Fellow members of the GOP are taking aim at Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's first appointments to the University of Texas System Board of Regents.
The Senate Nominations Committee on Thursday peppered the nominees with tough questions about admissions, transparency and rising tuition rates.
New appointment David Beck, a Houston attorney, and Regent Steve Hicks, who has been reappointed to a new term, were notably challenged on those issues by several Republican lawmakers.
Beck and Hicks have been longtime supporters of embattled UT-Austin President Bill Powers, who was pressured to resign and leaves office in June.
Far-right groups also have criticized nominee Sara Martinez Tucker for her support of Common Core, an education initiative that has been criticized by conservatives.
The panel adjourned without voting on the nominations.
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