MINUTES
SENATE INTERIM COMMITTEE ON NORTH AMERICAN
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
Wednesday, January 14, 1998
8:30 a.m.
Cimarron Country Club
Mission, Texas
Public Meeting
*****
Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule
11.11, a public hearing of the Senate Interim Committee on
North American Free Trade Agreement was held on Wednesday,
January 14, 1998 at the Cimarron Country Club in Mission,
Texas.
*****
MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator Carlos F. Truan, Chairman Senator John
Carona
Senator Mario Gallegos, Jr.
Senator Steve Ogden
Senator Eliot Shapleigh
*****
Chairman Truan called the public meeting to order at 8:44 a.m.
There being a quorum present, the following business was
transacted.
Introductory remarks were made by: Chairman Truan; Senators
Gallegos and Shapleigh; State Representative Roberto
Gutierrez; the mayor of the City of mission, Ricardo Perez;
McAllen mayor, Leo Montalvo; Hidalgo County District Judge Noe
Gonzalez; and Webb County Commissioner Rick Reyes. Senator
Shapleigh moved to adopt the minutes from the December 10,
1997 Committee meeting in Dallas. There being no objection,
it was so ordered.
The Chair then received testimony from the first panel
regarding NAFTA's impact on trade in the Valley. Members of
the panel included Mike Allen, President, McAllen Economic
Development Corporation; Leo Olivares, Director of the Center
for Local Government at the Center for Entrepreneurship and
Economic Development at the University of Texas- Pan American;
Susan Tully, Director of the Market Texas International
Program for the Texas Department of Economic Development; and
Dr. Khosrow Fatemi, Dean of the College of Business
Administration and Graduate School of International Trade and
Business Administration. A discussion followed. Additional
witnesses testifying and registering are shown on the attached
list.
Chairman Truan next recognized the second panel to testify
concerning NAFTA's impact on farm workers. Members of the
panel included Juanita Valdez-Cox, Coordinator for United
Farmworkers and Endelia Meza. A discussion followed.
Additional witnesses testifying and registering are shown on
the attached list.
Chairman Truan received testimony from the third panel on
NAFTA's impact on transportation and trade issues in the
Valley. Members of the panel included Randy DeLay, consultant
for the South Texas Border Partnership; Robert Cuellar,
Interim Executive Director, Texas Department of
Transportation; Lt. Mauricio Cantu, Licensing and Weights
Division, Texas Department of Public Safety; Mr. Amadeo Saenz,
District Engineer for Hidalgo/Pharr Region, Texas Department
of Transportation; Mr. Jesse Rios, Supervisor for Vehicle
Titles and Registration Regional Office-Pharr District, Texas
Department of Transportation; and Ms. Anna Hayes, Policy
Analyst, Legislative Affairs Division, Texas Department of
Transportation. A discussion followed. Additional witnesses
testifying and registering are shown on the attached list.
The Chair then recognized the fourth panel to discuss NAFTA's
impact on educational issues. Members of the panel included
Mr. John Adams; Dr. Miguel Nevarez, President of the
University of Texas- Pan American; Mr. Stephen Vassberg,
Associate Dean, Texas State Technical College at Harlingen;
and Dr. Khosrow Fatemi, Dean of the College of Business
Administration and Graduate School of International Trade and
Business Administration.
The Committee recessed for lunch at 12:54 p.m. until 1:51 p.m.
Upon reconvening at 1:51 p.m., the Committee resumed invited
testimony from the fourth panel. A discussion followed.
Witnesses who testified and registered are shown on the
attached list.
Chairman Truan next accepted invited testimony from the fifth
panel regarding NAFTA's impact on natural resources and the
environment in and along the Rio Grande River. Members of the
Panel included Sharon Cruz, Executive Director, Los Caminos
del Rio; Mary Lou Campbell, Lower Rio Grande Valley Chapter of
the Sierra Club; Ms. Maurie Haas, Frontera Audubon Society;
Dr. Miguel Nevarez, President, University of Texas- Pan
American; Mr. David Austin, Chief of Staff for El Paso
Congressman Silvestre Reyes; Mr. Carlos Rubinstein, City
Manager, City of Brownsville; Mr. Ty Fain, Assistant
Commissioner for Federal Relations, General Land Office. A
discussion followed. Additional witnesses who testified and
registered are shown on the attached list.
The Committee then heard invited testimony from the sixth
panel regarding NAFTA's impact on housing. Members of the
panel included John Henneburger, Co-Director, Border Low
Income Housing Coalition; Jesus Lim n, Director, Proyecto
Azteca; Sam Guzman, Director, Administration and Community
Affairs, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs;
Jeff Clark, Director, Governmental Relations, Texas Department
of Housing and Community Affairs; Juan Palacios, Manager,
State Government Colonia Initiatives, Texas Department of
Housing and Community Affairs; and Mr. Jose Saenz, Edinburg
Field Officer, Texas Department of Housing and Community
Affairs. A discussion followed. Witnesses who testified and
registered are shown on the attached list.
Chairman Truan then allowed invited testimony from the seventh
panel regarding NAFTA's impact on job training. Members of
the panel included Father Bart Flaat, Pastor, Valley
Interfaith; Ms. Wanda Garza, Executive Director of the Valley
Initiative for Development and Advancement (VITA); Mr. Eric
Glenn, Director, Governmental Relations, Texas Workforce
Commission; Mr. Joe Yacono, Coordinator for Dislocated Worker
Unit, Texas Workforce Commission; Mr. Harry Crawford, TAA
Program Manager, Texas Workforce Commission; and Mr. Thomas
Sears, Director, The Partnership for Business and Industry
Training, South Texas Community College. A discussion
followed. Witnesses who testified and registered are shown on
the attached list.
The Chairman next received public testimony.
Testimony was then taken from the eighth panel regarding
NAFTA's impact on health and human services. Members of the
panel included Dr. Ramiro Casso, Executive Director, Allied
Health Development, South Texas Community College; Mr. Ron
Tupper, Executive Director, Area Health Education Center; and
Dr. Brian Smith, Director of Region 11, Texas Department of
Health. A discussion followed. Witnesses who testified and
registered are shown on the attached list.
There being no further business, at 6:30 p.m. Senator Truan
moved that the Committee stand recessed subject to the call of
the Chair. Without objection, it was so ordered.
______________________
Carlos F. Truan, Chairman
______________________
Carla D. Buckner, Clerk