By: Price H.R. No. 3646

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The staff of the Sunset Advisory Commission provided vital assistance to the 84th Texas Legislature during the 2014-2015 Sunset review cycle; and

WHEREAS, Between September 2013 and January 2015, the Sunset Advisory Commission worked to develop recommendations regarding the 20 agencies under Sunset review, including the Administrative Hearings Tax Division, the State Office of Administrative Hearings, the Department of Aging and Disability Services, the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, the Interagency Task Force for Children with Special Needs, the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Facilities Commission, the Department of Family and Protective Services, the Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas Health Care Information Council, the Texas Health Services Authority, the Department of State Health Services, the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities, the Texas Council on Purchasing from People with Disabilities, Entry Criteria for Self- Directed Semi-Independent Agencies, the State Soil and Water Conservation Board, the University Interscholastic League, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the Texas Workforce Investment Council; and

WHEREAS, the Sunset Advisory Commission's recommendations to the 84th Legislature are intended to streamline government and best meet the needs of Texans; they include abolishing 13 agencies and related boards, commissions, and councils, eliminating 45 statutory advisory committees, and discontinuing nine regulatory programs and four other programs, producing an estimated positive fiscal impact to the state of $66.5 million over the upcoming 2016-2017 biennium; and

WHEREAS, To develop the recommendations, the Sunset Advisory Commission, with the professional assistance of the Sunset staff held numerous hearings, including two days of hearings that lasted over 27 hours from June 24 to June 25, 2014; commission members heard from Sunset staff, agency officials, and more than 240 individuals who offered valuable public testimony; commission members also had the opportunity to ask many salient questions during the hearings; and

WHEREAS, Since the inception of the Sunset Advisory Commission in 1977, the process has significantly streamlined and improved state government; among the 79 agencies that have been eliminated, 37 were completely abolished and 42 were abolished with certain functions transferred to existing or newly created agencies; in addition, the legislature has enacted a large majority of the Sunset Commission's recommendations; for example, of the agencies reviewed by Sunset for the 83rd Legislature in 2013, the legislature adopted 75 percent of the commission's recommendations; and

WHEREAS, The fiscal impact of Sunset recommendations over time has been estimated through fiscal notes that accompany Sunset legislation; estimates from reviews conducted between 1982 and 2013 indicate a 31-year positive fiscal impact of approximately $945.6 million, compared with expenditures of $37.2 million for the Sunset Commission; based on these figures, every dollar spent on the Sunset process has earned the state approximately $25 in return; and

WHEREAS, The Sunset staff was named the 2012 winner of the National Conference of State Legislatures Excellence in Evaluation Award, and NCSL cited the commission's quality analytical methods and superior written and verbal communication as reasons for its selection; and

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of the Sunset Advisory Commission agency director Ken Levine, the staff team members for the 2014-2015 review cycle include: Jennifer Jones, Ginny McKay, Joe Walraven, Steven Ogle, Karen Latta, Karl Spock, Amy Trost, Faye Rencher, Katharine Teleki, Sarah Kirkle, Anne Allensworth, Eric Beverly, Erick Fajardo, Kay Hricik, Emily Johnson, Carissa Nash, Danielle Nasr, Sean Shurtleff, Amy Tripp, Skylar Wilk, Cee Hartley, Cindy Womack, Dawn Roberson, Janet Wood, and Brittany Calame; and

WHEREAS, These noteworthy public servants have demonstrated extraordinary dedication and the utmost professionalism in furthering the vital mission of the Sunset Advisory Commission, and their endeavors have contributed immeasurably to the efficiency and accountability of state government; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas Legislature hereby commend the members of the 2014-2015 Sunset Advisory Commission review cycle team for their outstanding work and extend to them sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the commission as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.