MINUTES
SENATE COMMITTEE ON NOMINATIONS
Wednesday, March 24, 1999
1:00 p.m.
Capitol Building, Room 2E.20
*****
Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule
11.11, a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Nominations
was held on Wednesday, March 24, 1999, in the Capitol
Building, Room 2E.20, Austin, Texas.
*****
MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator Jeff Wentworth, Chairman Senator Gonzalo
Barrientos
Senator Mario Gallegos, Jr., Vice Chairman
Senator David Bernsen
Senator J. E. Brown
Senator Tom Haywood
Senator Mike Jackson
*****
The Chair called the meeting to order at 1:15 p.m. There
being a quorum present, the following business was transacted.
Chairman Wentworth announced that two small corrections
needed to be made in the Minutes from the previous meeting.
Senator Brown moved that the Minutes from the previous meeting
be approved with corrections. There being no objection, the
Minutes were adopted.
At 1:20 p.m., Senator Bernsen moved to leave consideration of
the nominees to the Lower Neches Valley Authority pending.
Without objection it was so ordered.
The Chairman laid out the names of the nominees to the Finance
Commission of Texas.
Senator Ogden introduced Deborah Hinton Kocacevich.
Chairman Wentworth introduced Victor "Buddy" Puente, Jr. and
John Nixon.
Senator Shapleigh introduced Robert V. Wingo.
Nominees made opening statements and then responded to
questions by members of the Committee.
At 1:50 p.m., Senator Gallegos moved to recommend to the full
Senate that Deborah Hinton Kovacevich, Victor "Buddy" Puente,
Jr., John Snider and Robert V. Wingo be confirmed as Members
of the Finance Commission of Texas.
The motion carried with a vote of 6 ayes and 0 nays.
The Chairman laid out the names of the nominees for the Board
of Directors of the Texas Healthy Kids Corporation.
Senator Moncrief introduced Thomas A. Howeth.
Senator Shapleigh introduced Rene Daniel Pena.
Senator Shapiro introduced Gwyn Shea.
Senator Sibley introduced Dr. Dorothy "Dot" Nelson Snyder.
Senator Gallegos introduced Dr. Kenneth D. Wells.
Nominees made opening statements and then responded to
questions by members of the Committee.
At 2:33 p.m., Senator Brown moved to recommend to the full
Senate that Thomas A. Howeth. Rene Daniel Pena, Gwyn Shea, Dr.
Dorothy "Dot" Nelson Snyder, and Dr. Kenneth D. Wells be
confirmed as Members of the Board of Directors of the Texas
Healthy Kids Corporation.
The motion carried with a vote of 6 ayes and 0 nays.
The Chairman laid out the names of the nominees to the Texas
Commission on Human Rights.
At 2:34 p.m. Senator Gallegos assumed the Chair.
Senator Gallegos introduced Anna Maria Farias and Officer
David J. Manning.
Nominees made opening statements and then responded to
questions by members of the Committee.
At 2:46 p.m., Senator Brown moved to recommend to the full
Senate that Anna Maria Farias and Officer David J. Manning be
confirmed as Members of the Texas Commission on Human Rights.
The motion carried with a vote of 6 ayes and 0 nays.
The Chairman laid out the names of the nominees to the
Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board.
Senator Gallegos introduced Roger J. Benavides and Tomas R.
Powers.
Senator Brown introduced Kay F. Karr.
Nominees made opening statements and then responded to
questions by members of the Committee.
At 3:15 p.m., Senator Brown moved to recommend to the full
Senate that Roger J. Benavides, Kay F. Karr and Thomas R.
Powers be confirmed as Members of the Telecommunications
Infrastructure Fund Board. Senator Bernsen seconded the
motion.
The motion carried with a vote of 6 ayes and 0 nays.
The Chairman laid out the names of the nominees for the
Veterans Land Board.
Senator Gallegos introduced Lieutenant General Neal "Tom" Jaco
and Darryll Ladd Pattillo.
The nominees made opening statements and then responded to
questions by members of the Committee.
At 3:35 p.m., Senator Haywood moved to recommend to the full
Senate that Lieutenant General Neal "Tom" Jaco and Darryll
Ladd Pattillo be confirmed as Members of the Veterans Land
Board.
The motion passed with a vote of 6 ayes, 0 nays.
The Chairman laid out the names of the nominees for the Texas
Judicial Council.
Senator Shapiro introduced James Boswell.
Senator Shapleigh introduced Kathleen Cardone.
Nominees made opening statements and then responded to
questions by members of the Committee.
At 3:50 p.m. Senator Wentworth resumed the Chair.
At 4:01 p.m., Senator Brown moved to recommend to the full
Senate that James Boswell and Kathleen Cardone be confirmed as
Members of the Texas Judicial Council.
The motion carried with a vote of 6 ayes and 0 nays.
At 4:04 p.m., Senator Gallegos moved to recommend to the full
Senate that the nominees to the Canadian River Compact
Commission, the State Board of Registration for Professional
Engineers, the Family Practice Residency Advisory Committee,
the Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority Board of Directors,
the Health Care Information Council, the State Committee of
Examiners in the Fitting and Dispensing of Hearing
Instruments, the Statewide Health Coordination Council, the
District Review Committees of the State Board of Medical
Examiners for Districts One, Two, Three, and Four, the Texas
Council on Offenders with Mental Impairments, the Upper Neches
River Municipal Water Authority and the School Land Board be
confirmed.
The motion carried with a vote of 6 ayes and 0 nays.
There being no further business, at 4:05 p.m. Senator Brown
moved that the Committee stand recessed subject to the call of
the Chairman. Without objection it was so ordered.
Senator Jeff Wentworth, Chairman
Jennifer Ahrens, Clerk