MINUTES
SENATE INTERIM COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
SENATE INTERIM COMMITTEE ON CIVIL JUSTICE
Tuesday, April 28, 1998
9:30 am
Senate Chamber
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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.
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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
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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.
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Senator David Sibley, Chairman
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Barbara Henderson, Clerk