CountyVolume 13, Issue 2 \ February 7, 2003 Publishedissues by the Texas Association of Counties contents Speaker Names House Committees ............................ Committees 1 House Speaker Tom Craddick announced the following committee appointments: Named • Agriculture & Livestock: Rick Hardcastle, Vernon, chair; Sid Miller, Stephenville, Washington Watch 3 vice chair; Betty Brown, Terrell, CBO; David Swinford, Dumas; Lon Burnam, Fort Emergency Worth; Delwin Jones, Lubbock; J.E. “Pete” Laney, Hale Center. • Appropriations: Talmadge Heflin, Houston, chair; Vilma Luna, Corpus Christi, vice News Online 3 chair; Leo Berman, Tyler; Dan Branch, Dallas; Fred Brown, College Station; Betty www.county.org Brown, Terrell; Myra Crownover, Denton; John Davis, Houston; Joe Deshotel, Beaumont; Dawnna Dukes, Austin; Craig Eiland, Galveston; Dan Ellis, Livingston; Resources, Naturally 4 Robert Gutierrez, McAllen; Peggy Hamric, Houston; Ruben Hope, Conroe; Loss of Water Suzanna Gratia Hupp, Lampasas; Carl Isett, Lubbock; Elizabeth Ames Jones, San Public Housing 4 Antonio; Lois Kolkhorst, Brenham; Ruth Jones McClendon, San Antonio; Jose Purchases Menendez, San Antonio; Joe Pickett, El Paso; Jim Pitts, Waxahachie; Richard Raymond, Laredo; Jim Solis, Harlingen; Jack Stick, Austin; Vicki Truitt, Grapevine; Military Discharge 5 Sylvester Turner, Houston; Arlene Wohlgemuth, Burleson. Confidentiality • Border & International Affairs: Norma Chavez, El Paso, chair; Bob Griggs, North Richland Hills, vice chair; Debbie Riddle, Houston; Gabi Canales, Alice; Joaquin Grievance Process 5 Castro, San Antonio; Tommy Merritt, Longview; Irma Rangel, Kingsville. Pre-Litigation • Business & Industry: Helen Giddings, Dallas, chair; Gary Elkins, Houston, vice chair; Kolkhorst, CBO; Trey Martinez Fischer, San Antonio; Burt Solomons, Child Support 8 Carrollton; Dwayne Bohac, Houston; Joe Moreno, Houston; Rene Oliveira, New Bills Brownsville; Bill Zedler, Arlington. • Calendars: Beverly Woolley, Houston, chair; Wohlgemuth, vice chair; Wayne Tax Credits 9 Low Income Christian, Center; Hupp; Luna; Jerry Madden, Richardson; Menendez; Gene Seaman, Corpus Christi; Barry Telford, DeKalb; Truitt; Turner. Stationary Vehicles 9 • Civil Practices: Joe Nixon, Houston, chair; Dan Gattis, Georgetown, vice chair; Safety Woolley; Jaime Capelo, Corpus Christi; Yvonne Davis, Dallas; Will Hartnett, Dallas; Phil King, Weatherford; Mike Krusee, Round Rock; Patrick Rose, Dripping Springs. AG Opinions 10 • Corrections: Ray Allen, Grand Prairie, chair; Chuck Hopson, Jacksonville, vice Issued chair; Stick, CBO; Jessica Farrar, Houston; Pat Haggerty, El Paso; Roberto Alonzo, Requested Dallas; John Mabry, Waco. • County Affairs: Glenn Lewis, Fort Worth, chair; Wayne Smith, Baytown; Carter Agency Rules 11 Casteel, New Braunfels; David Farabee, Wichita Falls; Warren Chisum, Pampa; Fiscal Notes Farrar; Dan Flynn, Canton; Dora Olivo, Rosenberg; Chente Quintanilla, El Paso. • Criminal Jurisprudence: Terry Keel, Austin, chair; Riddle, vice chair; Ellis, CBO; From the Desk 12 Special Districts Jim Dunnam, Waco; Terri Hodge, Dallas; Mary Denny, Aubrey; Paul Moreno, El Paso; Aaron Peña, Edinburg; Robert Talton, Pasadena. [Please see House Committees, continued on page 2] Countyissues [House Committees continued from page 1] • Defense Affairs & State-Federal Relations: Frank Corte, • Land & Resource Management: Anna Mowery, Fort San Antonio, chair; Scott Campbell, San Angelo, vice- Worth, chair; J. Jones, vice chair; Pickett, CBO; Tony chair; Berman, CBO; Dianne White Delisi, Temple; Seaman; Goolsby, Dallas; Ryan Guillen, Rio Grande City; Mabry; Merritt; P. Moreno; Rick Noriega, Houston. Haggerty; Scott Hochberg, Houston; Howard; Noriega. • Economic Development: Jim Keffer, Eastland, chair; • Law Enforcement: Joe Driver, Garland, chair; Timoteo Mark Homer, Paris, vice chair; Isett, CBO; Eddie Garza, Del Rio, vice chair; Hupp, CBO; Burnam; Y. Davis; Rodriguez, Austin; Bryan Hughes, Marshall; Senfronia Glenn Hegar Jr., Katy; Keel. A freshman vice chair. Thompson, Houston; Martha Wong, Houston. • Licensing & Administrative Procedures: Flores, chair; • Elections: Denny, chair; Charlie Howard, Sugar Land, vice Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton, Mauriceville, vice chair; chair; Deshotel, CBO; Carlos Uresti, San Antonio; Bohac; Raymond, CBO; Goolsby; D. Jones; Wise; Driver; Rob Garnet Coleman, Houston; Linda Harper-Brown, Irving. Eissler, The Woodlands; Homer. • Energy Resources: G.E. “Buddy” West, Odessa, chair; • Local & Consent Calendars: Reyna, chair; Deshotel, Farabee, vice chair; E. Jones, CBO; Joe Crabb, Humble; vice chair; Baxter; Callegari; R. Cook; Hope; Howard; E. Canales; Delisi; Bill Keffer, Dallas. Jones; Kolkhorst; Rose; Solis. • Environmental Regulation: Dennis Bonnen, Angleton, chair; • Local Government Ways & Means: Fred Hill, Edmund Kuempel, Seguin, vice chair; Crownover, CBO; Richardson, chair; Hegar, vice chair; Jodie Laubenberg, Chisum; Ismael “Kino” Flores, Mission; W. Smith; West. Parker; Jim McReynolds, San Augustine; Mowery; • Financial Institutions: Solomons, chair; Christian, vice Puente; Quintanilla. chair; Gutierrez, CBO; Hopson; Flynn; Ken Paxton, • Natural Resources: Puente, chair; Callegari, vice chair; McKinney; Miguel “Mike” Wise, Weslaco. Solomons Hope, CBO; R. Cook; Hardcastle; Campbell; Charlie moves up from vice chair. Geren, Fort Worth; Hamilton; Steve Wolens, Dallas. • General Investigating: Kevin Bailey, Houston, chair; • Pensions & Investments: Allan Ritter, Nederland, chair; Paxton, vice chair; Harold Dutton, Houston; Flynn; Keel. Telford; McClendon, CBO; Grusendorf; Martinez Fischer; Paxton is new this year Peña; Rose. • Government Reform: Swinford, chair; Pete Gallego, • Public Education: Grusendorf, chair; Oliveira, vice Alpine, vice chair; Allen; Bill Callegari, Katy; Casteel; chair; Branch, CBO; Dutton; Dawson; Eissler; Griggs; Robby Cook, Eagle Lake; Todd Smith, Euless. Hochberg; Madden. • Higher Education: Geanie Morrison, Victoria, chair; • Public Health: Capelo, chair; Laubenberg, vice chair; Rangel, vice chair; F. Brown, CBO; Jesse Jones, Dallas; Truitt, CBO; Coleman; McReynolds; Dawson; Naishtat; Nixon; Chavez; Giddings; Ken Mercer, San Antonio; Taylor; Zedler. John Smithee, Amarillo. • Redistricting: Crabb, chair; Villarreal, vice chair; Flores; • House Administration: Hamric, chair; Lewis, vice chair; Grusendorf; Isett; King; Krusee; Luna; Marchant; Berman; Glenda Dawson, Pearland; Denny; Elkins; McClendon; Morrison; Pitts; Raymond; Talton; Wilson. Giddings; Mercer; Robert Puente, San Antonio; Larry • Regulated Industries: King, chair; Hunter, vice chair; Taylor, Friendswood; West. Turner, CBO; Wolens; Baxter; Crabb; Guillen. • Human Services: Uresti, chair; Elliott Naishtat, vice • Rules & Resolutions: Al Edwards, Houston, chair; Wong, chair; Wohlgemuth, CBO; Villarreal; Christian; Brian vice chair; Bohac; Canales; Casteel; Byron Cook, McCall, Plano; Miller; Olivo; Elvira Reyna, Mesquite. Corsicana; Eissler; Hughes; B. Keffer; Quintanilla; Zedler. • Insurance: Smithee, chair; Seaman, vice chair; Eiland, • State Affairs: Marchant, chair; Madden, vice chair; J. Davis, CBO; Gallego; Thompson; Bonnen; B. Keffer; Taylor; CBO; Elkins; Goodman; B. Cook; Gattis; Lewis; Villarreal. Corbin Van Arsdale, Houston. • State Cultural & Recreational Resources: Harvey • Judicial Affairs: Hartnett; chair; T. Smith, vice chair; Hilderbran, Kerrville, chair; Geren, vice chair; Dukes, Solis, CBO; Alonzo; Corte; Hughes; Rodriguez; Telford; CBO; Larry Phillips, Sherman; Bailey; B. Cook; Kuempel. Ron Wilson, Houston. • Transportation: Krusee, chair; Phillips, vice chair; • Juvenile Justice & Family Issues: Dutton, chair; Toby Hamric, CBO; Hill; Laney; Edwards; Garza; Harper- Goodman, Arlington, vice chair; Reyna; Todd Baxter, Brown; Mercer Austin; Castro; Dunnam; Hodge; J. Moreno; Morrison. [Please see House Committees, continued on page 3] Page 2 \ February 7, 2003 Countyissues Washington Watch By Sue Glover Governmental Relations Manager PRESIDENT BUSH DECLARES EMERGENCY IN TEXAS On Feb. 1, President George W. Bush declared that an Should funding become available at a later date your emergency exists in the states of Texas and Louisiana in county could be entitled to some type of reimbursement for the wake of the loss of space shuttle Columbia. According its search efforts. Clear and full detailed documentation of to the press release issued by the Federal Emergency such expenses is absolutely essential. Management Agency (FEMA) the President’s declaration Funding would be made under the provisions of the authorizes FEMA to coordinate federal aid and ensure that Stafford Act, which was enacted in 1993 to support state responders to this tragedy have the resources they need. and local governments and their citizens when disasters The emergency declaration provides that assistance will overwhelm them. be provided as deemed necessary by the director of FEMA, We realize money is not a fundamental concern during and areas will be designated at a later date. these trying times; however we wanted to inform you that Although it is unclear whether counties will be entitled reimbursement for your efforts may be forthcoming and to reimbursement, we encourage counties to document documentation will be required. For more information, any expenditure made to assist with the search, find and please contact Sue Glover at 800-456-5974 or secure efforts for debris of the space shuttle Columbia. [email protected]. h Legislative News Now Online at www.county.org The Texas Association of Counties Legislative