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Texas Association of College
Teachers
Serving Educators Since 1948
June 28 - ...proceedings of the April 6 House Higher Education Committee...
May 27 - Interesting day under the dome. The Senate...
May 25 - The significant differences between the House and Senate
May 21 - Following this morning's certification of ballots...
May 17 - Following Comptroller Rylander's latest revenue estimate...
Apr 6 - FLASH -- GOOD NEWS! ... To the surprise of several senators...
Apr 1 - House Committee on Higher Education is scheduled...
Mar 29 - ...timely opportunity to support Senator Gonzalo Barrientos...
Mar 23 - A committee substitute has been prepared for SB 466...
Mar 15 - Representative Jim McReynolds has filed HB 3164,...
Mar 11 - Ballots for the election to the Teacher Retirement System Board of Trustees...
Mar 8 - Two bills to increase the TRS benefit...
Feb 25 - ...new development for higher education, a new alliance ...
"Feb 16 - Chuck Hempstead testified ... before the Senate Finance Committee...
Feb 10 - Senator Tom Haywood (R-Wichita Falls) has again filed a bill at TACT's...
Feb 8 - Allen Martin's Testimony to Subcommitte on Education...
Jan 19 - The TACT Spring Legislative Conference is scheduled...
Jan 12 - One day before the beginning of the 76th Texas Legislature...
For the political junkies, TACT has transcribed the proceedings of the April 6 House Higher Education Committee in which the TACT-drafted HB 3164 (faculty salary legislation) was discussed. It may be found on our web site under "Legislation" and features testimony from Immediate Past President Dr. Tom Hoffman.
Interesting day under the dome. The Senate passed, on first reading, the
Conference Committee Report for Committee Substitute HB 1, the State
Appropriation Act. The vote was everybody to Senator Gonzalo Barrientos,
who said that for the first time in a long time we have extra money to
spend and haven't adequately addressed our people's needs.
Now backup two hours. The following paraphrased discussions will later be
followed by direct transcript.
When the resolution required to be able to adopt a budget that goes
"out-of-bounds" of the Senate or House versions was discussed, Senator
Barrientos asked Finance Committee Chairman Bill Ratliff to list a few of
the "out-of-bound" issues. Knowing Barrientos' consistent support for State
employees, Ratliff mentioned the $100 per month pay increase for
non-faculty higher education employees and the contingent 3% faculty pay
increase in September 2000 if the Comptroller certifies additional
revenues. Barrientos said someone forgot to include ALL State employees and
Ratliff responded that faculty pay raises are included in the
appropriations to institutions.
During discussion of the bill adoption, Barrientos again questioned
Ratliff. Though Ratliff said that $1.1 billion of the $9.8 billion in
additional money this biennium was appropriated to higher education,
Barrientos said that faculty received no funding increases and that higher
education funding is inadequate.
During the congratulatory speeches following adoption, Appropriations
Conference Committee Chairman Rob Junell used a Star Wars allegory to
praise his mentor Senator Ratliff. He said that Ratliff taught him the dark
side of agency bureaucracy, FTEs and, especially, the worst of the dark
side: higher education.
In other issues, HB 2591 by Rangel, to water down the Texas Academic Skills
Program (TASP), should now be dead since it was not considered in time by
the House. HB 746 by Gallego, which requires reporting of faculty who
testify against the State, is still alive in that the Senate Conference
Committee members are scheduled to be named today.
The significant differences between the House and Senate legislation creating a new scholarship program funded at $100 million are still being ironed out. While the vehicle is HB 713, a stalemate seems to be broken by devising a new name from neither of the original bills: TEXAS GRANT, with TEXAS being an acronym for Toward Excellence, Access & Success. The concept was among the elements of TACT's Legislative Program. The Appropriations Conference Committee has concluded its work and sent its report to both chambers for an up or down vote (no amendments). The Senate is scheduled to vote on first reading Wednesday morning. TACT has asked Senator Barrientos to clarify the legislative intent that the bill provides sufficient funds for faculty salary increases in each year of the biennium. An interesting contingency rider calls for nearly $2 million to be returned to the general fund from the university appropriations upon enactment of HB 2591, Chairwoman Rangel's bill reducing the applicability of TASP. At last report, the Senate had not appointed its conference committee members.
Following this morning's certification of ballots, TACT Past President Dr. Mary Alice Baker officially squeaked by with 99.84% of the votes for Trustee of the Teacher Retirement System. Four other candidates equally split eight write-in votes to tie for second place. All five candidates will be forwarded, with the vote tally, to the Governor for his appointment to represent higher education at TRS.
Following Comptroller Rylander's latest revenue estimate of an additional $807 million available, the appropriations conference committee concluded its work Friday. A $100 per month across-the-board salary increase was included for most state employees, including non-faculty employees of institutions of higher education. For faculty, a contingency rider outlines an average 3% increase in the second year of the biennium, if funds are deemed available by the Comptroller. They will be disbursed on the traditional merit basis. The complete language of the faculty portion of the salary rider appears below. "i. Faculty Salary Increase. Contingent upon a finding of fact by the Comptroller of Public Accounts at the time of certification or after certification of this Act that sufficient revenue is estimated to be available from the General Revenue Fund and special funds, there is hereby appropriated to the Comptroller of Public Accounts such amounts as may be available from the General Revenue fund to finance a salary increase of not more than 3%, including related fringe benefit costs, for the fiscal year beginning September 1, 2000, for faculty of institutions of higher education. Allocation of such General Revenue amounts as may be available shall be made as approved by the Legislative Budget Board. It is the intent of the legislature that each institution utilizing the additional General Revenue funds shall finance the overall faculty salary increase proportionally from both General Revenue and any other available funding sources in the same manner prescribed by the "Salaries to be Proportional by Fund" provision in this Act, or other applicable law. Such salary increases shall be awarded in accordance with the special provisions of Article III of this Act relating to merit requirements for faculty of higher education, and shall not be awarded on an across-the-board percentage basis. The funds available under this provision shall be utilized only for the purpose of salary increases. All general academic, technical colleges, service agencies, and medically related components shall be included, however, community/junior colleges are not included in this provision."
FLASH -- GOOD NEWS!!!!! To the surprise of several senators on the Senate State Affairs Committee, the committee substitute to Senator Armbrister's SB 1128 -- the omnibus Teacher Retirement System legislation -- recommends a 2.2 percent multiplier increase. This is a 10 percent increase over the current factor used to calculate a retirement annuity and is close to the 2.25 multiplier advocated by TACT and other educational associations.
Confirmed today, the House Committee on Higher Education is scheduled to
hear testimony on HB 3164 - the TACT-sponsored faculty salary legislation -
by Representative Jim McReynolds. The hearing will take place Tuesday,
April 6, in Room E2.016 of the State Capitol at 4 PM.
Also confirmed today, the Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education is
scheduled to hear testimony on SB 466 - the TACT-sponsored faculty salary
legislation - by Senator Tom Haywood. The hearing will take place Thursday,
April 8, in Room E1.016 of the State Capitol at 8:30 AM.
To show your support of these bills, please contact the members of both
Committees, before the hearings are scheduled to take place next week.
House Committee on Higher Education (HB 3164)
Representative(s)
Irma Rangel 512-463-0666
Henry Cuellar 512-463-0558
Fred Brown 512-463-0698
David Farabee 512-463-0534
Tony Goolsby 512-463-0454
Jesse Jones 512-463-0664
Geanie Morrison 512-463-0456
Elvira Reyna 512-463-0464
Arlene Wohlgemuth 512-463-0538
Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education (SB 466)
Senator(s)
Royce West 512-463-0123
Steve Ogden 512-463-0105
Jane Nelson 512-463-0109
Bill Ratliff 512-463-0101
Judith Zaffirini 512-463-0121
Unfortunately, neither of the TACT-endorsed faculty salary increase bills was set for hearing this week, but keep the communications coming to Chairman Royce West and Chairwoman Irma Rangel. The other timely opportunity is to support Senator Gonzalo Barrientos' rider to the Senate Appropriations Bill (SB 2) before the Senate Finance Committee begins final mark-up April 6 and 7. The rider calls for a 7 percent salary increase. Contact Senate Finance Committee Members: Bill Ratliff, Chair 512-463-0101 Carlos Truan, Vice Chair 512-463-0120 Gonzalo Barrientos 512-463-0114 John Carona 512-463-0116 Robert Duncan 512-463-0128 Troy Fraser 512-463-0124 Mario Gallegos 512-463-0106 Jon Lindsay 512-463-0107 Mike Moncrief 512-463-0112 Steve Odgen 512-463-0105 Royce West 512-463-0123 The Honorable ___________________ Texas Senate P.O. Box 12068 Austin, TX 78768
A committee substitute has been prepared for SB 466, Senator Haywood's faculty salary increase legislation (attached). The most significant change is to replace the word "formula" with "plan" to avoid any confusion with the higher education funding formula. A hearing has been requested (not confirmed) for Monday, March 29 in the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Senate Education Committee (upon adjournment, Lt. Governor's Committee Room). Please communicate your support to Senators West, Ogden, Nelson, Ratliff and Zaffirini. Representative Jim McReynolds has requested a hearing for his companion legislation, HB 3164, for the House Committee on Higher Education, Tuesday, March 30 (not confirmed). Please indicate your support to Representatives Rangel, Cuellar, Fred Brown, Farabee, Goolsby, Jesse Jones, Morrison, Elvira Reyna and Wohlgemuth. Remember: Phone numbers for the above mentioned legislators can be found on our web site http://www.tact.org under "Legislative Info."
Representative Jim McReynolds has filed HB 3164, the companion legislation to Senator Tom Haywood's SB 466 -- the faculty pay raise legislation. Thank you letters are needed to both of these helpful legislators. Also, communications of support are needed regarding SB 466 to members of the Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education: Senators West (Chair), Ogden, Nelson, Ratliff and Zaffirini, and for HB 3164 to members of the House Committee on Higher Education: Representatives Rangel (Chair), Cuellar, F. Brown, Farabee, Goolsby, J. Jones, Morrison, E. Reyna and Wohlgemuth.
Ballots for the election to the Teacher Retirement System Board of Trustees are due to be mailed March 15. TACT has endorsed Dr. Mary Alice Baker for the designated position representing higher education. If you are not a TRS member (e.g., participate in ORP), you can still help by mentioning her to the support staff who can vote (see page 14 of the October/November/December TACT Quarterly Bulletin). Dr. Baker's primary campaign plank is to increase the TRS benefit multiplier to 2.25 percent as enjoyed by state workers enrolled in the Employees Retirement System.
Two bills to increase the TRS benefit multiplier from 2.0 to 2.25 will be heard by the Pensions & Investments Committee Wednesday, March 10. Indicate your support of HB 827 by Telford and HB 132 by McClendon by calling: Representatives Sherri Greenberg 512-463-0700 Dale Tillery 512-463-0548 Dennis Bonnen 512-463-0564 Ron Clark 512-463-0474 Kenn George 512-463-0560 Irma Rangel 512-463-0666 Ignacio Salinas 512-463-0590 Barry Telford 512-463-0692 Tom Williams 512-463-0550
In an exciting new development for higher education, a new alliance coordinating the efforts of the Texas Association of College Teachers (TACT), the Texas Conference of the American Association of University Professors (TC/AAUP), the Texas Faculty Association (TFA), and the Texas Council of Faculty Senates (TCFS), made its first presentation of some of the issues concerning higher education faculty. This new alliance called the Faculty Alliance for Texas Higher Education (FATHE - pronounced like "faith") met again after several of the individual organizations had concluded their conferences and business meetings in Austin February 20, to discuss further strategy. After the alliance made its presentation to Representative Irma Rangel, she voiced praise for the new alliance and said that their visit marked the first time since she has been in the House of Representatives that she has seen all of the higher education faculty organizations come together to present a consistent message.
TACT Executive Director Chuck Hempstead testified Monday, February 15 before the Senate Finance Committee on the Teacher Retirement System and the Optional Retirement Program. His comments were consistent with President-elect Allen Martin's testimony last week at a House Committee (see www.tact.org, "What's New"). Approximately half the committee members were absent. Senator Ogden took the lead by encouraging the surplus of the TRS Trust Fund (used for retirement benefits) to be used for the shortfall of TRS Care (the retiree health plan not needed by higher education faculty); questioning a greater-than-6 percent ORP contribution when TRS only needs 6 percent; doubting that fixing the four-year 6 percent contribution only costs $1 million per year; and saying that if ORP helps us recruit from out of state, it must equally permit other states to recruit from Texas.
Senator Tom Haywood (R-Wichita Falls) has again filed a bill at TACT's request to increase faculty salaries to the average of the other 10 most populous states within six years. The legislation is SB 466 and we will again be seeking companion legislation in the House of Representatives. Contact your Senator in support of SB 466.
The TACT Spring Legislative Conference is scheduled from Thursday, February 18 at 7:30 PM through Saturday, February 20 at noon and will include a lobby day at the State Capitol on Friday. The cost for all events is $30. If you have not received an agenda, please call the State Office at 512-873-7404 with the name of your Senator and Representative so that we can make appointments for you. Also reserve your room for February 18 and 19 by calling the Four Points Hotel at 512-836-8520 by no later than February 1. Don't forget to tell them you're with TACT.
One day before the beginning of the 76th Texas Legislature, House Higher Education Committee Chair Irma Rangel announced legislation to merge the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Education Agency. She said she didn't expect her proposal to be adopted, but wants to encourage discussion of stronger partnerships between higher and public education.