Legislative agendas are documents created by local governments, school districts, colleges, labor associations and well, anybody who feels they're in with a shot at getting some state cash or rule that benefits them or their constituents.
El Paso City, El Paso County, UTEP, EPCC, EPISD and the PSB have all submitted legislative agendas, which are being circulated amongst El Paso legislators in Austin.
They are more than just wish-lists though. They form the blueprints for those organization’s and institution’s lobbyists as they try to influence the legislative process in Austin.
With the Texas House meeting for a mere 140 days every two years, it is important for institutions to get it right.
Everyone, it seems, is after a bigger slice of the pie. UTEP and the Texas Tech Medical School are both in the hunt for funds they can put toward construction while EPCC is part of a statewide drive to acquire more money for Texas’ community colleges. The PSB wants over $25 million to upgrade the city's water and waste-water infrastructure. The county wants a little dosh for an investigation into reducing the amount of freight rail in El Paso.
Apart from asking for money, legislative agendas declare support or opposition to state-wide concerns. The city expressed support for the Tigua’s bid to re-open the Speaking Rock casino and the county came out heavily for the medical school.
The county also declared itself opposed to state funds being used by local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law.
Legislative agendas also send out a sort of “I’m watching you” vibe to the House. The city made clear that it will be monitoring legislation that affects international trade, public pension funds and eminent domain legislation. PSB aims to monitor legislation proposed by school districts and other entities hoping to receive exemption from paying stormwater fees.
The agendas did not seem to tread on each others toes; neither did they appear to conflict with the El Paso delegation's joint statement about
legislative priorities.
A summary of the El Paso delegation’s joint legislative agenda [link]
--Texas Tech Medical School - fund $48 million base budget for new medical school
--Texas Tech Medical School - fund $17 million for new clinical faculty
--Tiguas - restore Tigua gaming in El Paso
--Ft. Bliss/BRAC—recruit and retain new health professionals for 67,000 new troops and dependents
--Increase funding to Texas mental health system; support El Paso state center
--Reform Central Appraisal District governance structure, appraisal process, appeal process, accountability and transparency to the public
--Improve public education funding formulas regarding basic funding elements
--Increase funding for CHIP program
The agendas:
El Paso City Council
Quotes:
“The city of El Paso has the goal of becoming the least car dependent city in the Southwest.”
“The city of El Paso supports legislation that enhances the city’s ability to solve problems and …opposes legislation that reduces the city’s
authority or increases the city’s costs.”
Some highlights:
--Support the efforts of the members of the El Paso delegation to restore gaming rights on tribal land to the members of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo.
-- Support Texas Tech University request for $17.6 million for the medical school campus in El Paso.
-- Wants to see a visitors center in the Franklin Mountains State park in Northeast El Paso.
--More tax breaks for Downtown Plan.
-- Support El Paso MHMR’s request for 8.4m to meet El Paso’s growing needs “including the growth at Ft. Bliss.”
-- Wants to increase PSB board members from 5 to 9 through legislation.
***
El Paso County
Some highlights:
-- Opposes “linking state funding for local law enforcement with enforcement of federal immigration laws, which should only be enforced by federal law enforcement agencies.”
-- Aims to “Secure funding to conduct a study aimed at investigating the feasibility of moving/depressing a majority of the through-freight rail traffic in El Paso, including the impact of rail traffic on the Thomason/Texas Tech/Medical Center of the Americas area.”
-- Wants to see “$65 million to fund the building of Texas Tech El Paso’s Medical Science building II” secured.
***
El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board
Quotes:
“Growth in El Paso is primarily attributed to new military families moving to El Paso. However, there is also a continued increase in population
attributed to non military people moving to El Paso.”
Some highlights:
--Wants “$500,000 to lead a state wide water conservation program.”
--Wants “$6.3 million for providing water service to outlying areas within El Paso County (Colonias)”
--Wants “$20 million for the construction of a major waste-water interceptor, located on Boone Street in far East El Paso.”
***
University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
Quotes:
“Given the increasingly recognized importance of engaging the Hispanic population in higher education in general and in science and engineering
in particular, UTEP’s mission to provide both access and excellence is of national, as well as regional, importance”
“If it can secure the resources for the new faculty positions,…and for the facilities they will require, UTEP should be able to reach Tier 1 status
in 15 years or so,” thus ““becoming the 1st National Research University with a 21st century student demographic.”
Some highlights:
-- $2 million for Water Desalination Systems research center.
-- $2 million for Texas Border Security and Immigration Research Center.
-- $4 million to create the Biomedical Research Institute of El Paso.
-- $7 million per year toward an $80 million upgrade of the Fine ares Center.
***
El Paso Community College (EPCC, part of the Texas Association of
Community Colleges)
Quotes:
“There is no stronger engine for economic growth in the State of Texas
than its community colleges.”
“Unless socioeconomic and education differences among ethnic groups
change, Texas will be poorer and less competitive in the future than it is
today.”
Some highlights:
-- An extra $595 million for base funding (a total of $2.29 billion)
-- Enhanced benefits for community college employees.
-- At least $500,00 per Community College for an ‘innovation fund.’
-- Declares that extra funding is aimed at helping Colleges keep tuition fees low.
***
El Paso Independent School District (EPISD)
Quotes:
“The Texas school finance system is in a shambles. Increased local
property taxes resulting from new construction or inflation of values
provide no additional support for schools; they merely serve to reduce the
state’s funding responsibility.”
“The rapid expansion of Ft. Bliss as a result of Base Realignment and
Closure (BRAC) will bring an influx of new students, necessitating more
new or expanded schools.”
Some highlights:
-- Restore the finance system to equitable formula funding.
-- Provide sufficient new revenue to at least cover the cost of inflation and new mandates since 2005-6.
-- Increase weights for Compensatory and Bilingual Education.
Related Documents:
