MINUTES
SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
Monday, February 12, 2001
8:00 a.m.
Capitol Extension, Room E1.036
*****
Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule 11.18, a
public hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance was held on Monday,
February 12, 2001, in the Capitol Extension, Room E1.036, at Austin,
Texas.
*****
MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator Rodney Ellis None
Senator Chris Harris
Senator Gonzalo Barrientos
Senator Robert Duncan
Senator Troy Fraser
Senator Tom Haywood
Senator Mike Jackson
Senator Jon Lindsay
Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr.
Senator Steve Ogden
Senator Carlos Truan
Senator John Whitmire
Senator Judith Zaffirini
*****
The chair called the meeting to order at 8:02 a.m. There being a quorum
present, the following business was transacted:
The Chair called the following witnesses to testify on the Legislative
Budget Board (LBB) recommendations:
Texas Cancer Council
Regina Martin, LBB Analyst
Mickey L. Jacobs, Executive Director
Gave an overview of the Council. Spoke to proposed funding.
James D. Dannebaum, Chairman of the Board
Introduced Board members in attendance and Dr. Levine from MDA.
Spoke to the exceptional item request to fund a colon cancer
initiative to expand education and prevention efforts targeting
at-risk Texans. He supports the request for a salary increase
for the Executive Director.
Kelly Headrick, Vice President, American Cancer Society
Spoke in favor of the requested budget.
Registering, but not testifying:
Karen Bonner, Fund Raiser, Texas Cancer Council
Carolyn Harvey, RN, Ph.D., U.T. Health Center, NBLIC Program
Rubye Henderson, School Counselor, Texas Cancer Council
Larry Herrera, M.D., Texas Cancer Council
Bernard Levin, M.D., University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer
Center
Donald C. Spencer, M.D., Texas Cancer Council
Council on Early Childhood Intervention
Regina Martin, LBB Analyst
Demus Vasquez, Board Member
Spoke about the help the Council provided his son. Gave
overview of what services the Council provides.
Mary Elder, Executive Director
Answered questions and talked about services provided by the
Council. Highlighted key points in requested budget.
Susan Mengden-Ellis, Board Member
Spoke to the many services that her family used when at 37 she
gave birth to a Down Syndrome child. Spoke to the need for
increased salaries to help with employee turnover and the
increase in the salary for Executive Director.
Kay Lambert, Policy Specialist, Advocacy
Supports funding for the Council.
Cyndie Schmitt, Texas Council of Community MHMR Center, Inc.
Spoke to the importance of what the council does. Supports
funding.
Mike Bright, Executive Director, ARC of Texas
Spoke to the excellence of the Council. It is exactly what a
state agency ought to be. Supports funding.
Registering, but not testifying:
Colleen Horton, Texas Advocates Supporting Kids with
Disabilities
Texas Department on Aging
Michael Leo, LBB Analyst
Mary Sapp, Executive Director
Spoke to the mission and purpose of the Texas Department on
Aging and the three major strategies in proposed budget.
Answered questions.
Jan Patterson, Board Member
Gave an overview of the importance of each of the programs that
serves the elderly population in Texas.
Carlos Higgins, Silver Haired Legislature
Supports continued funding.
Bruce Bower, Attorney, Texas Senior Advocacy Coalition
Supports continued funding. Thanked Senator Zaffirini for her
support in strengthening the department and Senator Barrientos
for his continued support. Talked about many of the programs.
Registering, but not testifying:
Bill Cummings, Texas Silver Haired Legislature
John W. Holtermann, Texas Silver Haired Legislature
Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation
Melitta Bustamante, LBB Budget Analyst
Nancy Millard, LBB Performance Analyst
John Nelson, SAO, Project Manager
Nicole Meredith-Marres, SAO
Karen F. Hale, Commissioner
Answered many questions asked by committee. Gave presentation;
highlighting Community Center Creation, New Methodology for
Allocating Hospital Beds among Mental Health Authorities,
Capital Construction, New Generation Medications, and Home and
Community-Based Services. Spoke to the revised and repriortized
exceptional items in requested budget.
Andrew P. Hardin, Board Chairman
Spoke to the services provided by department and the number of
people they served in the past year. Gave many statistics that
highlighted the need for additional funding. Spoke to the
difficulty in trying to come up with a budget that would provide
equal funding to the entire state in a time when extra revenue
is not available. Spoke to exceptional items in proposed
budget. He is also the father of a 15 year old down syndrome
son.
At 12:45 p.m. Senator Ellis moved that the committee stand recessed
until 30 minutes after adjournment of the Senate; without objection, it
was so ordered.
At 2:18 p.m. the committee reconvened. Senator Zaffirini assumed chair.
Testimony continued with the following testimony:
Karen F. Hale, Commissioner
Commissioner Hale continued with her presentation. Answered
many questions.
Registering, but not testifying:
Judy Allen, The ARC of Texas
Lee Bowers, Owner - ICF Facilities
John R. Bush, Executive Director, Texas Society of Psychiatric
Physicians
William Campbell, Deputy Commissioner
Danette Castle, Lubbock Regional MHMR
John Conroy, MHMR Services & Community Choice
Tom Conroy, Austin Health Resources & Community Choice
Steve Day, Director, Community Relations - CRI
Mark J. Hanna, Texas Nurses Association
Jim Hazen, President, St. Giles Living Center
Genevieve Hearon, Capacity for Justice
Peter Henning, Regional Administrator, Bethesda Lutheran Homes
Services, Inc.
Lucy Jaloway, Camino Real - CPAC
Joe Lovelace, National Alliance for Mentally Ill of Texas
Kim McPherson, Texas Mental Health Association of Texas
Debra Middlebrook, Director, Champagne, Inc.
Pascual Piedfort, Volunteer advocate for people with mental
retardation
Laura Redman, Community Access
Thomas A. Turnage, Ph.D., Dallas Area NorthStar Authority
Ronald & Sheila Vieraitis, Community Resources & Information
for Special People (CRISP)
Renee Wallace, Founder & Executive Director, Vita Living, Inc.
Senator Ellis assumed chair.
The chair recognized the following witnesses to give PUBLIC
TESTIMONY:
Kristine Bissmeyer, parent of a down syndrome son. Registered her
31/2 year old son in December 2000 and was told it would be a seven
year wait to receive any services.
DeShaua Bradley, single parent with a 14 year old son with Autism.
Judy DaPra, daughter has down syndrome. Her daughter has been on a
waiting list for over 4 years. Spoke to more funding for HCS.
Charles R. Ferguson, has a daughter in a state school. Supports
all forms of services for MHMR.
Melissa Fox, her son Matthew has down syndrome and has been on the
waiting list since 1994 and has only moved up about 10 spaces.
Supports funding for pay raise for attendants and ECI..
Senator Zaffirini assumed chair.
Richard Garnett, Ph.D., his son Brian is 18 years old and has autism.
After seven years on waiting list he has finally come to the head of
the line.
Jean Geresi, her son Michael is 6 years old and has down syndrome.
Supports funding for ECI.
Don Lane, has a 19 year old son who is severally retarded.
Supports funding for HCS programs.
Patsy Pekar, daughter is severally handicapped and been on waiting
list for about 4 years. Supports all MHMR funding.
Carolyn Quattlebaum, has a 37 year old down syndrome son. Supports
pay raises for direct care givers.
Jacquelie Robert, her child was only on the waiting list for two
years. Supports all MHMR funding.
Harold & Joann Schultz, has a 40 year mentally and physically
challenged daughter in a state facility. Supports increased funding
for MHMR.
Ruth Snyder, her daughter lives in the Austin State School. Supports
funding for state schools.
Don A. Streetman, has two sons that are mentally retarded. Supports
increased funding for HCS and doesn't want to go to the MRLA program.
Linda Toungate, 21 year old son is mentally retarded and diagnosed as
PED. Supports transition funding.
Anna Young, representing her brother Joey. Supports increased
funding
Maurice G. Dutton, support funding for NAMI..
Cliff Gay, supports funding for NAMI & NorthStar programs.
Diana Kern, supports funding for NAMI and new generation medications.
Carol R. Schaper, has a 42 year old mentally retarded son, supports
funding for the NAMI and NorthStar programs.
Shirley Beaudoin, has a 31 year old son living in a residential home.
Supports all MHMR funding.
Rod Carlson, is a case manager and does not support the MRLA funding.
Kirk Coats, his brother lived in a state school for many years and
now lives in a group home. Supports increased funding for community
care givers.
Joe Lovelace, NAMI Texas (National Alliance of Mental Illness)
Cyndie Schmitt, Texas Council with MHMR Centers
Kim McPherson, Texas Mental Health Association
Lynn Cleveland, ARC of Texas
Levalgin Gildon, Jr., Midland Assistance for Retarded Citizens
Linda Harness, parent of a 28 year old daughter with Tourette
Syndrome. Supports HCS funding not MRLA program.
Mike Halligan, Executive Director, Consumer Advocacy Agency
Pamela Edwards Kelly, works for a private provider. Supports line
items #4 in MHMR budget.
Captain Gregory W. Leveling, supports exceptional items #8 & 13 in
proposed budget for MHMR.
Susan Murphee, Advocacy Inc.
J. Randy Routon, Ph.D.,CEO, LifePath System
Dona Watson, Board Member, has a son with Schizophrenia
Judy Kantorezyk, Executive Director, ARC of Texas
Sandra C. Grace-Tomlinson, stop MRLA funding.
Norine Jaloway Gill, fund people not programs
Johnny Plesentilli, fund HCS pay raises.
Robert K. Rose, Executive Director, ARC of Midland
Berta Willis, pay increase for direct care givers.
Joseph Dempsey, supports HCS funding.
Andrea Fagarason, Social Worker, Private provider, increased funding
for ICS & HCS
Michael Forsythe, increased reimbursement rate for ICS & HCS
Charles Gouge, supports exceptional items # 4 & 6 in Texas MHMR
proposed budget.
Ken Gray, Ph.D., supports exceptional item #4 in
Kathy Griffith, supports exceptional item #4 in proposed budget of
Texas MHMR.
Jan Hannah, Community Living Concepts
John L. Hendry, supports exceptional item #4 in proposed budget of
Texas MHMR
Dennis Henegar, supports exceptional item #4 in proposed budget of
Texas MHMR
Joyce Hellum, RN VP of operation
Genelle Edwards, spoke to challenges that workers and programs face
today
Carole Matyas, Executive Director for North Star Program
Sara Rideout, supports exceptional item #4 in proposed budget of
Texas MHMR
Connie Rogers, ICFMR worker, supports exceptional item #4
Kaye Simms, supports exceptional item #4
Kathi Schmidt, spoke to several request for more funding
David Southern, spoke to the overwhelming duties inflicted on small
staff, Southern Concepts Inc.
Dr. Judy Graham, MHMR of Greater Dallas, spoke to increased funding
Senator Ellis assumed chair.
Jamie Travis, spoke of her daughter Christie and the importance of
HCS slots
Keri Williams, Director of Community Living, UCP Dallas
Betsy Schwartz, Mental Health Assn. of Greater Houston
Bobbie L. Pratt, spoke of her daughter Leeza.
Patti Derr, spoke of her daughter Robin.
Jim Nickerson, Lakes Regional MHMR
There being no further business, at 7:00 p.m. Senator Ellis moved that
the Committee stand recessed subject to the call of the chair. Without
objection, it was so ordered.
___________________________
Senator Rodney Ellis, Chair
___________________________
Myra J. Schmitt, Clerk