Written for The Texas Observer legislative blog "Floor Pass."
Lawmakers held an emotional first hearing Wednesday on a proposal to merge the University of Texas-Pan American and UT-Brownsville into a new mega-university for South Texas. The House Higher Education Committee heard support from South Texas leaders on the prospect of bringing a regional medical school to the Valley and getting access to the multi-billion dollar Permanent University Fund. House Bill 1000 would carry out the merger, take the first steps toward establishing the medical school, and—if approved with a two-thirds vote—give the new school access to the fund. Read more.