Honorable Kel Seliger, Chair, Senate Committee on Higher Education
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB870 by Bell (relating to Prairie View A&M University's eligibility to participate in the research and development fund.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill amends the Education Code to make Prairie View A&M University eligible to participate in the Research Development Fund (RDF) under certain conditions. Appropriations for the RDF are apportioned among eligible institutions through a formula based on each institution's three-year average of restricted research expenditures. Funding for the RDF is determined by the Legislature and while adding a new institution to the RDF formula allocation would not necessarily result in an additional cost to the state, each eligible institution's share of the RDF appropriation would change to the degree the inclusion of Prairie View A&M University affects each eligible institution's share of the total restricted research expenditures data used to allocate the RDF appropriations. The current General Appropriations Act provides approximately $65.3 million for the RDF and it would be estimated that Prairie View A&M University would receive approximately $1.0 million biennially in RDF appropriations if made eligible.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts