The House Committee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs

84th Legislature

June 2, 2016

9:00 a.m.

El Paso, TX (see below)

Pursuant to a notice posted on April 27, 2016, the House Committee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs met in a public hearing and was called to order by the chair, Representative King, Susan, at 9:09 a.m.

The initial quorum call was answered as follows: Representatives King, Susan; Frank; Blanco; Lujan; Schaefer; and Shaheen.

A quorum was present.

Representative González, Mary was also in attendance

Senator Rodríguez, José was also in attendance

Topic 1- Maintaining Military Value of Defense Installations and Communities

Interim Charge #1

Explore how encroachment (environmental, technological, and architectural) impacts the vital missions of our military bases in Texas and which policies can be put into place while retaining respect for private property rights, economic growth, and the operation of military facilities.

Interim Charge #2

Explore adding notifications to the Texas Real Estate Commission Seller Disclosure Form, as well as a notification to buyers of new home construction, in order to inform buyers that a property may be located near a military installation or a military airport and could be affected by high noise or its air installation compatible use zones, or other operations.

Interim Charge #4

Assess ways the State of Texas can further aid our federal military installations and their communities in order to minimize the negative consequences of a potential forthcoming BRAC round by the federal government.

Interim Charge #5

Assess the continuing effect and the impact of sequestration and federal defense spending on Texas military bases, soldiers and their families, base communities, and Texas defense contractors. Identify solutions to address issues raised by federal policy.

Testimony taken/registration recorded.  (See attached witness list.)

Topic 2- Education and Employment Barriers for Veterans

Interim Charge #6

Analyze whether unnecessary, redundant or punitive barriers exist for Texas Veterans pursuing educational or occupational careers upon completion of their military service. Study and ensure that appropriate measures are in place to allow veterans to receive the maximum college credit benefit for their service-related training in the armed forces.

Testimony taken/registration recorded.  (See attached witness list.)

Topic 3- Oversight of Legislation Passed by Committee

Under this Topic, issues relating to the following Interim Charge will be discussed:

Interim Charge #7

Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 84th Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should:

a.         consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens;

b.         identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate; and

c.         determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs.

Testimony taken/registration recorded.  (See attached witness list.)

(Representative Frank in chair.)

(Representative King, Susan in chair.)

(Representative Frank in chair.)

(Representative King, Susan in chair.)

At 4:58 p.m., on the motion of the chair and without objection, the meeting was adjourned subject to the call of the chair.

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Rep. King, Susan, Chair

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Paul Theobald, Clerk