House Committee on Appropriations
75th Legislature
February 20, 1997
8:00 am
Capitol Extension, E1.030
Pursuant to a notice posted on February 06, 1997, the House
Committee on Appropriations met in a public hearing and was
called to order by the Chair, Representative Robert Junell at
8:03 am.
The roll was answered as follows:
Present: Representatives Junell; Averitt; Cuellar; Davis;
Eiland; Gallego; Glaze; Heflin; Hinojosa; Hochberg;
Kubiak; Mowery; Price; Swinford; Turner, Sylvester;
Walker; West, George "Buddy" (17).
Absent: Representatives Delisi; Coleman; Finnell; Greenberg;
Haggerty; Hernandez; Moreno; Pitts; Raymond; Tillery
(10).
A quorum was present.
Supreme Court of Texas
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Price moves to adopt the LBB budget as amended.
Add the following to Article XI: salary increase for 10
staff attorneys, 1 staff attorney for mandamus and habeas
corpus cases, a deputy executive assistant, a salary increase
for 18 briefing attorneys, funds for furniture and repairs, an
increase for continuing legal education, funding for Westlaw
and Lexis, and an increase for NCSC assessment.
Representative Price notes that the priorities for the courts
are items 4 and 5 of this list. Add a rider to encourage the
promulgation of rules for voice and video recording. The
motion was adopted.
(Representative Greenberg now present.)
(Representative Pitts now present.)
(Representative Raymond now present.)
(Representatives Finnell and Tillery now present.)
(Representative Moreno now present.)
(Representative Hernandez now present.)
The motion is adopted.
Court of Criminal Appeals
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Price moves to adopt the LBB budget with a
pending item and as amended. Amend Riders 1 - 4. Add the
following to Article XI: rider granting UB in the second year
of the biennium (1999), add rider granting UB above the line,
add $2 million dollars in Article XI for death penalty habeas
representation. The motion was adopted.
(Representative Coleman now present.)
14 Courts of Appeals
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Price moves to adopt LBB budget on all 14
courts of appeals with one technical correction in the First
Court of Criminal Appeals. All other court requests moved to
Article XI . The motion was adopted.
Office of Court Administration
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Gallego moves to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Add the following to Article XI: raises for exempts
and classified employees, 3 FTE's for data processing and
technology support and the recommendations of the Commission
on Judicial Efficiency on strategic planning, judicial
compensation commission, recruitment program, annual reporting
of demographic data, student loan program, and a state
judicial committee on information technology. The motion was
adopted.
State Prosecuting Attorney, Office of the
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Price moves to adopt the LBB budget. The motion
was adopted.
State Law Library
Representative Walker moves to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Add to Article XI legal reference materials and a
toll-free telephone line. The motion was adopted.
Court Reporters Certification Board
Representative Price moves to adopt the LBB budget as amended.
Add to Article XI funds for curriculum approval and
enforcement. The motion was adopted.
Commission on Judicial Conduct
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Gallego moves to adopt the LBB recommendations
as amended. Delete the attorney VI position which was not
filled last biennium. Change the title of the general counsel
to deputy director. The motion was adopted.
Judiciary Section, Comptroller's
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Gallego moves to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Make a technical correction. Add the following to
Art XI: Public Integrity Unit - add 3% salary increase for
General State Division, provide funds for rental office space
for Motor Fuels Division, provide funds for rental office
space for Insurance Fraud Division; an attorney for general
state division; 3% salary increase for Motor Fuels Tax
Division; 3% salary increase for Insurance Fraud Division; an
investigator II (1 FTE); auditor III (1 FTE); Paralegal II (.5
FTE), a legal secretary (1 FTE), a law clerk (.5 FTE); capital
expenses. Add also to Article XI: Commission on Judicial
Efficiency: emergency contingency fund and judicial salaries
and Texas District and County Attorneys Association: increase
travel, and increase salaries. The motion was adopted.
Article IV Special Provisions
Representative Turner moves to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Add riders on systems compatibility and transfer of
cases. The motion was adopted.
Adjutant General's Department
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Hinojosa moves to adopt the LBB budget with
technical corrections. The issue of FTE s at the agency was
left pending. The motion was adopted.
At 9:50 am, on the motion of the chair and without objection,
the meeting was recessed until February 20, 1997 or upon
adjournment.
House Committee on Appropriations reconvened at 11:10 am.
The roll was answered as follows:
Present: Representatives Junell; Averitt; Cuellar; Finnell;
Gallego; Glaze; Heflin; Hernandez; Hinojosa;
Hochberg; Moreno; Mowery; Price; Swinford; Turner,
Sylvester; Walker; West, George "Buddy" (16).
Absent: Representatives Delisi; Coleman; Davis; Eiland;
Glaze; Greenberg; Haggerty; Kubiak; Pitts; Raymond;
Tillery (11).
A quorum was present.
Armory Board, National Guard
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Hinojosa moves to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Issues relating to federal funds and the Peace
Prairie II project were left pending. Rider #7 was deleted.
The motion was adopted.
(Representative Pitts now present.)
(Representative Tillery and Kubiak now present.)
(Representative Eiland now present.)
(Representative Greenberg now present.)
(Representative Coleman now present.)
Alcoholic Beverage Commission
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Walker moved to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Add the following to Art XI: additional MLPP funding
for the replacement of 83 enforcement vehicles, replacement of
220 mobile radios and 25 base stations, two additional FTE s
in the legal division, and replacement of six border stations.
Two riders were adopted: agent training and review of rules.
Leave rider for funding of legal costs pending. The motion
was adopted.
Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, Commission on
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Gallego moved to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Add the following to Article XI: funding for local
continuing education program. Add new rider to keep interest
on Peace Officer Memorial Account. The motion was adopted.
At 12:15 pm, on the motion of Representative Turner, Sylvester
and without objection, the meeting was recessed until February
20, 1997 at 1:30 pm.
House Committee on Appropriations reconvened at 1:43 pm.
The roll was answered as follows:
Present: Representatives Junell; Averitt; Cuellar; Davis;
Eiland; Finnell; Greenberg; Heflin; Hernandez;
Kubiak; Pitts; Price; Raymond; Swinford; Tillery;
Turner, Sylvester; Walker; West, George "Buddy"
(18).
Absent: Representatives Delisi; Coleman; Gallego; Glaze;
Haggerty; Hinojosa; Hochberg; Moreno; Mowery; (9).
A quorum was present.
Fire Protection, Commission on
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
The budget for the Commission on Fire Protection was left
pending.
(Representative Gallego now present.)
(Representative Mowery now present.)
(Representative Glaze now present.)
(Representative Moreno now present.)
(Representative Hochberg now present.)
Representative Turner moves to send the agency back to
subcommittee.
Attorney General, Office of the
Representative Gallego moved to adopt LBB budget as amended.
Add the following to Article XI: costs of implementing
provisions of federal welfare reform, additional funding for
Crime Victims Compensation, a contingency rider on interest
accrued in the Compensation to Victims Crime Fund and the
Compensation to Victims Auxiliary Fund, a rider to reinvest
the proceeds from depreciation to the Child Support Program,
combine Riders 11 and 14, a contingency rider on the Sexual
Assault and Crisis Services Program, and a rider regarding
CASA. Add the following to the bill pattern: reinstate rider
22, adjust performance target for Average Turnaround Time for
Payment of Bills to 21 days, adjust performance target for
Amount of Medicaid Overpayments Identified to 1.5 million, and
a rider concerning interagency contracts for legal services.
The motion was adopted.
(Representative Hinojosa now present.)
(Representative Delisi now present.)
Worker's Compensation Payments, Office of the Attorney General
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Gallego moved to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Add the following to the bill pattern: one cash flow
rider. The motion was adopted.
Chairman Junell moves that the Committee stand at ease for 5
minutes. The Committee reconvenes at 4:03pm.
Polygraph Examiners Board
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Walker moved to adopt the LBB budget with a
pending item as amended. Add the following to the bill
pattern: additional funds for travel and purchase of an
automobile, contingency funds for hearing costs at SOAH, add
key measure Jurisdictional Complaints Received to strategy
A.1.1., a rider to transfer one surplus vehicle from the DPS
to the Polygraph Examiners Board for $1 Add the following to
Article XI: add agency to list in Article IX making agency
eligible to purchase a car, change fee amount in rider #1.
Add a rider to cover costs of additional items requested by
agency. Leave pending the issue of board expenses. The motion
was adopted.
Private Investigators and Private Security Agencies, Board of
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Hinojosa moved to adopt the LBB budget. The
motion was adopted.
Sex Offender Treatment, Council on
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Turner moved to adopt the LBB budget with a
pending item. One pending contingency rider. The motion was
adopted.
Public Safety, Department of
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Turner moved to adopt the LBB budget with two
pending items and as amended. Reinstate riders # 22 and #26.
Representative Tillery s rider for a toll free telephone
number was left pending. Representative Hochberg s rider on
fees was left pending. The motion was adopted.
Criminal Justice Policy Council
Representative Turner moved to adopt the LBB budget. The
motion was adopted.
Youth Commission, Texas
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Turner moved to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Add the following to Article XI: funding for
additional capacity, funding to improve institutions at
halfway houses, funding for apprehension specialists, funding
for chaplains, funding for 13 psychologists, funding to
increase specialized treatment for the emotionally disturbed,
funding to provide employability skills, add a contingency
rider to provide for a teacher pay raise, provide funding for
additional positions for the interstate cooperative agreement,
additional positions in central administration, funding for
construction and rehabilitation of buildings, funding for
conversion of a TDCJ facility." Add the following to the bill
pattern: rider on rehabilitation and treatment. The motion
was adopted.
Juvenile Probation Commission
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Turner moved to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Reinstate Rider #4, Reinstate and modify rider #7,
implement U.B. rider for local construction grant program, Add
the following to Article XI: $3,068,381 in FY 1998 and
$5,865,395 in FY 1999 for operational costs at
post-adjudication facilities, and funding for Progressive
Sanctions Levels one, two, and three, and a rider relating to
funding for progressive sanctions.. The motion was adopted.
Criminal Justice, Department of
Testimony was taken. See witness list.
Representative Turner moved to adopt the LBB budget as
amended. Add the following to the bill pattern: reinstate
rider 56, add new rider to clarify authority to purchase
certain contract treatment services, add rider on prison
construction prioritization. Add the following to Article XI:
funding to reingineering project, funding for information
resource technology, funding for construction and operation of
prison facilities, funding for victims services, add Hazardous
Duty Pay rider. The motion was adopted.
At 6:47 pm, on the motion of the chair and without objection,
the meeting was recessed until February 20, 1997 at 8:00 pm.
______________________ ______________________
Rep. Robert Junell, Chair Janis Carter, Clerk