Funding for Texas Tech Veterinary School Included in Signed Budget
Monday afternoon, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced he signed Senate Bill 1 into law, which is the budget for the 2018-2019 biennium. While signing SB 1 into law, Governor Abbott used his line-item veto power to strike $120 million in spending from the budget.
“I am once again signing a budget that addresses the most pressing challenges faced by our state,” said Governor Abbott.
“This budget funds a life-saving overhaul of Child Protection Services, continues to fund the state’s role in securing our border, and ensures that the workforce of today and tomorrow have the resources they need to keep Texas’ economy growing and thriving. Lastly, this budget restrains state-controlled spending below the growth in the state’s estimated population and inflation.”
The language that allocated money for the Texas Tech Veterinary School is shown in the graphic above; just over $543,000 for FY 2018 and $3.62 million for FY 2019. The vet school would be located at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at Amarillo campus. Texas Tech officials first announced the pursuit of the veterinary school in late 2015.
Meanwhile, most of the spending struck from the 2018-19 budget came from a clause with agencies carrying over balances of unspent money (shown below).
House of Representatives (source: 2018-2019 Texas State Budget)
5. Unexpended Balances: Legislative Budget Board.
a. Any unobligated and unexpended balances remaining as of August 31, 2017, from appropriations made to the Legislative Budget Board are appropriated to the Legislative Budget Board for the biennium beginning September 1, 2017.
b. Any unobligated and unexpended balances remaining as of August 31, 2018, from appropriations made to the Legislative Budget Board are appropriated for the same purposes for the fiscal year beginning September 1, 2018.
"Since the 1996—1997 biennium, direct appropriations to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) have skyrocketed by more than 700 percent compared to just 171 percent for the entire state. This growth has corresponded with greater government authority being delegated to un-elected bureaucrats rather than being undertaken by elected officials directly accountable to the voters.
"To begin the process of restoring the LBB to its intended limited purpose, I therefore object to and disapprove of this appropriation," said Governor Greg Abbott.
The total amount of the 2018-19 Texas budget is $217 billion.