Greetings,

We seem to be moving past a rough beginning for 2021 into a hopeful spring and summer. After the winter storms and power outages in February, the Texas Legislature is working hard to prevent another failure of the electrical grid by overhauling grid regulations. Meanwhile, COVID-19 numbers are on the decline. The Texas Senate adopts the recommendations of the Senate budget committee and advances Senate Bill 1 to the Texas House of Representatives, moving the budget process one step closer to Conference Committee, where the House and Senate will negotiate the final appropriations bill. The Texas Legislature also is working toward regulating social media censorship. As earmarks are making a potential return in the U.S. Congress, how will Texas react to the return of this process?

We will be following legislation at the state and federal levels that pertains to higher education and its impact on UTA. As you receive updates, please let us know if there are any topics you would like to hear more about from Government Relations.

Thank you for your dedication to UTA, and Go Mavs!

— UTA Government Relations

In late February and early March, UTA president Teik Lim testified to the Senate Finance Committee and House Appropriations Committee on UTA’s budget requests and priorities. This is a key step in the process as the Texas Legislature negotiates funding decisions that will lead to the final version of the state’s two-year budget.

UTA’s top priorities are:

• higher education formula funding, UTA’s largest and most important source of state funding
• student financial aid to help students access affordable education
• continued research funding to enhance UTA’s programs and promote economic recovery
• the Texas Nursing Shortage Reduction Program, which provides state funding to incentivize the training of nurses in Texas

Once the House and the Senate have finalized their versions of the budget bill, usually in late April or early May, the two chambers will reconcile their differences in negotiations in Conference Committee. The final version of the bill produced by the Legislature will then be sent to the governor for final authorization.

The Texas House and Senate have each proposed preliminary budgets in the 2021 legislative session that would spend $119.7 billion in General Revenue over the next two fiscal years. Budget proposals by the two chambers of the legislature are often very different and become a major point of contention during session. This year, the budget proposals are the closest they have been in years.

The Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate live and archived sessions are available now.

Senate Hearings

House Hearings

The Office of the Governor is always looking for people to apply to various boards, including higher education. If you need assistance in applying, please contact Jeff Jeter at jeter@uta.edu. See a full list of available positions.

The University needs the support of its faculty, staff, and alumni to ensure we continue to receive resources to serve our students, conduct research, and expand our programs. For more information on how you can support the University and its legislative goals, contact:

• Jeff Jeter, vice president of Government Relations, at jeter@uta.edu
• Martin Lujan, director of Government Relations, at martin.lujan@uta.edu
• Bogan Pollock, director of Public Policy, at bogan@uta.edu
• Trevor Simmons, senior budget analyst, at trevor.simmons@uta.edu
• Beth Robinson, administrative assistant, at beth.robinson@uta.edu

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.