MINUTES
SENATE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS & COMMERCE
Subcommittee on Interim Charge #5
Monday, March 18, 2002
1:00 p.m.
Capitol Extension, Room E1.016
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Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule
11.18, a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Business &
Commerce, Subcommittee on Interim Charge #5, was held on
Monday, March 18, 2002, in the Capitol Extension, Room E1.016,
at Austin, Texas.
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MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Chair
Senator Troy Fraser
Senator Mike Jackson
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Chair Van de Putte called the meeting to order at 1:25 p.m.
There being a quorum present, the following business was
transacted.
The Chair made opening remarks and advised that the focus of the
first Subcommittee meeting was on state agencies and how rates
were determined for use on state procurement contracts. This
meeting would focus on the impact prevailing wage rates have on
the industry, on labor and the State.
Chair Van de Putte then called Panel 1 - Update From State
Agencies. The panelists were:
John Davenport, Director, Construction Procurement,
Texas Building and Procurement Commission,
Mark Hughes, Workforce Information, Analysis & Reporting
Division Director,
Texas Workforce Commission, and
Thomas Bohuslav, P.E., Construction Division Director,
Texas Department of Transportation.
The following witnesses were called to respond to questions
raised during testimony by Panel 1:
Jose Rodriguez, El Paso County Attorney, El Paso,
Denise Donnelly, Office of the Attorney General, Austin,
The Chair called for testimony by the sole member of Panel 3 -
Contractors, Andrew Rittler, representing the Association of
Building Contractors, Austin. Travis Snell, representing the
Comptrollers Office, was called to respond to a question raised
during Mr. Rittler's testimony.
.
Chair Van de Putte then called Panel 2 - Labor representatives:
Danny Tilley, Executive Secretary, Texas Building &
Construction Trades Council,
Bob Salvatore, President, AFL-CIO, San Antonio,
Ronnie Raspberry, Executive Secretary, Houston Building
Trades, Houston,
Rick Lord, Business Agent, UAPP 68, Houston, and
Gordon Byram, Business Manager, IBEW Local 520, Austin.
Upon completion of testimony by Panel 2, the Chair called for
public testimony to commence, as follows:
Rev. James Hall, Texas Industrial Areas Foundation Network,
El Paso,
Sister Bernie Barrett, Metro Alliance, COPS, San Antonio,
Bonifacio Raymundo, Valley Interfaith, McAllen,
Father Jerry Franks, Valley Interfaith, McAllen.
Chair Van de Putte recalled Jose Rodriguez, El Paso County
Attorney, to present his testimony, as well as a video by Mayor
Raymond Caballero, Mayor of El Paso.
Mr. Rodriguez' testimony was followed by testimony from:
Douglas Shawn Broadrick, Road Sprinkler Fitters Members,
Waller, Texas, and
Lance Lively, AGL - Road Division, Austin.
There being no further business, at 4:02 p.m. Chair Van de Putte
moved that the Subcommittee stand recessed subject to the call
of the chair. Without objection, it was so ordered.
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Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Chair
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Barbara Henderson, Clerk