Appropriations

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Texas State Library and Archives Commission

The TSLAC total budget request was $69.7 million, of that, $46.7 million supports essential library programs including grants to libraries, interlibrary loan, consulting and support services, technology evaluation and implementation assistance, and the TexShare and TexQuest programs.

The Texas Legislature approved the agency’s budget request and also approved several of TSLAC’s exceptional items which will allow TSLAC to move forward with new staff, initiatives, and planning that help not only the agency but all Texas libraries as a whole. The new funding addresses issues of salary, additional staffing, and new facilities.

The exceptional items from the LAR that have been approved by the Texas Legislature are as follows:

• Funding for staff salary increases int the amount of $896,435 over the biennium. This increase allows the agency to retain staff who might otherwise leave the agency due to the increasing cost of living in the greater Austin area.
• IT funding increase of $108,000 over the biennium for upgraded broadband speeds for agency staff and patrons visiting the de Zavala building.
• Additional $740,518 for three new IT positions beginning in Fiscal Year 24: Cybersecurity Analyst, IT Operations Director, and Systems Administrator. These positions allow TSLAC to implement IT strategies and infrastructure to help better serve the needs of Texas libraries.
• Additional $458,802 for critical business positions for the new biennium. These positions include a Budget Analyst, Purchasing Manager, and Facilities Manager. As with the IT positions, these new business operations positions increase TSLAC’s capacity to better serve Texas libraries across the state.
• Additionally, Senate Bill 30 (the supplemental budget bill) appropriated $210,000,000 to the Texas Facilities Commission for construction of a new archival and records storage facility. This new facility will replace the current fifty-year-old State Records Center and allows for the growth of the records and archives of Texas in a state-of-the-art facility.

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