Dec. 18, 2003

Gov. Perry Seeks Funding From Legislative Budget Board for Rangel School of Pharmacy
Texas A&M-Kingsville School to Receive Additional $4.28 million Under Perry Proposal

KINGSVILLE - Gov. Rick Perry today announced that he will ask the Legislative Budget Board to approve $4.28 million in funding to finance operating costs for the Irma Rangel School of Pharmacy at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Established by the Texas Legislature in 2001, the institution, which is named after the late Irma Rangel, former state representative from Kingsville, will be South Texas’s first professional school.

“The Rangel School of Pharmacy will fill a vital need for the people of South Texas and the entire state,” Perry said. “With a total of $4.6 million in funding, the Rangel School of Pharmacy will be able to attract top-notch faculty, administrators and staff who will train a new generation of pharmacists for South Texas.”

The legislature appropriated $306,000 toward the school during the 78th Legislative session. Perry said the additional $4.28 million is available as a result of additional savings he identified in June through his line-item vetoes to the state budget. A formal request for the funding will be sent to the Legislative Budget Board in the coming days.

Texas A&M University-Kingsville currently offers the first 2 ½ years of an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy and the Rangel School of Pharmacy will allow students to continue their education and earn a full degree.

“My vision for the future of Texas is built on educational opportunity and job creation,” added Perry. “By educating more qualified professionals in fields like health care right here in South Texas, we are taking an important step forward toward a healthier border region. And a healthier border will mean a more prosperous Texas for generations to come.”

Rangel was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1977 and was the first Hispanic woman to serve in that legislative body. Rangel died in March after a battle with cancer. Following her death, Perry urged the Texas A&M University System to name the pharmacy school after the legislator who had championed it.

The Rangel School of Pharmacy funding announcement marks another significant step for medical training in South Texas and along the state’s border. This year the governor signed HB 28 which authorized Texas Tech University to issue up to $45 million in tuition revenue bonds for the construction of a medical school in El Paso and Perry also identified an additional $2 million from vetoed funds for use by the school for its start up costs. Also, last month Governor Perry identified $9 million in additional funds for the Regional Academic Health Clinic in Harlingen.