Texas Legislative Guide

For a long time, the Texas Legislature was in the habit of authorizing a round of tuition revenue bonds, the mechanism through which the state funds campus construction projects at public universities, every other session. But the last time it did so was in 2006. In 2013, despite broad, bipartisan support, a plan to provide more than $2.7 billion to support about 60 campus construction projects around the state failed to gain final approval before the clock ran out on the legislative session — and many universities had to delay projects.

Those long-awaited construction projects on university campuses should be back on track after the Legislature's approval of roughly $3 billion in bonds to pay for new buildings.  

That action was good news for universities, which made the bonds one of their top legislative priorities for 2015.

New buildings funded in the legislation include a biocontainment research facility at Texas A&M University, a biomedical sciences center at the University of Houston and renovations to Robert Welch Hall Hall at the University of Texas at Austin and to law school buildings at the University of North Texas. In all, more than 60 universities will have construction projects financed. 

Updated: May 31, 2015