Lt. Gov. blames House for lack of med school funding
October 21, 2006
Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst says the Texas House of Representatives is the reason why the Legislature hasn't funded a full-fledged medical school in El Paso.
Written by David Crowder, El Paso Times
Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst says the Texas House of Representatives is the reason why the Legislature hasn't funded a full-fledged medical school in El Paso, not Democratic state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, whose Republican opponent, Donald "Dee" Margo, is suggesting Shapleigh is to blame in campaign ads and forums.
Dewhurst told the El Paso Times editorial board last week that the lack of medical school funding was never an issue in the Senate, where he, Shapleigh and other senators worked together to get the funding.
As lieutenant governor, Dewhurst is president of the Senate.
"The problem was in the House, and it was an issue between the House delegation and the speaker," Dewhurst said. "It was not an issue between Shapleigh and anyone in the Senate, including me.
"We passed the funding for the medical school in the Senate. I put it on the budget every chance I got, and I have gotten assurances that the funding will be there this coming session."
Dewhurst said the funding for the medical school may occur as early as January, once the legislative session opens.
The issue of funding for the medical school is at the forefront of the election contest between Shapleigh and Margo leading up to the Nov. 7 election.
Currently, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center provides medical school education for the last two years of a four-year program. Medical students spend their first two years at Texas Tech in Lubbock.
Margo has repeatedly charged that the Legislature's failure to fully fund the medical school is the best example of Shapleigh's ineffectiveness in Austin.
Citing the medical school, Margo told the audience at Ray Pearson's candidates forum in late September, "Our existing leader can't get the job done. He's ineffective."
But Shapleigh said he has pushed through funding measures for the school in the Senate three times since 2005, only to have the funding blocked each time in the House by Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland.
As a result, the school's planned 2008 opening to four-year students has been pushed to 2009.
Margo, when asked about his charge this week in light of Dew hurst's comments, did not back down and held to his campaign line.
"The bottom line is were not going to get it if he is continually condemning the leadership of Texas," Margo said. "You can't condemn Craddick and expect him to provide the funding. ... The bottom line is you have to get along to get things done."
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