By David A. Daz - Legislative Media
Rep. Terry Canales D-Edinburg on Friday March 2 requested $20.9 million in new state funding from the House Appropriations Committee to help establish the Regional Academic Health Center into a free-standing University of Texas medical school.
He submitted a request known as a rider to a five-member subcommittee that focuses on budget proposals from higher education institutions including the University of Texas System.
As part of our emerging effort to move forward with the creation of a UT medical school for the Valley I will work closely with Rep. Longoria and Rep. Muoz to secure this new funding for the RAHC in Edinburg and Harlingen" said Canales.
Rep. scar Longoria Jr. D-La Joya and Rep. Sergio Muoz Jr. D-Mission are the only two Valley state representatives who serve on the 27-member House Appropriations Committee.
Canales wants to mitigate potential obstacles by securing funding through the House Appropriations Committee rather than through a debate on the House floor.
Usually if a lawmaker wants to add money to any project when it is being considered by the full 150-member House of Representatives he or she has to take money from some other state program or service and that is very difficult to do" Canales explained. The Valley is fortunate to have Rep. Muoz and Rep. Longoria on the House Appropriations Committee. Their influence can go a long way in securing new needed state funding for the RAHC."
Its counterpart is the Senate Finance Committee which features three Valley lawmakers Sen. Juan Chuy" Hinojosa D-McAllen who is Vice-Chair Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. D-Brownsville and Sen. Judith Zaffirini D-Laredo.
Sen. Hinojosa has filed a request (identical to Canales rider) to the Senate Finance Committee.
Both committees prepare recommended budgets for their respective legislative colleagues.
Then differences between the House and Senate versions are negotiated by a select few legislators consisting of five senators appointed by the Lt. Governor and five state representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House.
Finally the full Legislature will approve their final budget compromise.
The additional $20.9 million would be assigned to the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio which administers the RAHCs biomedical research facility in Edinburg and the RAHCs medical education complex in Harlingen.
According to the UT System it will cost $61.5 million to begin transforming the RAHC into an independent medical school in South Texas. Plans to establish a medical school formalized in 2009 when the 81
st Legislature passed Senate Bill 98 authorizing a health science center and medical school in South Texas.
The $20.9 million being requested by Canales is needed for the following programs and services:
- Expanding undergraduate and graduate medical education and research;
- Basic sciences and clinical curriculum for 200 medical students and 120 residency positions;
- Interdisciplinary approaches to education research health services; and
- Providing programmatic and infrastructure support.
Canales $20.9 million rider specifies the following state funding timeline:
- $10.45 million for the state fiscal year beginning September 1 2013;
- $10.45 million for the state fiscal year beginning September 1 2014; and
- All unexpended balances as of August 31 2014 transfer to the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
A rider is a legislative directive inserted in the General Appropriations Act following appropriation line items for an agency which provides either direction expansion restriction legislative intent or an appropriation.
