Greetings,

With the conclusion of the 87th regular legislative session, the Texas Legislature has adjourned. The next phase of the process is the veto period, which is through June 20. Upon receiving a bill, the governor has 10 days in which to sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature. As it pertains to the state budget, the governor has the power to line-item veto certain expenses; he recently said he is considering using that power to defund the Legislature after an elections bill failed to pass. If he follows through, this will almost certainly mean he will have to call legislators back to Austin for a special session to avoid defunding their own office budgets. Such a special session would be in addition to a special session this fall related to the task of redrawing legislative and congressional districts.

We will be following legislation at the state and federal levels that pertain 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

School leaders are looking to the upcoming special session for more support as the state decides how to spend $16 billion in federal stimulus funding.

In late May, the Legislature passed the Conference Committee Report on Senate Bill 1, the appropriations bill, establishing the state’s budget for the next two years, which is pending Governor Abbot's veto. Based on an improved revenue estimate for the 2022-23 biennium, the state appropriated $248.5 billion in all funds and $116.4 billion in general revenue for the 2022-23 biennium. This represents a 5.5% growth in general revenue from the prior biennium’s budget passed in May 2019.

In higher education, the state appropriated $3.9 billion in general revenue funds for general academic institution formulas, an increase of $300 million from the previous biennium, as well as an additional $110 million for statewide financial aid programs, including Texas grants. General revenue funding for general academic formulas represents an 8.2% increase from the 2020-21 biennium. This funding was sufficient to fund enrollment growth of general academic institutions at the same rates as in the 2020-21 biennium. For UT Arlington, this formula funding provides an increase of approximately $15.3 million in general revenue compared to the prior biennium. The Legislature also provided $4.0 million for the establishment of a new Center for Rural Health and Nursing at UT Arlington. The budget maintains research funding, statewide nursing education funding, and funding for the Governor’s University Research Initiative (GURI), while funding Higher Education Group Insurance at roughly the same level as the 2020-21 biennium.

More highlights from the budget bill are available in a press release by Senator Jane Nelson, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) publishes various grant and funding opportunities that are available to a wide range of partners, including public universities and colleges, Texas hospitals, and other eligible entities.

Institutional Grant Opportunities

Federal Grant Opportunities are included in the 60x30TX e-Updates newsletter. Subscribe to receive. The following is the current list.

DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2
Department of the Army
Closes 9/14/2021

DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Level 3
Department of the Army
Closes 10/5/2021

DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Level 4
Department of the Army
Closes 10/5/2021

DoD Breast Cancer, Era of Hope Scholar Award
Department of the Army
Closes 9/14/2021

DoD Breast Cancer, Innovator Award
Department of the Army
Closes 10/5/2021

DoD Breast Cancer, Transformative Breast Cancer Research Award
Department of the Army
Closes 10/5/2021

DOD Bone Marrow Failure, Idea Development Award
Department of the Army
Closes 10/12/2021

DOD Bone Marrow Failure, Investigator-Initiated Research Award
Department of the Army
Closes 10/12/2021

DoD Lupus, Idea Award
Department of the Army
Closes 9/22/2021

DoD Lupus, Impact Award
Department of the Army
Closes 9/22/2021

DoD Lupus, Transformative Vision Award
Department of the Army
Closes 9/22/2021

DoD Military Burn, Clinical Translational Research Award
Department of the Army
Closes 9/30/2021

DoD Military Burn, Idea Development Award
Department of the Army
Closes 9/30/2021

DOD Neurofibromatosis, Clinical Trial Award
Department of the Army
Closes 7/22/2021

DOD Neurofibromatosis, Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award
Department of the Army
Closes 7/22/2021

DOD Neurofibromatosis, Early Investigator Research Award
Department of the Army
Closes 7/22/2021

DOD Neurofibromatosis, Investigator-Initiated Research Award
Department of the Army
Closes 7/22/2021

DOD Neurofibromatosis, New Investigator Award
Department of the Army
Closes 7/22/2021

DOD Neurofibromatosis, Synergistic Idea Award
Department of the Army
Closes 7/22/2021

Computational Cultural Understanding (CCU)
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Closes 6/16/2021

HBCU Research Center of Excellence
Closes 7/29/2021

Media Projects
National Endowment for the Humanities
Closes 8/11/2021

Short Documentaries
National Endowment for the Humanities
Closes 8/11/2021

Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Higher Education Programs (HEP): Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) STEM and Articulation Program
Closes 6/14/2021

Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Higher Education Programs (HEP): Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (Partnership Grants)
Closes 6/28/2021 – THECB

Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Higher Education Programs (HEP): Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (State Grants)
Closes 6/28/2021 – THECB

Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Multi-State and National Earthquake Assistance
FEMA
Closes 6/15/2021

FY 2021 National Census of Victim Service Providers
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Closes 6/14/2021

Addressing Social Determinants of Health to Eliminate Oral Health Disparities (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trials Optional)
National Institutes of Health
Closes 7/26/2021

National Lupus Outreach and Clinical Trial Education Program
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Closes 6/29/2021

BRAIN Initiative: Development and Validation of Novel Tools to Probe Cell-Specific and Circuit-Specific Processes in the Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health
Closes 10/6/2023

NIH Directors Early Independence Awards (DP5 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health
Closes 9/3/2021

Global Healthcare Detection and Response
Centers for Disease Control
Closes 6/28/2021

Early Detection of Certain Medical Conditions Related to Environmental Health Hazards Supplement
Centers for Disease Control
Closes 6/26/2021

Transitional Living Program
Administration for Children and Families
Closes 6/28/2021

Improving Child Welfare through Investing in Family
Administration for Children and Families
Closes 6/29/2021

NIDDK Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential (STEP-UP) (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health
Closes 9/1/2021

Translational Neural Devices (UG3/UH3 - Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health
Closes 2/20/2024

Systems Approach to Understand Mechanisms of Heterogeneous Response to Influenza (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health
Closes 9/8/2021

Resource Center for the Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Program (U24 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health
Closes 9/24/2021

Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program Competing Supplement
Health Resources and Services Administration
Closes 6/14/2021

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

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