Council presses THECB on whether 'Building Better Futures' funding is in the agency budget request

During consideration of the draft report and recommendations, Dr. Kenny Evans asked if the agency had submitted a legislative appropriations request (LAR) item to fund the Building Better Futures initiative and how those funds would be distributed. "Has the budget been approved or, put forth, for funding the building better futures program?" he asked.

Staff replied that, although the advisory council had recommended appropriations for Building Better Futures, a preliminary sweep of the THECB LAR did not reveal an exceptional item tied to that program. Staff noted that agencies were asked to produce LARs that included a 3% reduction exercise and that not all suggested items by advisory groups are included in the agency's LAR submission. Members suggested scheduling a future meeting with government affairs staff to review what was included in the LAR and how the council's recommendations are being considered in agency budget planning.

Next steps: Staff agreed to request a LAR overview from THECB government affairs staff at a future meeting and to share what the agency included for 2028–29 budget planning.