Funding bills including $15 million to fix Wyler Tramway advance in TX House
The Texas House of Representatives approved two key appropriations bills that would provide $15 million to fix the Wyler Aerial Tramway and $20 million for a new dental school at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso, said El Paso State Representative Cesar Blanco.
Blanco voted in favor of the Supplemental Appropriations Bill (Senate Bill 500) and the State Budget (House Bill 1) because both ” provide key investments in El Paso and Texas. ”
H.B. 1 will now go to the Senate for consideration and S.B. 500 will return to the Senate for concurrence consideration. If the state budget bills eventually become law, El Paso will be a ” huge winner under the House Appropriation Acts, ” said Rep. Blanco, ” These bills fully fund key priorities for our region. ”
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department decided to shut down the tramway in September 2018 after an engineering analysis concluded the tramway surpassed its life expectancy and was no longer suited for public use. ” Replacement of the tram is estimated to cost millions of dollars and TPWD does not have the financial resources to execute a capital construction project of this size at this time, ” TPWD said in a news release.
” I’m also pleased the House approved two budget riders I offered to provide $50 million for the Defense Economic Assistance Adjustment Grant (DEAAG) program, which will benefit Fort Bliss, and $200,000 to promote border economic development to enhance regional planning and recruit new jobs to El Paso, ” said Blanco, who added the budget also ” puts our kids first by investing $9 billion of new money for public education. ”
According to the Texas Tribune, $6 billion out of the $9 billion would go to school districts while the remaining $3 billion would pay for property tax relief. The funding is contingent on lawmakers passing a school finance reform package, the Texas Tribune reports.
