas for relief are bumping up against frustration by some legislators over tuition increases since deregulation in 2003. Offering top 10-percenters admission to any public university was a race-neutral response to the 1996 Hopwood decision barring admissions based on race and/or ethnicity. The U.S. Supreme Court has since allowed consideration of race among various other factors, some subjective, known as holistic review.

Last Monday, the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee broadened the entitlement to all schools within a system. The amendment by Sen. Dan Patrick (Houston) guarantees top 10-percent high school graduates admission to their second choice school within a system if their first is unavailable due to the cap. Patrick alluded to recent statements and resolutions on the law by the UT Board of Regents to bolster this policy, which is similar to his SB 1569. The subcommittee also added annual reporting requirements on each entering class’s demographic and scholastic information in an amendment by Shapiro. Not everyone was satisfied, however.

“I don’t like your bill at all,” said Sen. Tommy Williams (The Woodlands). “I want to end it, not mend it.” He also called for addressing what he termed “runaway tuition” beyond Shapiro’s proposed rate freeze (SB 100).

Sen. Royce West (Dallas) noted the irony of his favoring the merit-based law while its opponents, who do not support affirmative action, prefer reintroducing race into admissions decisions. He warned against making another regrettable “mistake” as with deregulating designated tuition, asserting that the top 10-percent law is benefiting students across the board, which Shapiro disputed, calling it the most egregious of its kind in the nation. She said the Legislature would never afford the kind of funding increases higher education wants, noting that tuition increases have leveled off somewhat. Zaffirini explained that she supports a cap only because she believes more admissions through holistic review will enhance diversity beyond the gains made to date.

West, who cast the lone vote in subcommittee against the committee substitute, was absent Thursday when it was changed again by the Senate Education Committee. Zaffirini’s initial proposal was to allow schools to cap automatic admissions at 60 percent of their entering classes, with the first 50 percent allocated as is currently and the next 10 percent allocated to top 10-percenters reviewed holistically; the remainder would be admitted exclusively through holistic review. In exchange, the schools would have to increase their designated tuition set-asides from 20 percent to 25 percent, an amount estimated to be $4 million.

“My good friend … has succeeded in throwing out two pieces of raw meat,” observed Sen. Steve Ogden (Bryan). “I’m a vegetarian and you know it,” Zaffirini replied.

In the lively ensuing discussion, Ogden and Sen. Kyle Janek (Houston) argued that the tuition component was misplaced. Zaffirini indicated that it was a necessary concession to secure support, but Ogden countered that financial aid is the responsibility of the entire state, not just college students and their parents. Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (San Antonio) said many top 10-percent students cannot afford to enroll without extensive financial assistance.

When Ogden suggested that UT Austin could solve its admissions problem by enlarging its entering class, Shapiro asked, “Where would you put them?” He said UT could always build more buildings.

Ogden implied that capping automatic admissions is as unfair to some top 10-percenters as the current law is to high-achieving students just outside the 90th percentile in competitive high schools, which is Shapiro’s chief complaint.

When Patrick moved to strike the opt-in set-aside increase, Ogden upped the ante by proposing to reduce the set-aside for all schools from 20 percent to 10 percent. Zaffirini called that inappropriate and not germane, suggesting that Ogden was trying to kill the bill. She asked to consult the Senate parliamentarian and, after a 10-minute recess, Ogden withdrew his amendment.

After three split votes on amending the bill, it was reported favorably sans the set-aside increase, 5-3, with Ogden, Van de Putte and Zaffirini dissenting. “Can we put it on Local (and Uncontested Calendar)?” Shapiro joked. “Loco!” someone replied amidst the laughter.

Zaffirini said she was not satisfied with the compromise, prompting Williams to chastise her for not discussing her amendment with him in advance.

The committee took another crack at it Friday afternoon on the Senate floor after adjournment by reconsidering its vote. A Shapiro amendment replaced the tuition set-aside increase with a direct $4 million appropriation for resident undergraduate financial aid to opt-in schools. Ogden, who cast the sole nay vote, indicated that that approach was unprecedented.

West then tried to authorize suspension of the entitlement when schools reached the 60 percent limit. He would have required certification by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and legislative reports on diversity, sunsetted in four years. Williams called the discussions evidence of the need for repeal, adding that admissions should be unregulated. West reiterated their mutual dislike of tuition deregulation; his amendment failed, 6-3.

Ogden said the new sticking point is equitable distribution of scholarship money statewide to top 10-percent enrollees. He indicated that he will be working toward that end, subject to a favorable ruling on germaneness by the Senate parliamentarian, who was consulted on that question during the hearing. The committee approved the latest version of the bill, 7-2, with Ogden and West voting no.

Watch subcommittee hearing [beg. 1:59]
Watch/listen to the full committee hearings: Thursday [beg. 9:50] Friday [audio only]

• Last Monday, the House Higher Education Committee voted out a similar cap bill. HB 1186 by Morrison also allows limits on top 10-percent admissions to 50 percent of entering classes. Completion of the advanced high school curriculum would be the secondary criterion if the number of entitled applicants exceeded the 50 percent allotment. Voting no were Reps. Helen Giddings and Roberto Alonzo, both of Dallas.

Moving Right Along
The Senate on Friday passed CSSB 1699 by Shapiro, which transfers B-On-Time Loan disbursement responsibilities from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corp. The bill changes some TEXAS Grant eligibility requirements and directs the THECB to study financial aid debit cards, raising the minimum GPA for eligibility to 3.0, and proportionally phasing in TEXAS Grant payments. The Senate also passed CSSB 1943 by Patrick allowing private schools to join the University Interscholastic League. On Thursday the Senate passed CSSB 1234 by Zaffirini calling for a five-year master plan for higher education. It also mandates several THECB reports on various higher education issues specified in four other bills.

The House last week passed CSHB 868 by Haggerty, authorizing a student recreational facility fee at UT El Paso; HB 321 by Dukes, creating an urban pilot program to determine the feasibility, costs, and benefits of establishing a collaborative electronic system between a local or regional indigent care system and the Health and Human Services Commission; HB 724 by Solomons, modifying the process governing disputes over medical treatment provided to injured workers under the workers' compensation insurance law; and HB 921 by Delisi, directing the Department of Information Resources to develop mandatory standards for electronic information sharing among state agencies, including confidentiality, protection of personally identifiable information and transfer procedures.

The House Higher Education Committee last week reported favorably:
• HB 1186 (Morrison) – limiting automatic college admissions

• CSHB 3114 (Swinford) – creating student fee advisory committees at each Texas A&M University (TAMU) System institution

• HB 3443 by Howard – creating the Texas Hospital-Based Nursing Education Partnership Grant Program

• HB 3464 by Guillen – creating the office of state statistician at TAMU - College Station

The committee discussed several bills last Monday but left them all pending. Among them were proposals for two new law schools. HB 1099 by Lucio would authorize creation of a law school at UT Brownsville at an estimated biennial cost of $6.3 million. Rep. Eddie Lucio III (Brownsville) said the attorney-client ratio in the Lower Rio Grande Valley is well below the national average. He cited as support a 2002 THECB recommendation, as well as growing demand for legal services prompted by immigration and border security issues. He noted there is no public law school, and only one private, south of Austin. A similar argument was made for HB 1233 by Branch, which would create a law school in Dallas at the University of North Texas. He cited a THECB report calling the absence of a law school in the nation’s fourth largest metropolitan area “unseemly.” He said the timing is crucial because the City of Dallas is offering a building downtown that would be an ideal site requiring only renovation.

HB 1367 by Madden would expand the authority of institutions of higher education to use criminal history record information maintained by the Texas Department of Public Safety for student-related purposes. The information could be used to determine applicants’ eligibility for admission or for remaining enrolled. The information could be released to applicants or students as well as appropriate faculty and administrative personnel, as reasonably necessary to determine eligibility. Rep. Jerry Madden (Richardson) said he would consider adding a fee if the current cost estimate were exceeded. He said such background checks do not always reveal potential troublemakers, noting that the recent Virginia Tech killer had no police record. One witness urged caution in singling out certain societal groups, warning that denying admission to or disenrolling felons could encourage them to revert to crime and stifle self-improvement.

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

The Senate Education Committee voted out several higher ed bills last week with little, if any, discussion, including:

• CSHB 1505 (Lucio) – authorizing an intercollegiate athletics fee at UT Brownsville of $7 per semester credit hour (SCH), capped at $5 per SCH for 2008-09 and $6 per SCH for 2009-10, and prohibiting charging the fee to online-only students

• SCR 47 (Shapleigh) – requesting the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker to create a select commission on higher education and global competitiveness to draft a Texas Compact reflecting a long-term vision and step-by-step plan to attain certain goals by 2020

• CSSB 365 (Nelson) – creating and implementing a health professional education grant program

• SB 1572 (Shapleigh) – requiring private or independent institutions of higher education offering one or more baccalaureate degrees to provide information on entering freshmen classes to the THECB

• CSSB 1802 (Uresti) – requiring publishers or manufacturers to make computerized versions of assigned printed instructional material available to blind and visually impaired students

• SB 1943 (Patrick) – allowing participation by private school students in University Interscholastic League-sponsored activities

• SB 127 (Shapleigh) – funding of the Communities In Schools program

• SB 217 (Shapiro) – increasing the penalty for parents previously convicted of failing to require their children to attend school

Most of the bills were recommended for the Local and Uncontested Calendar.

View the agendas: Tuesday ll Thursday Watch the videos: Tuesday ll Thursday Part 1 ll Part 2

Last Monday, the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee reported favorably to the full Education Committee:

• SB 101 (Shapiro) – authorizing a 60 percent limit on automatic top 10-percent admissions, with a guarantee of System-wide admission if the first preference is denied and requiring demographic and scholastic reporting on entering classes

• SB 365 (Nelson) – creation and implementation of the health professional education grant program

• SB 1572 (Shapleigh) – requiring reports and publication of performance data of private or independent institutions of higher education

• SB 1603 (West) – prioritizing needs-based eligibility for student financial assistance awarded from designated tuition charged by institutions of higher education

• SB 1802 (Uresti) – providing computerized instructional material assigned to blind and visually impaired students at public institutions of higher education

• SCR 47 (Shapleigh) – requesting the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker appoint a select commission on higher education and global competitiveness

Among the bills considered last week was SB 1029 by Shapiro, which authorizes appropriations for incentive funding but does not make an appropriation or identify a funding source. The bill sets up separate incentive funding programs for general academic teaching institutions, community colleges, and medical and dental units. Each category would have a point system and be allocated incentive funding in proportion to points earned by the institutions within that category. Sen. Royce West (Dallas) asked why colleges and universities should be given money to do what they’re supposed to be doing anyway. Charles Matthews, chancellor of the Texas State University System, replied, “Because we don’t have enough money.” Sen. Florence Shapiro (Plano) welcomed a suggestion by Sen. Kip Averitt (Waco) to use current or minimum performance levels to set baseline standards and link any additional funding to improvements. Opposition from the Texas Faculty Association prompted a discussion of whether the bill would lead to, if not authorize, exit testing of college students. Shapiro insisted that any exams would be individualized. Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes said exit tests are not appropriate in college, explaining that there are better ways to evaluate students using existing graduate and licensing exams and other methods. The bill is to be considered again today.

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

 

Miscellany

Back to the Future
A special House committee tasked with retooling state education policy heard assessments of Texas’s educational system Thursday that might best be described, to paraphrase a rock song by Meat Loaf, as two out of three ain’t great.

Shortcomings in higher education and workforce preparation, combined with sobering pronouncements about America’s global competitiveness, set the tone for the initial meeting of the House Select Public and Higher Education Finance Committee. Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes and Texas Workforce Commission Chair Diane Rath outlined an array of challenges to the panel; only Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley was consistently upbeat.

Chair Dan Branch (Dallas) indicated that the stakes are high, linking the correct education decisions to state policymakers’ ability to get all other issues right. He warned that not only America’s leadership role in the world but its national security could be at risk, describing the rapid expansion of China’s higher education system and its ability to attract capital investment as “daunting.”

Paredes said Texas higher education has been too focused on student access rather than institutional quality. The proliferation of schools combined with generous admissions policies have strained resources, he said. Only 18 percent of Texas high school graduates are college-ready, according to Paredes, who predicted shortages of medical professionals, teachers and scientists.

“Texas higher education is not as strong as it should be,” Paredes said. He asserted that UT Austin is not considered pre-eminent or among the top 10-15 universities in the nation.

Because finance issues flow from goals and plans, Paredes said, Texas policymakers need to determine higher education priorities for the next 20 years; the degree of balance desirable between graduate and undergraduate education; suitable levels of quality and competitiveness; and the number and location of top research universities. “Higher education strategy in Texas should be re-examined,” Paredes declared.

Texas remains relatively low in student financial aid spending (80 percent is federal), he said, but is now in the mid-range of costs. Consequently, he said middle-class students are attending college but not the poor.

Paredes noted that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is studying tuition revenue bonds, the Higher Education Assistance Fund, major repair and rehabilitation set-asides and formula funding, which he said needs incentives and more emphasis on outcomes instead of growth. Branch pointed out that the formulas do not reflect external factors such as colleges’ alumni bases and local community support. Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (Brenham) said relative growth, weights, the cost matrix and formula appropriations need to be examined.

She and Paredes also discussed how to better align general academic and health-related institutions fiscally, especially in the UT System, to present a stronger financial picture.

Arguing that education should be market driven, Rath decried many graduates’ lack of job readiness, especially basic writing skills. Eighty-percent of high-growth, high-demand jobs require post-secondary education, she said, but only 20 percent require four-year degrees. Rath identified the real deficit as being in two-year technical colleges, emphasizing the continuing demand for well-trained high-tech workers.

“Math and science are the currency of the future,” she said.

Among her recommendations, taken from Gov. Perry’s industry cluster teams, were designing life-long learning experiences, streamlining the education and training process, and teaching courses on problem-solving. She said employers want more input in K-16 curriculum development.

Neeley took exception, asserting that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) actively seeks employer participation and integrates curriculum with business and industry needs.

She touted the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Initiative, which will set up 35 academies targeting at-risk students in the next five years. Career and technical education participation has risen 170 percent in the past 10 years to a million students, Neeley noted. But she acknowledged that improvement is needed in adult education; only 108,000 of a potential 3.8 million students are getting career preparation.

Branch said he plans for the committee to meet monthly during much of the interim. His goal is to have a report and model legislation ready by late summer or early fall of 2008.

Watch the video ll View committee information

…This Is Now

 

If It’s Monday, It’s Higher Ed

Among the bills before the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee today are:

• SB 1029 (Shapiro) – authorizing appropriations for higher education performance incentive funding (see also above)

• HB 2198 (Flores) – requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to authorize public junior colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees in applied science and applied technology

• SB 420 (Lucio) – establishing a health science center and medical school in the Rio Grande Valley

• SB 1400 (Lucio) – establishing a law school at UT Brownsville

• HB 125 (Delisi) – authorizing tuition and fee exemptions for students whose parents became disabled while serving in the armed forces, the Texas National Guard, or the Texas Air National Guard

• HB 741 (T. King) – authorizing tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher education for students whose parents are volunteer municipal, county, or state peace officers who have been disabled or killed in the line of duty
View the agenda ll Watch the hearing

Among the bills before the House Higher Education Committee today are:
• HB 1249 (Villareal) – extending TEXAS Grant eligibility to two-year college transfer students

• HB 1782 (Howard) – repealing state higher education institutions’ authority to use "pay-for-performance" appropriations for across-the-board or merit raises
View the agenda ll Watch the hearing

The Senate Education Committee Tuesday will consider:
• HB 208 (Flores) – allowing students otherwise eligible for University Interscholastic League competition to retain eligibility while enrolled in joint high school/college courses or concurrent enrollment programs

• SB 1016 (West) – requiring the Texas Education Agency to develop criterion-referenced assessment instruments, separate from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, to assess reading progress

• SB 1045 (Wentworth) – exempting performance evaluations of chancellors and university presidents from public disclosure
View the agenda ll Watch the hearing

 

St. Elsewhere

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

HOUSE
State Affairs
• HB 2374 (Goolsby) – excluding gatherings of numerical quorums of governmental bodies at ceremonial events or press conferences from Open Meetings Act requirements if no formal action or discussion of public business occurs

• HB 3013 (Bolton) – authorizing governmental bodies to set time limits for work required to produce public information for inspection or duplication, or for copying

Government Reform
• SB 757 (Hegar) – eliminating the Telecommunications Planning and Oversight Council and assigning its functions to the Department of Information Resources

Public Education
• HB 3260 (Branch) – requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish a center for the study of advanced instructional methods, which would disseminate recommendations to public schools and institutions of higher education to improve standards, instruction and assessment methods

SENATE
Finance
• SB 49 (Zaffirini) – exempting books purchased by college students from sales tax during specified periods in August and January

• SB 2031 (Ogden) – providing the Legislature the means to determine the extent to which the state waives its sovereign immunity with regard to settling claims or legal actions against it requiring expenditures

Natural Resources
• SB 945 (Ellis) – directing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to create a multi-year program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and authorizing a fee

• HB 630 (P. King) – requiring prior notice to surface owners by mineral estate owners or lessees before commencing mineral operations

Health and Human Services
• SB 1095 (Uresti) – requiring the Texas Medical Board to study how to increase the number of medical residency programs, medical residents and medical specialists

 

Your Hit Parade

Bills of interest scheduled for full House consideration include:

MONDAY
• HB 4 (Puente) – establishing various water conservation initiatives, including rainwater harvesting, and directing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to encourage each institution of higher education to develop curriculum and provide related instruction on rainwater harvesting technology

• HB 2158 (McReynolds) – modifying reporting of nurse conduct by directing a new plan for report management involving peer review and patient safety committees and reducing somewhat the role of the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners

• HB 3924 (Rose) – modifying the student regent selection process

• HB 3900 (Morrison) – creating the Texas Tomorrow Fund II prepaid tuition unit undergraduate education program to be administered by the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board

• HB 3430 (Strama et al.) – requiring an online central database containing information on all state expenditures with special emphasis on those exceeding $75,000

TUESDAY
• HB 2173 (B. Cook) – sunset review recommendations for the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board including pricing and prospective reopening of the Texas Tomorrow Fund

• HB 1188 (Morrison) – revising the Texas Emerging Technology Fund program including funding allocations and advisory committee membership and terms (companion to SB 486 by Shapiro)

• HB 2405 (Hardcastle) – requiring reimbursement of state agencies for costs incurred when the governor deploys their personnel or other resources in response to a natural disaster or other emergency

• HB 1238 (Noriega) – allowing institutions of higher education to require student health centers to file claims with insurance carriers for the cost of services provided to students or others covered by private health insurance

• HB 2376 (Gattis) – allowing the Teacher Retirement System to expand the type of securities in which it invests

• HB 3109 (B. Cook) – authorizing the governor to contract with the FutureGen Industrial Alliance to implement the FutureGen clean-coal energy demonstration project

Access House calendars

Bills of interest eligible for full Senate consideration include:
• SB 114 (Van de Putte) – requiring higher education institutions to provide outside retailers as well as their affiliated bookstores the same information about and marketing opportunities for student instructional materials

• SB 486 (Shapiro) – revising the Texas Emerging Technology Fund program including funding allocations and advisory committee membership and terms (companion to HB 1188 by Morrison)

• SB 769 (Zaffirini) – setting state agency contracting guidelines including outside auditing, nepotism and additional reporting on major contracts

• SB 1023 (West) – prohibiting Texas Enterprise Fund grants to recipients who do not provide health benefit plans to their full-time employees

• SB 1051 (Zaffirini) – allowing academic institutions to exempt joint-degree students from taking American and Texas government, political science or history courses if previously enrolled in a foreign college or university

• SB 1846 (Duncan) – changing funding and benefits of the Teacher Retirement System

Access Senate agendas

Session Snapshot

 

Week	17
Days Remaining	29
Bills/Joint Resolutions Filed*	6,336
Bills/Joint Resolutions Passed**
>House	631
>Senate	687
Bills Enacted*	56
Legislation Tracked	1,896
High Priority Bills	366

*Incl. SCR 20 (constl. 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. As of last week, the Senate has joined the House in meeting on Fridays. Soon, committee hearings will begin subsiding as floor action becomes crucial to moving bills through the process. 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

The Senate’s first Friday meeting this session ended with a rather unusual dinner invitation involving two Houston members. Sen. Rodney Ellis was trying a second time to pass a “shield law” (SB 966) granting journalists limited privileges against revealing confidential news sources in court or to grand juries. Sens. Dan Patrick and Steve Ogden (Bryan) both sought to amend the bill. When Patrick pulled down his first amendment in exchange for reworking the bill, Ellis suggested that he confer over the weekend with those who’d helped him write it. But Patrick insisted on working directly with Ellis.

“That’s a good idea,” Ellis allowed. “I’d prefer we work at my house, and then I’d like to work on you on a couple of other bills while we’re there.” “Yeah, well, alright,” Patrick responded. “We can both do that. I’ll bring the barbecue.”

Ellis later invited Ogden to join them, but he begged off as being previously engaged, so Ellis suggested a conference call around mid-afternoon on Sunday. When Patrick subsequently offered, then withdrew, another amendment, Ellis remarked, “Thank you, senator. I’m looking forward to this weekend as I have, uh … it’ll be different.”