HIDALGO COUNTY GETS SET TO CUT ITS UT SYSTEM PIE; BROWNSVILLE, HARLINGEN GET LEFT OUT

By Steve Taylor

RGV Guardian

McALLEN, January 20 - Rio Grande Valley lawmakers say they are slowly making progress on crafting legislation to merge UT-Pan American, UT-Brownsville, and the Regional Academic Health Center.

A majority of the Valley’s legislative delegation met privately at Pepper’s restaurant in McAllen on Saturday to continue their deliberations on the issue. The legislation has been made the No. 1 legislative issue for the 83rd Legislature by all the big cities in the Valley.

“We are working as a united team on this issue,” said state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, who called the meeting. “We are continuing to move forward in reconciling the different language that could be in our legislation. There are things we need to clarify, to make sure we do things right, from the beginning. I have to remind people that when this new proposal was made it had very little detail and many unanswered questions. So, we are working through it.”

The idea of merging UTPA, UTB, and the RAHC was first proposed late last year by the University of Texas System. By doing so, a single, unified, university in the Valley could access the Permanent University Fund, a sovereign wealth fund created by the State of Texas to fund public higher education within the state. The proposal needs two thirds support in the Texas House and Texas Senate.

In addition to Hinojosa, the Valley legislators who attended Saturday’s lunchtime meeting in McAllen were state Reps. Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City, Sergio Muñoz, D-Mission, R.D. ‘Bobby’ Guerra, D-McAllen, Oscar Longoria, D-La Joya, and Terry Canales, D-Edinburg.

Also in attendance were Hidalgo County Judge Ramon Garcia, Edinburg City Manager Ramiro Garza, and lobbyist Rene Ramirez. The Guardian secured an exclusive interview with Hinojosa as soon as the meeting concluded.

Asked if the discussions were on track time-wise, Hinojosa said: “Yes. The committee assignments have not been announced in the House so there is plenty of time for the legislation to be worked out.”

Asked if the delegation is united in its efforts, Hinojosa said: “Yes. We have met with Senator Eddie Lucio and Representative Oliveira and Representative Lucio. We are all part of a team as we work through this process. These meetings will continue among the Valley delegation. We will have full and frank discussions as to how to resolve some of the issues and come up with answers as to some of the questions that are being asked and for which no answers have been provided.”

Hinojosa said he did not agree with those who argue that there is no financial cost to the state in merging UTPA, UTB, and the RAHC. “There is a fiscal note. Of course there is. Let us see what the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) says. They will look at the numbers. I do not know the amount but there will be a fiscal note.”

Merging UTPA, UTB, and the RAHC is seen as a precursor to developing a four-year medical school in the Valley. There has been talk that a hospital taxing district will have to be set up in order to pay for a new medical school. Hinojosa said he believes a taxing district will have to be formed but said there is no need for it to be included in the current legislation the Valley delegation is crafting.

“At some point we will need some type of taxing entity once the medical school is up and running. We will need this in order to be able to provide revenue for the operation of a medical school. It has to be part of our discussion,” Hinojosa said.

“As a member of the LBB, and as vice chair of Finance, when we deal with projects like this we always take into consideration future costs. We do not want to start a project with a down payment and not figure out how we are going to make the installments.”

Another part of the discussion is where to place a future medical school. The RAHC’s teaching component is in Harlingen and its research component is in Edinburg.

“Location of the medical school is part of the current discussions,” Hinojosa acknowledged. “There is a study being conducted to look at the resources, the infrastructure, and the residency slots and make a recommendation as to where the best location would be and where it would have the best chance of success. This is why it is important for us to get it right from the beginning.”

The study Hinojosa refers to has been requested by the UT System. It is being conducted by Dr. Jordan Cohen of Washington, D.C., an expert in medical school accreditation.

“Sometime next week, Dr. Cohen will be down here in the Valley to visit with the respective communities and community leaders. He will do a study on what is available.

The reality is the bill can be drafted in such a way that the issue of location will be resolved based on the results of the study,” Hinojosa said.

The Guardian concluded its interview with Hinojosa by asking how close to agreement the Valley delegation is.

“Sometimes you think you have an agreement on the legislation but it has so many moving parts. And, rightly so. We all represent our respective constituents,” Hinojosa said.

“As legislators we have to do what is right for our constituents and at the same time reach out and come up with a consensus. To do that you have to have open lines of communication. You have to have frank discussions and continue to talk about different issues and try to resolve them.”

Hinojosa finished the interview by pointing out that every legislative session is different. “Each one has its own personality. For me this session has started fast and furious,” he said.

http://riograndeguardian.com/higher_ed_story.asp?story_no=23