The Texas Faculty Association

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The 81st Texas Legislature

The University of Texas System Legislative Issues

Formula Funding at levels advanced by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) advisory committees, with retention of teaching supplement and phase-in of use of completed semester credit hours for academic institutions and return to formula funding rates to the level of 2000-01 in two biennia for health institutions:

$221.6 million more for all academic institutions’ formulas, with $73.6 million for System institutions
$141.2 million more for all health-related institutions’ formulas, with $69.1 million for System institutions
$15.5 million in mission-specific formula funding for two System health-related institutions
$60.6 million in exceptional items and special funding for seven System academic and health-related institutions in the general and supplemental appropriations acts, including funding for four of the five institution-specific items that had been made System priorities late in the Session, and two of which had been vetoed following the 2007 session
$8 million in supplemental appropriations for Hurricane Ike-related uncompensated care at two Houston-area System institutions
$5.6 million in supplemental appropriations for hurricane-related costs to four System health-related institutions
$123.5 million more for correctional managed care through UTMB in the general and supplemental appropriations acts
Completed semester credit hours were not used in the academic institutions’ instruction and operations formula
Teaching supplement retained
The general appropriations act calls for a cost study to be conducted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to validate the methodology behind certain aspects of the health-related institutions' formulas and to compare the differences in funding of similar programs (e.g., nursing and pharmacy) between health and academic institutions

Retain tuition flexibility

SB 1443 passed the Senate but failed to pass the House, leaving the legal status quo of regental authority over tuition rates in place
On the final day of the Session the House passed HCR 288, a non-binding resolution which expresses the intent of the House for boards to control future tuition increases for academic years 2010-2011 through 2013-2014, generally to 3.95% or $280 per year. The Senate did not act on the resolution.

Modify Top 10% Law

SB 175 sets a 75 % cap on top 10% admits at UT Austin
$54 million provided for top 10% student scholarships

Help create new national research universities through competitive process

HB 51 creates a new matching fund for research-focused philanthropy, funded with $50 million for the next biennium, and establishes criteria for the new National Research University Fund (NRUF)
HJR 14 establishes the NRUF, subject to voter approval in November

Develop Texas healthcare workforce

Additional funding for graduate medical education (GME) formula

Rate increased from $5634 to $6653 per resident, with a total of $16.3 million in new funding, $10.1 million of which will go to System institutions

Restore Medicaid funding for residencies and expand number of residencies through state stipends to achieve parity with number of medical students in state
- Efforts to restore Medicaid funding and expand residencies were unsuccessful
Expand nursing and health professional school class sizes and faculty

HB 4471 updates the provisions governing the current Professional Nursing Shortage Reduction Program at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)
$30 million for new program to increase nursing faculty at all institutions
$5 million in special funding for UT Arlington’s simulation learning facility

Expand Joint Admission Medical Program

SB 1728 updates the provisions governing JAMP
$5 million more for the program, to $10.6 million

Hurricane Ike relief for UTMB

$150 million in state funding to match FEMA federal funding for reconstruction
$150 million Tuition Revenue Bond (TRB) authorized for construction of second hospital, subject to increased local contributions for uncompensated care
$97 million in state General Revenue (GR) for operations in 2010-2011, in addition to continuation of current, pre-hurricane GR funding
$50 million in Social Service Block Grant funding from Health and Human Services Commission (not through legislation but as part of overall agreement)
No action on legislation to dedicate DSH and UPL funds to UTMB

Bolster the Texas Competitive Knowledge Fund (TCKF) that sustains the state’s current two public Tier One institutions

$33 more in funding for TCKF
Access to fund by UT Arlington, UT Dallas and UT El Paso if qualifying standards met

Issue bonds to fund research and prevention grants from Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), as well as modify peer review process

$450 million in bonds authorized, with $43.5 million of the bonds dedicated to cancer prevention grants and $391 million for cancer research grants
$35.5 million in debt service for the bonds provided
HB 1358 is an omnibus CPRIT clean-up bill that, among other elements, modifies peer review process

Funding for capital construction projects, including debt service for new and existing tuition revenue bonds (TRBs)

TRB for UTMB construction (see above)
Only other TRB authorized by Legislature was for Texas A&M Galveston hurricane reconstruction

Expand financial aid at levels recommended by THECB, especially for work study programs

$185.9 million more for TEXAS Grants
$10 million more for Texas Equal Opportunity Grants for community college students that can aid their transfer to four-year institutions
Work study funded at current levels

Require healthcare plans to cover routine patient care expenses for clinical trial participants

SB 39 provides this coverage

Create incentives and remove barriers for more seamless transfer of students from community colleges

The general appropriations act requires academic institutions to submit a report to the THECB detailing goals to increase the number, success and persistence of transfers and identify barriers to more transfers

Provide additional funding for Emerging Technology Fund (ETF)

$94 million more for the ETF and carryover of more than $100 million in current funding

Eliminate duplicative and ineffective reporting requirements applicable to higher education

After early consultations with the Council of Public University Presidents and Chancellors (CPUPC), no bill was actively pursued

Support incentives for academic institutions and for research consistent with approach taken by Governor’s Incentive Task Force on Incentive Funding

$80 million appropriated for general academic institutions’ incentives in SB 1, with criteria for incentives spelled out

Restore full premium sharing and eliminate 90-day waiting period for health insurance for graduate students, fellows, and new tenured or tenure-track faculty

SB 42 would have made graduate students and fellows eligible for health insurance coverage at institutions’ expense, but it died with the Senate’s adjournment sine die

Provide parity in funding of UT System employee health insurance costs

Parity not achieved, but $43.9 million more appropriated to cover increased number of covered System employees

Exempt information acquired in an institution’s internal compliance program and patient information protected by HIPAA from disclosure under state public information law

HB 4189 provides privacy protections for employees who report compliance problems
HB 2004 protects personal identifying information of patients treated at public hospitals such as those in the UT System

Modify approval process for capital projects at THECB

SB 1796 increases the threshold amounts for capital projects that can proceed without THECB approval (this bill has already been signed by the Governor)

Modify definition of uncompensated or charity care for state reporting requirements