Texas A&M officials invited reporters Tuesday to a review of the recently ended legislative session.
System Chancellor John Sharp says they had the most successful state legislative session ever.
System schools and agencies received $865 million in capital projects, including $144 million for Health Science Center projects in Bryan and Houston. But the chancellor did not to talk about last week’s forced resignation of former center CEO Brett Giroir.
The flagship campus received $79 million in research funding from the state. That’s an increase of more than $20 million. And that does not count the governor’s new $40 million dollar university research initiative fund, where A&M President Michael Young and Dean of the College of Engineering Dr. Katherine Banks says they are already pitching prospects.
Also discussed was campus carry of concealed weapons. President Young says they’re mapping out the process of how that will be implemented on the flagship campus.
System officials noted as accomplishments, the legislature not passing a bill that affects the board of regents ability to set tuition rates and no change was made to the state funding structure of higher education.
And thanks was given to those who attempted what was described as the “valiant and earnest stance” to reduce the number of students getting free tuition from the Hazlewood military program.
Click below for more comments from John Sharp, Michael Young, Dr. Katherine Banks, System Vice Chancellor for Federal and State Relations Tommy Williams, and Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dr. Mark Hussey.
News release courtesy of the Texas A&M System:
NOTE: This is an update of legislative activity through the end of the 84th Legislative Session. Many of these items are pending Governor Abbott’s signature.
TAMUS 2016-17 Budget Priorities
Capital Funding
The Legislature authorized $3.1 billion of capital construction projects statewide for all of Higher Education as part of Capital Construction Revenue Bonds in HB 100. Of that package, TAMUS institutions received $800.8 million. In addition, the Legislature approved special debt service funding for the Center for Infrastructure Renewal, providing another $65 million of capital funding to Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.
Selected Key Projects funded include:
• $75 million for TAMU BSL-3 research lab
• $72 million for new facilities at TAMHSC in Bryan and $72 million for a new facility at the TAMU School of Dentistry
• $60 million for the expansion of Instructional Facilities, Infrastructure and Central Plant at A&M Galveston
• $54 million for the Ft. Worth campus of Tarleton and $39.6 million for a new Science building at Tarleton
Formula Funding
The Legislature added $281.9 million in General Revenue (GR) to the General Academic Formulas to fund enrollment growth and to provide a small increase in the funding rate.
• A&M System universities received an estimated $101 million of the increase. The rate of enrollment growth in the A&M System was more than double the growth rate statewide. This increase compares to the $59 million increase we received last legislative session in the formulas.
The Legislature also added $134 million of GR to the Health Related Formulas for all health related institutions.
• The A&M Health Science Center received an estimated $13.8 million increase in formula GR.
Research Funding
Governor Abbott’s University Research Fund Initiative was developed in close collaboration with TAMUS, and HB26 and SB 632, the enabling Acts for the Governor’s Initiative, included many of our recommendations. The Legislature appropriated $40 million to the Fund.
The Texas Competitive Knowledge Fund was restructured by Chairman Otto to be known as the Texas Research University Fund (TRUF) with only TAMU and UT as eligible participants. Formula methodology was codified in HB 1000 using “total research” which is the methodology recognized nationally for ranking of institutions’ research. The Legislature appropriated $147.1 million to the TRUF formula.
• TAMU received $79.2 million, which is an increase of $20.5 million over its previous research support funding.
• UT Austin received $67.8 million in research funding, which is an increase of $14.5 million over the research funding from the 2014-15 biennium.
• The Legislature created a separate fund for the emerging research institutions, Core Research Support. The four UT System institutions in the fund received a net increase in research funding of $5.7 million. The Legislature also added significant funding to the Texas Research Incentive Program, which the emerging research institutions also participate in. A&M System has no institutions that are classified as emerging research.
Higher Education Fund
The Legislature updated the Higher Education Fund allocation and provided a 50% increase – $131.25 million GR per year increase – beginning in FY 17.
• The A&M System received an additional $23.4 million for its six HEF-eligible institutions.
Higher Education Group Insurance
The Legislature provided an additional $187.1 million for group insurance premiums for higher education employees and retirees.
• The A&M System’s share of the additional funding is $43.6 million.
Special Items
The Legislature took action to restore or add new special items that total $80.5 million across the A&M System. Selected key items include:
• $10 million for Healthy South Texas at A&M Health Science Center and AgriLife Extension
• $11 million for Downward Expansion at Texas A&M San Antonio
• $23 million for Volunteer Fire Department grants at A&M Forest Service
• $5 million for Vector Borne Disease research at A&M AgriLife Research
Other Legislative Accomplishments
Tuition re-regulation/Performance Based Funding
Coming into session, several key elected officials and some media voiced concerns over increases in university tuition rates and their possible impact on access. Some officials expressed their desire to reregulate and the tuition and/or to partially restructure higher education funding to make it contingent upon improved performance. Numerous bills were filed to freeze tuition rates at current levels. TAMUS SR Team furnished Legislators information about declining per student state funding and the flattening rate of tuition growth in the years since tuition was deregulated in 2003.
By mid-session, the discussion was focused on a Sen. Seliger bill that married the ideas of tuition rates and performance on specific outcome measures, rather than an outright freeze or reregulation.
In the end, no bill passed to affect Boards of Regents’ authority ability to set tuition rates and no change was made to the state funding structure of higher education.
Guns on Campus
From the beginning, TAMUS’ position on Campus Carry has been “We have no position. We trust our students.”
The bill that finally passed allows university presidents to determine if/what parts of campus should be gun free, and the BOR has the opportunity to adopt, partially amend or completely amend those policies.
Hazlewood
Late in session, Senator Birdwell moved a bill out of the Senate that addressed the residency issue at stake in a lawsuit and aimed to significantly reign in the increasing costs of Legacy. When the House took the bill up on the floor, the House members stripped the bill of all of the cost-saving measures. Passage of the House bill, as amended would have only served to increase costs for newly eligible veterans and their dependents.
The Senate dissolved its conference committee with meaningful recognition of Senator Birdwell’s valiant and earnest stance to fix the problem.