Regent reports favorable start to legislative session; TSUS seeks formula funding, TUF corpus and other appropriations

Regent Amato, chair of the Government Relations Committee, briefed the Texas State University System Board of Regents on the opening month of the 89th Texas Legislature and the system's legislative priorities during the Feb. 13 meeting in Austin.

Regent Amato said the legislature has convened and that the system's governmental relations staff have spent months preparing and engaging with legislators and staff. He reported that the introduced budget drafts from both chambers start from favorable positions for higher education and identified several items of system interest.

Key points from the presentation

- Budget context: Regent Amato said both chambers’ introduced budgets contemplate roughly $335 billion in appropriations from all sources, with about $154 billion from general revenue. He said the state’s budget surplus is “nearly $24,000,000,000.”

- Texas University Fund (TUF): Both introduced versions of the budget, Amato said, included the $650,000,000 needed for Texas State to receive its full share of the Texas University Fund. He said that change should increase state‑funded research for the system from about $30,000,000 to roughly $60,000,000 a year.

- Other appropriations: Amato reported both chambers included support for Texas State's alert program and the Texas School Safety Center with proposed funding for salary increases, and a one‑time $25,000,000 appropriation to build a new alert training facility in San Marcos.

- Committee organization and champions: Amato summarized committee chair assignments relevant to the system, noting a new combined Senate Committee on Education K‑16 and noting legislators who will chair or influence committees important to higher education and appropriations.

- System legislative priorities: Amato listed the system’s priorities the government relations team is pursuing: sufficient formula funding to cover enrollment growth and inflation; funding for Texas grants and the Toward Excellence, Access and Success (TEOG) program; a corpus contribution to the Texas University Fund; and funding for a Texas State University System tuition promise plan intended to guarantee tuition for families with incomes at or below $100,000 (as described in the agenda materials).

- Specific bills and institution requests: Regent Amato reported on individual pieces of legislation of interest: Representative/sponsor filings for Sol Ross/Sol Ros Rio Grande College downward expansion and promotion of the Museum of the Big Bend; work with the state delegation on Sam Houston State's polytechnic college initiative; and collaboration with Senator Nichols on school safety and the Texas School Safety Center.

What's next: Regent Amato said the system will continue to present its appropriation requests before legislative committees, will track amendments and negotiations, and may call on regents and system subject‑matter experts to provide testimony as bills move through committee. He asked regents to remain available to provide witness testimony if requested, including during spring break.

Procedural note: Amato closed by distributing a federal report for regents’ review and thanked staff, presidents and volunteers for the prior evening’s fundraising event that drew notable attendance from elected officials.

Why it matters: The items discussed affect system stabilization (formula funding), research capacity (TUF allocations), campus safety programming and a tuition promise proposal that would affect affordability for families at or below the stated income threshold. The report was informational; no board action was required at this time.