Texas Senate committee advances tuition revenue bonds bill for higher ed construction projects

A gaggle of Texas Senators superior a invoice Thursday Which might supply $2 invoiceion in funding for greater education enchancment tasks.

Senate Bill 52 would permit Texas’ public universities to pay for infrastructure tasks by way of tuition income bonds, a course of that hasn’t been carried out by the state Legislature since 2015.

State Sen. Brandon Creighton, a Republican from Conroe, is the invoice’s sponsor. He additionally chairs the Senate Higher Education Committee, which unanimously handed the legal guidelines 9-0.

“Texas greater education methods, institutions, and completely different events have expressed The want for universities to be Provided with the means to undertake these tasks on their campuses,” said Creighton, all by way of Thursday’s listening to. “And, The education income bonds, TRBs, they’ve traditionally been A constructive method Utilized by the Texas Legislature to fund infrastructure tasks on our greater education campuses.”

Based mostly on the invoice’s evaluation, A lot of The money would go in the direction of the Texas A&M College System As properly as to the College of Texas System. Each methods’ tasks complete A minimal of $300 million every.

Texas Southern College is hoping To make the most of the funds for $154.2 million worth of upmaintain, renovation and enchancment tasks, which state Senator Borris Miles said is prolonged overdue.

“The water pipes at TSU can’t maintain strain integrity, Which might set off pipes to blow at any time,” the Houston Democrat said. “Even newer buildings, Similar to a Outcome of the Science Center, suffered dilapidation, damage all by way of Winter Storm Uri, and an estimated 1,000 gallons of water acquired here by way of the roof and flooded our hallways. Texas Southern is in want.”

Thursday’s listening to acquired here a day after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick requested the Gov. Greg Abbott in a letter So as to add tuition income bonds to the agfinisha of this third particular legislative session, which Is about To finish by Tuesday.

So far, Abbott has but So as to add The drawback to the particular session.

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