A clear win

Dear friend,

El Paso delivered itself a huge win last week when the Texas House passed SB 120.

The bill, which establishes the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso as a standalone university within the Texas Tech University System, was the top legislative priority for the El Paso delegation this legislative session.

It represented the culmination of two decades of hard work and close collaboration by our community and the Texas Tech University System. Establishing an independent health sciences university is a key element of the El Paso region’s educational, health care, and economic development strategies.

In plain language, the bill establishes TTUHSC at El Paso as an independent health sciences university with its own president and administration, schools with degree-granting authority, and greater local engagement in key hiring and funding decisions.

The move takes on greater significance given its role in regional priorities. It will continue to promote access to health care, attract more doctors and other health care professionals, and spur economic development through its key role in the Medical Center of the Americas.

Background

El Paso was one of the most prosperous cities in the Southwest for about half its existence, from its founding with the railroads in the 1880s until the middle of the 20th Century.

But as we entered the 21st Century, El Paso was not keeping up with its Southwestern peers.

Political, civic and business leaders began a discussion about how to reverse the decline. One of the outcomes was the concept of building a medical center that would serve the border’s unique population, improving access to health care while generating economic activity.

Central to the idea was a full medical school.

With Texas Tech as partners, and with a massive community effort and years of working through the Legislature, that came to fruition in July, 2009, when 40 students chosen from more than 2,500 applications from top schools in Texas and the nation formed the charter class of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine.

The next step was the transformation to a standalone university.

Why Standalone?

As an independent health sciences university, TTUHSC at El Paso will be able to focus on research priorities such as diseases that affect Latinos and border populations. In addition, the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, which will graduate its first class of doctors in May, and its companion, the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, will reduce the regional shortage of health care professionals and provide quality health care in a medically underserved area.

This drew support from Lubbock — in March 2012, the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents voted to initiate the process of establishing a freestanding health sciences university with degree granting authority in El Paso. The new university will join Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and Angelo State University as the fourth component of the Texas Tech University System.

It also drew support from others in the state. It passed the Senate 30-1 and the House 141-3.

This support came in part because this investment doesn’t only build El Paso — it adds value to the region and to the state — and in part because El Paso stepped up, from significant private donations to the community itself voting to build a Children’s Hospital that will complement the medical school and the Medical Center of the Americas.

We don’t often get to celebrate clear, huge victories in the Texas Legislature. Last week, unambiguously, the Legislature stepped up and did the right thing, and delivered a win to El Paso and to the state.

Guns don’t protect people — people do

Last week, I voted against Senate Bill 1907, which would force universities to allow firearms on campus parking lots.

I voted against it because I do not believe that more guns make us more safe nor do I believe that sensible regulations somehow make us less safe.

SB 1907 allows a concealed handgun license holder to leave their gun in their car while parking on campus, regardless of their university’s policy about firearms on campus.

I am grateful only in that this is one of the least aggressive attempts this session to put more guns in more places — an inexplicable response to tragedy after tragedy. While it’s not carrying guns on campus, which is still a threat this session, it’s only a degree different — a short walk away.

We’ll keep hearing about this issue. While gun control did not go far at the national level, at least initially, it is being played out in state after state. In some, there have been advances.

In others, it is the opposite, with gun control laws relaxed – as we are seeing in Texas. And gun control will come before Congress again, and as the National Rifle Association acknowledged this weekend in Houston, the battle is far from over.

Let’s pass this test

The Senate passed HB 5 yesterday. The version of the bill that passed the House reduced tests, but it also risked separating students into career tracks that reduced the opportunity for everyone to pursue higher education.

We voted on amendments that made the bill much better yesterday, striking a balance between maintaining expectations while reducing reliance on tests. For example, while the Senate kept the House reduction of End of Course tests from 15 to 5, we also maintained a four-year math requirement for all students.

What’s good about it is that it reduces reliance on testing as a means of assessing achievement; however, while there is agreement that we simply have too many tests, we also must not limit our expectations, especially for low-income and minority students.

Passed last week

In addition to the delegation’s priority, SB 120, passing the Legislature with the vote of the House, I also passed several bills from the Senate:

  • SB 1769 requires the Texas Juvenile Justice Department to create an advisory committee to study whether the state can safely stop fingerprinting youth referred to a juvenile probation department for low-level offenses. If Texas does not fingerprint these youth for low-level offenses, no criminal record will be created – likely the most effective way to prevent these records from harming youth who have atoned for the low-level offense and have gotten their lives back on the right path.
  • SB 338 gives social workers who provide volunteer health care services to charitable organizations receive immunity from liability. Texas has more disasters than any other state, and effective disaster response demands volunteers from virtually every profession in the medical and health care fields. Under the Charitable Immunity and Liability Act of 1987, many types of professionals are afforded liability protection by the state when they volunteer, but licensed social workers who may provide psychotherapy, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment are not included.

Passed yesterday: Renewable Energy

SB 1586, which passed from the Senate yesterday, addresses “distributed renewable generation” (DRG) — typically, solar power meant for on-site use. Currently, public buildings with DRG are limited to a two megawatt capacity. The bill raises that to five megawatts for state and school district buildings, and 10 megawatts for federal facilities.

This would create enough electricity to power significant public structures such as schools, office buildings and, in the case of El Paso, much of Fort Bliss.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Defense supported the bill, writing in a letter to the Business and Commerce Committee that the proposal will help Fort Bliss in its efforts to develop renewable energy as well as maintain its energy security.

In a state with abundant resources that includes sun and wind, there is no reason why our energy industry cannot lead the nation and world in developing renewable power generation and distribution systems. It makes sense from health, environment and economic standpoints.

Now that’s a clear win for everyone.

Sincerely,

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