MINUTES
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ADMINISTRATION
Wednesday, August 19, 1998
10:30 am
Capitol Extension, Room E1.028
*****
Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule
11.11, an open meeting of the Senate Committee on
Administration was held on Wednesday, August 19, 1998 in the
Capitol Extension, Room E1.028, at Austin, Texas.
*****
MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator Chris Harris Senator Carlos Truan
Senator Kenneth Armbrister Senator J.E. Brown
Senator Mike Moncrief Senator Bill Ratliff
Senator David Sibley
*****
The Chair called the meeting to order at 10:35 am. There
being a quorum present, the following business was transacted.
Senator Truan asked to be shown voting with the Chairman.
The following members arrived after the roll was called:
Senator Bill Ratliff
The first order of business was to consider and approve
committee budgets. Senator Harris laid out the requested
budget for the IGR committee. Senator Moncrief moved to
approve the $90,475.00 budget for IGR. Motion passed 6 ayes,
0 nays.
Senator Harris stated that there were a number of requests
from committees to approve requests for salary exemptions
including Finance and just wanted to make sure that Senator
Ratliff, Chairman of Finance, was aware of these requests.
Senator Ratliff stated that he was aware of these. He also
stated that he'd heard discussions last session regarding
the $5,000.00 cap for committee employees and the need for
that cap to be adjusted. He didn't know how much of an
adjustment but that the $5,000.00 amount was out of date.
Senator Harris agreed and added that he believed that to
retain quality people the committee would have to take a hard
look at salaries.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the
Nominations committee. Senator Ratliff moved to approve the
$37,320.00 budget for Nominations. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0
nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the Special
Interim Committee on Annexation. Senator Moncrief moved to
approve the $7,960.00 budget for Annexation. Motion passed 6
ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris passed the gavel to Senator Sibley and asked to
be recognized to present the budget for the Senate Committee
on Administration. Senator Moncrief moved to approve the
$54,680.00 budget for Administration. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0
nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the
Agriculture committee. Senator Moncrief moved to approve the
$21,300.00 budget for Agriculture. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0
nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the Criminal
Justice committee along with the request for a salary
exception of $6000.00 for Patrick Redman. Senator Moncrief
moved to approve the $6,000.00 salary exception. Motion
passed 6 ayes, 0 nays. Senator Sibley moved to approve the
$103,800.00 budget for Criminal Justice. Motion passed 6
ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for Economic
Development. It was pointed out that the budget for the
Interim Committee on Electric Utility Restructuring was
included in the Economic Development budget. Senator
Armbrister moved to approve the $132,900.00 for Economic
Development. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for Education
along with a request for a salary exception of $6,000.00 for
Mel Hazelwood. Senator Ratliff moved to approve the salary
exception. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0 nays. Senator Moncrief
moved to approve the $82,033 budget for Education. Motion
passed 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for Finance along
with a request for a salary exception of $5,350.00 for Nancy
Frank. Senator Moncrief moved to approve the salary
exception and the $123,060 budget for Finance. Both motions
passed with 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for General
Investigating. Senator Sibley moved to approve the $11,243.77
for the General Investigating committee. Motion passed 6
ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the Health &
Human Services. Senator Moncrief moved to approve the
$141,485.00 budget for Health & Human Services. Motion passed
6 ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the IRTT
along with requests for salary exceptions of $5,500.00 for
Salvador Valdez and $5,200.00 for Vic Hines. Senator MONCRIEF
moved to approve the salary exceptions and the $110,271.00
budget for the IRTT committee. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the
Jurisprudence committee. Senator Moncrief moved approval of
$97,260.00 for the Jurisprudence budget. Motion passed 6
ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the Natural
Resources committee. Senator Armbrister moved to approve the
$99,500.00 budget for Natural Resources. Motion passed 6
ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the Committee
of the Whole on Legislative alone with a salary exception
request of $6,000.00 for David Edmondson. Senator Moncrief
moved approval of the salary exception and the $65,758.00 for
the committee. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for State Affairs
along with salary exceptions for $5,500.00 for Brian Jammer
and $6,500.00 for James Hamilton. Senator Moncrief moved
approval for both the salary exceptions and the $143,799
budget request. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for Veteran
Affairs & Military Installations. Senator Moncrief moved to
approve the $23,370.00 budget for the Committee. Motion
passed 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the
Sub-Committee on Water. Senator Sibley moved approval of the
$25,056.00 budget for the Committee. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0
nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the Interim
Committee on Gangs & Juvenile Justice. Senator Moncrief moved
approval of the $17,842.00 budget. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0
nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the Interim
Committee on Home Health & Assisted Living. Senator Moncrief
moved approval of the $17,620.00 budget. Motion passed 6
ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the Interim
Committee on Hopwood & State Contract & Employment Practices.
Senator Moncrief moved approval of the $67,750 budget. Motion
passed 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the Interim
Committee on Public Information. Senator Sibley moved
approval of the $11,100.00 budget. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0
nays.
Senator Harris laid out the requested budget for the Interim
Committee on Sex Offenders. Senator Sibley moved to approval
of the $7,200.00 budget. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Senator Harris passed the gavel to Senator Sibley and asked to
be recognized to present the budget for the Interim Committee
on Title Insurance. Senator Moncrief moved to approve the
$3,800.00 budget. Motion passed 6 ayes, 0 nays.
With all the budgets approved Senator Harris asked if there
was any other business. Senator Ratliff spoke briefly on his
concern about the budget for the Senate and especially the
Senate Committees. He was thinking of proposing rules for the
next session dealing with the budgets and just wanted the
committee to be aware of this.
Senator Ratliff also wanted the Committee to reconsider a vote
they took at the May 26, 1998 meeting. The vote was on the
software to provide the ability to view a roll call vote from
the laptop on each senator's desk. After thinking about it he
wasn't sure that was the correct thing to do. There was
discussion and Senator Armbrister asked Katherine Staat,
Director of Senate Media, if there was a way on the screen
board to track the ayes and nays. Ms. King thought that
International Roll Call (IRC) could do that. The consensus
was that if the Senators could visually keep track of the vote
that is all they needed. Senator Ratliff moved that there be
a study to see what can be done with the roll call board
before we proceed with purchasing the software approved at the
May 26, 1998 meeting.
There being no further business, at 11:45 am Senator Harris
moved that the Committee stand recessed subject to the call of
the Chair. Without objection, it was so ordered.
______________________
Senator Chris Harris, Chair
______________________
Myra J. Schmitt, Clerk