The Galveston County Daily News

AUSTIN — The Texas Senate approved a $2.36 billion supplemental budget Wednesday to cover unexpected costs, including $150 million for repairs to University of Texas Medical Branch, which was heavily damaged during Hurricane Ike.

The storm ripped through the island campus Sept. 13, putting UTMB’s trauma center and more than half the hospital’s beds out of commission. Students and patients have been slowly returning as parts of the campus reopen, but the school leaders say the full rebuilding plan relies on money from a number of sources including the supplemental budget.

The extra budget bill also includes a one-time $800 bonus for more than 100,000 state employees and relies largely on federal stimulus dollars.

The proposal also contains $10 million for the General Land Office to buy some houses that were washed on to state property during Ike. The supplemental budget bridges gaps in the current biennium’s budget. It is different from the main $182 billion budget bill, which also still is pending and covers state spending for the coming two years.

The Senate-approved version of the supplemental budget differs from a $3.3 billion House version of the supplemental budget which had $300 million for UTMB and included $963 million for the Texas Education Agency.

Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, said the TEA money was moved to the main 2010-11 budget. The other $150 million for UTMB — to build a new hospital tower — was moved to bonds in a separate bill.

“UTMB funding is still in place, it’s just in different places,” said Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston. Eiland has been pushing legislative efforts to rebuild and restore the state’s oldest medical school.

Students, doctors and community leaders on Galveston Island have been adamant during this session that rebuilding UTMB is vital for the whole island.

Ogden said House budget negotiators had agreed to moving funds for the new tower to bonds that would not cost the state.

However, the proposal containing the bonds is one of many threatened by a stalemate in the House. Eiland said lawmakers could find ways around deadlines to save the legislation before the session ends Monday.

Ogden, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, also added funds to the supplemental budget to cover a one-time $800 bonus for about 110,000 state employees.

The Senate approved version now returns to the House for consideration and to hammer out any differences.

Neither version of the supplemental budget includes money from the Rainy Day Fund, the state savings account that is expected to have a balance of more than $9 billion within the next two years.

Other items in the supplemental budget include:

• $330 million in Ike relief money to various state agencies and universities;

• $48.1 million in a prospective settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to cover reforms at state schools;

• $11.7 million to the Department of State Health Services for swine flu related expenses;

• $2.6 million for criminal history background checks at the Texas Education Agency; and

• $11 million for repairs to the Governor’s Mansion, burned by a fire last year.