MINUTES 
          
                SENATE INTERIM COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 
                    SENATE INTERIM COMMITTEE ON CIVIL JUSTICE 
                             Tuesday, April 28, 1998 
                                     9:30 am 
                                 Senate Chamber 
          
                                      ***** 
          
         Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule  
         11.11, a joint public hearing of the Senate Interim Committee  
         on Economic Development and the Senate Interim Committee on  
         Civil Justice was held on Tuesday, April 28, 1998 in the  
         Senate Chamber at Austin, Texas.   
          
                                      ***** 
          
         MEMBERS PRESENT:                        MEMBER ABSENT: 
         Senator David Sibley                    Senator Florence  
         Shapiro 
         Senator Gonzalo Barrientos 
         Senator Teel Bivins 
         Senator J. E. (Buster) Brown 
         Senator David Cain 
         Senator Robert Duncan 
         Senator Rodney Ellis 
         Senator Tom Haywood 
         Senator Frank Madla 
         Senator Steve Ogden 
         Senator Eliot Shapleigh 
          
                                      ***** 
          
         The Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:40 am.  There  
         being a quorum present, the following business was transacted.   
          
         As posted, the Committees would hear invited testimony only at  
         this hearing, with public testimony to be taken at a later  
         hearing. 
          
         Chairman Sibley called the first invited witness, Billy  
         Hamilton, to present his testimony on the Texas business  
         climate.  Following Mr. Hamilton's testimony and response to  
         Committee members' questions, the Chairman called Pat Wood,  
         Chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission, to provide an  
         Update on Telecommunications Deregulation.  Upon completion of  
         Mr. Wood's update and response to members' questions, Barry  
         McBee of the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission,  
         testified regarding Environmental Regulations in Texas and  
         responded to members' questions. 
          
         The Chairman then called Panel One to present testimony on  
         Industry Perspective on the Texas Business Climate.  The  
  
         panelists were: 
          
              Gina Rigby, Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association 
              Robert Howden, National Federation of Independent  
         Businesses 
              Julie Moore, Occidental Chemical Corporation 
              Blaine Gibbs, PPG Industries, Inc. 
              Jack Swindle, Texas Instruments 
          
         Following the panelists' testimony and response to members'  
         questions, Chairman Sibley called Panel Two to make their  
         presentations on Civil Justice and Workers' Compensation  
         Reforms and to respond to questions by the Committee.  The  
         panelists were: 
          
              Shannon Ratliff, Texas Civil Justice League 
              Birny Birnbaum, Center for Economic Justice 
              Philip Presley, Texas Department of Insurance 
              Richard Weekley, Texans for Lawsuit Reform 
              Pam Beachley, Texas Civil Justice League 
          
         At 1:05 p.m. the Chairman called for a brief recess; at 1:10  
         the Committee reconvened.  Panel Three was called  to present  
         testimony on Trucking Deregulation, and to respond to members'  
         questions.  Panelists testifying and responding to members'  
         questions were: 
          
              Bill Webb, Texas Motor Transportation Association 
              Lawrance Smith, Texas Department of Transportation 
          
         A third panelist for Trucking Deregulation, Dale Tibbets,  
         representing Ryder System, was not present when called, but  
         later presented written testimony to the Committee. 
          
         There being no further business, at 1:30 pm Chairman Sibley  
         moved that the Committee stand recessed subject to the call of  
         the Chairman.  Without objection, it was so ordered.   
          
         __________________________ 
         Senator David Sibley, Chairman 
          
         __________________________ 
         Barbara Henderson, Clerk