HBA-MPA, PDH H.B. 1436 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1436
By: Salinas
Transportation
4/5/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Lucien Flournoy, affectionately known as "Mr.F.," has left an indelible
mark on the South Texas oil and gas industry and on the community of Alice
that he and his wife Maxine have called home for more than 50 years.  Born
in Greenwood, Louisiana, he went on to receive a mathematics degree from
Louisiana State University, and subsequently attended the school of
petroleum engineering. Beginning as a roughneck, Mr. Flournoy later worked
as a truck driver, driller, toolpusher, welllogging engineer, production
engineer, and reservoir engineer.  After a four-year stint as a drilling
and production engineer for Arkansas Fuel Oil Company, Mr. Flournoy
designed and built his first drilling rig in Alice, Texas, in late 1947.
Mr. Flournoy expanded his one-rig operation to one that boasted 13
land-based drilling rigs employing approximately 350 people.  As owner of
Flournoy Drilling Company and president and C.E.O. of Flournoy Production
Company, which continues to operate and manage oil and gas leases
throughout South Texas, Lucien Flournoy has become a household name
throughout the region. 

Mr. Flournoy's public service includes terms as mayor of Alice (1967-1971),
as a member of the Alice City Council (1963-1967), and numerous civic and
business involvements including Chairman, South Texas Committee for Youth,
and trustee Texas A&M University - Kingsville Foundation, Inc. One of his
largest community contributions is Flournoy Park. Mr. Flournoy was
recognized as Alice Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 1993.   In
1982, Mr. Flournoy bought land and developed and improved the property into
what has become the most popular outdoor park in the area.  More than
10,000 people visited the park in 1998.  The park is maintained and
operated at no cost to local residents and is made available at no cost to
local organizations and clubs.  H.B. 1436 renames F.M. 1931 in Alice,
Texas, the primary route of access to Flournoy Park, "Lucien Flournoy
Parkway."   

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 225, Transportation Code, by
adding Section 225.041, as follows: 

Sec. 225.041.  LUCIEN FLOURNOY PARKWAY.  Designates Farm-to-Market Road
1931 in Alice as Lucien Flournoy Parkway.  Requires the Texas Department of
Transportation to design and construct memorial markers indicating the
highway number, the designation as Lucien Flournoy Parkway, and any other
appropriate information.  Requires the department to erect a marker at each
end of the highway and at appropriate intermediate sites along the highway. 

SECTION 2.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.