Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick brought relief to many in the Rio Grande Valley by appointing state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa to the critical budget conference committee on Tuesday, a move that could be beneficial for the new medical school.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick brought relief to many in the Rio Grande Valley by appointing state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa to the critical budget conference committee on Tuesday, a move that could be beneficial for the new medical school.
“I am honored to have been selected by Lt. Gov. Patrick to serve on the Senate Conference Committee,” Hinojosa said in a written statement. “It is critical we work together to sort out the significant differences between the House and Senate versions to invest efficiently in our state programs.”
The conference committee is made up of members of the Senate and House, with each chamber appointing five members to work out differences in state’s two-year spending plan.
This will be the fifth consecutive term that Hinojosa serves as part of the committee, having been appointed also in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015.
As vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Hinojosa seemed like a natural choice. But uncertainty over Patrick’s decision had many questioning how it could impact the year-old University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine.
“Sen. Hinojosa has been a champion for the university and the school of medicine as well as so many other issues important to the Rio Grande Valley and it is critical that he’d be at the table having a say on these decisions,” said Veronica Gonzales, UTRGV vice president for governmental and community relations.
The Senate passed a two-year spending plan that fell far short of what UTRGV officials requested. The Senate version of the budget allocated $23.4 million over two years for the medical school.
The House budget allocated $55.2 million for the medical school. But UTRGV requested $70 million for the startup, which doesn’t have a full cohort of students yet to receive full formula funding.
Patrick said publicly that medical schools are a high priority for him and privately told several community leaders that he would increase the Senate allocation to UTRGV.
“Medical schools are really a passion of mine and I think we need to spend our money wisely where we get our biggest bang for our buck,” Patrick said to The Monitor during a visit to the Valley last month. “Not only are we educating students but we are creating doctors to take care of our citizens.”
Because this year’s budget emanated from the Senate, the House traditionally waits for the Senate to name its conferees before announcing who it will send to the conference committee.
State Rep. Oscar Longoria, D-Mission, is expected to be among the House conferees because of his position as vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
“Having somebody in each chamber, I think it’s very important, because they are members trusted by their colleagues,” Gonzales said. “When they have insight that others don’t, it needs to be shared with the other conferees.”
It is not clear how long the committee will take deliberating budget issues, but Gonzales said they are anticipating the process to take about three or four weeks.
She and UTRGV President Guy Bailey were traveling to Austin on Tuesday, planning to meet with some of the committee members Wednesday. The trips to the state capitol have been a constant for the two who are trying to convey the need for more funding for the school of medicine.
Gonzales said these meetings are imperative to spread the message, but once the committee meets behind closed doors, it will be the Valley representatives who can answer any questions.
“When you finally have the close-door meetings where it’s only the conferees and you are talking about the importance of the funding, the ramifications if we don’t have it, they are going to look to their colleges,” she said. “If questions arrive they are not going to have us there to answer.”
