Transportation Commission Approves Mobility Plans for Urban Areas

The Texas Transportation Commission has approved mobility plans for the state's eight urban areas, a move that will accelerate construction of new highways and lanes. The eight mobility plans were submitted in August by the state's largest regional planning agencies, a year after the Commission mandated them as part of its decision to annually allocate funding directly to the urban areas.

The plans identify $136 billion in new construction needed to reduce traffic congestion during the next 20 years. Of that amount, only an estimated $68 billion could be funded through traditional sources such as the federal and state gasoline taxes. The mobility plans identify $12 billion in new funding that can be generated in the upcoming years due to new state policies that encourage development of toll roads and cost-sharing between the state and local governments through bond programs and other measures.

Regarding the approval of the eight Texas Metropolitan Mobility Plans, Steve Simmons, deputy executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation, said: "We will get more mobility projects under construction sooner. We'll be able to move 88 percent of the new-capacity projects in those eight metropolitan areas that were scheduled for a 12-year period into six years."

The first round of money is expected to go out at the Commission's November meeting with approval of the Statewide Mobility Plan.

State OKs New Regional Mobility Authority

The Texas Transportation Commission has authorized the formation of the Northeast Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA). The new RMA will be the state's fifth. The first project undertaken by the NET RMA will be the continuation of Loop 49 in Smith County as a four-lane divided roadway, including an eastern corridor extending into Gregg County.

The NET RMA will encompass the boundaries of both Smith and Gregg counties. It will be governed by a board of directors consisting of up to seven members. The Smith County Commissioners Court will appoint three board members, one specifically representing the city of Tyler's interests. Gregg County commissioners will also appoint three board members, one specifically representing the city of Longview's interests. Gov. Perry will appoint the presiding officer of the board. Discussions regarding the appointments are already taking place.

RMAs were authorized by the Texas Legislature in 2001 to construct, operate and maintain turnpike projects in the state. Because the RMAs can use local dollars to leverage revenue bonds, they can construct major projects in years rather than the decades it usually takes projects bankrolled by traditional funding sources to be completed. The four other RMAs are the Bexar County RMA, Grayson County RMA, Cameron County RMA and Central Texas RMA, which is comprised of Travis and Williamson counties. A sixth RMA could be approved in the near future. Commissioners are reviewing a proposal from Webb County in South Texas.

FEMA Awards UT Health Science Center $2.2 Million For Flood Prevention

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston almost $2.2 million to help safeguard the medical institution from future flooding disasters. The grant will fund upgrades to guard electrical operations at the facility. FEMA will cover 75 percent of the project costs, while local funds will cover the remaining portion. Over the past three years, FEMA has funded more than $200 million in flood mitigation projects at Houston-area hospitals.

CTRMA Releases Proposed Tolling Policies

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) has released its first set of proposed tolling rules for the region's planned toll roads. Under the proposed rules, businesses would be required to maintain pre-paid accounts, as required by state law. The price of each toll will be deducted from the account. Each business will be allowed an unlimited number of tags, with a minimum of six tags. Under the draft rules, toll tags will be available at kiosks, vending machines, retail outlets online and off-line, as well as at toll lane attendant booths. The Authority is also proposing a 10 percent discount for those who buy toll tags, which can be used on Houston and Dallas toll roads as well.

The CTRMA will hold public hearings to discuss a host of issues, including:

• how, or if, businesses should be notified once the account gets low;
• whether or not a deposit will be required for a toll tag;
• and, whether or not the tolling agency would reimburse businesses for the return of toll tags.

The public comment period will run from November 1 to December 1. The CTRMA will host an open house meeting before its regularly scheduled board meeting November 10, from 5:30pm to 10:30pm at the Red Oak Ballroom in Northcross Mall at 2525 W. Anderson Lane.

Texas' First Energy Plan Taking Shape

The state's first energy plan is beginning to take shape. The 22-member Texas Energy Planning Council met this week to consider eight recommendations to include in the plan which will be submitted to the Legislature next year. The council will meet November 19 to finalize the plan.

The recommendations being considered are:

• Renaming the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) the Texas Energy Commission to reflect its true function. The RRC's duties regarding railroad safety would be shifted over to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
• Creating a permanent nine-member Texas Energy Planning Commission to be comprised of the following: A Texas Senate member appointed by the lieutenant governor; a Texas House member appointed by the House speaker; the commission chairmen of TxDOT, RRC, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Public Utility Commission; and two public members.
• Authorization of a tax of a tenth of 1 percent on oil and gas revenue to create a Texas Energy Education and Technology Fund to develop the state's future energy work force.
• A legislative resolution to make Texas a leader in oil and gas research. The resolution would set aside $2.5 million from the proposed Texas Energy Education and Technology Fund that could help leverage a share of the $1.9 billion in federal funds available for oil and gas research.
• A new law called the Texas Increased Rig Count and Orphan Well Reduction Act. The proposed law would waive the 5 percent severance tax for exploratory drilling. The tax cut would expire at the end of fiscal 2007 if well-drilling activity does not rise to a certain goal. The proposed law also would increase drilling fees to provide more money to plug abandoned wells.
• A legislative resolution signifying support for the development of liquefied natural gas terminals on Texas' coast.
• A new law called the Texas Clean Refineries and Coal Gasification Technology Commercialization Act. The proposed law would tax refinery production a quarter of a cent per gallon for five years to create a $450 million pool to help fund coal gasification projects.
• A new law to raise the percentage of electricity generated by alternative renewable sources, mainly wind power.

Online Report Cards on Texas Universities to be Available Soon

Starting in December, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will post report cards on Texas public universities on its Web site. The report cards will include information on graduation rates, class sizes and other facts for all public four-year universities, health institutions and technical colleges. A similar system for community colleges is being developed. The report cards will put universities into one of five categories to allow for comparisons to be made between institutions. The system also sets targets for each category. For example, by 2008 universities categorized as research institutions are expected to spend 15 percent more on research than they do now.

Speaker Predicts 2005 Legislature Will Focus Primarily on School Finance and Workers' Comp

Speaking at the 42nd annual meeting of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick said he believes the 2005 Legislature will focus primarily on public school finance and workers' compensation. He said he expects legislators to approve a "mixture of different taxes" that distributes the tax burden among a broader base of business owners, homeowners and consumers. Currently, homemakers, through property taxes, pay for most of school financing. Craddick said it is necessary that the Legislature create a system that spreads the burden of taxation fairly among individuals and businesses. Regarding workers' compensation, he promised that the Legislature would make changes to the program. The Sunset Commission recently proposed a plan to dismantle the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission (TWCC) and shift many of its responsibilities to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI).

Higher Ed Accountability Measures Adopted

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board adopted accountability measures for higher education institutes at its meeting this week. Under the approved measures, public universities might receive financial rewards from the state if they meet goals related to measures such as improving enrollment and graduation rates, especially among minorities, and boosting research expenditures. Gov. Rick Perry called for the creation of an accountability system by executive order in January. Public university regents are expected to approve the accountability measures, which are due by Dec. 17, according to Perry's order. It is uncertain whether the Legislature will address the measures when it convenes in January.

Two Health Care Projects to Share $2.92 Million in HIT Grants

Two health care projects have been awarded a total of $2.92 million over the next three years for health information technology (HIT) initiatives by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The grants were awarded through HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). In all, $139 million in grants and contracts were awarded to projects around the country to help improve the nation's health care system. Grant money will be used to promote access to HIT, develop statewide and regional health care networks and encourage the adoption of HIT by sharing knowledge. According to HHS, in addition to improving care for patients and giving health care providers additional support, widespread use of HIT could potentially reduce the country's total annual spending on health care by up to 10 percent.

Texas projects receiving funding are:

• Rural Hospital Collaborative for Excellence Using IT - will receive an estimated $1.48 million to implement advanced information technology in rural and small community hospitals including Web-based business intelligence tools, Internet connectivity, and standardized national measures of patient safety and quality; also provides education intervention to support implementation efforts and evaluate its effects on patient safety and quality. Project is being undertaken by Palo Pinto General Hospital.
• Measuring the Value of Remote ICU Monitoring - will receive an estimated $1.44 million to examine the effect of tele-ICU monitoring on mortality, complications, length of stay, cost-effectiveness, provider attitudes, and human factors issues in ICUs and 7 community hospitals. The project is being undertaken by the University of Texas at Houston.

EPA Awards TCEQ $300,000 Grant For Environmental Exchange Network

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) a $300,000 grant for continued work on the nationwide Environmental Information Exchange Network. In all, 67 grants totaling more than $20 million to thirty-two states, three U.S. territories and 18 Native American tribes were awarded. When complete, the Exchange Network will make it easier for states, tribes and other partners to provide information to the EPA. TCEQ will use the grant money to develop Exchange Network connections, nodes and data flows. EPA will be able to collect data stored on the nodes using a universal format software language. In the past, states and other partners had to resolve hardware or data incompatibility problems in order to transfer data.

Strategic Partnerships, Inc. (SPI) is a Texas-based, ten year old research and knowledge based consulting firm offering business development and public affairs services. To learn more about SPI services click here or contact Crystal Kuhs at 512-531-3900.

Governor's Latest Appointments

San Jacinto River Authority Board of Directors: John H. Stibbs, Jr.

Presiding Judge of the Ninth Administrative Judicial Region: Kelly G. Moore

Presiding Judge of the Sixth Administrative Judicial Region: Stephen B. Ables

TxDOT Awards Angelina Airport $3.3 Million

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has awarded the Angelina County Airport approximately $3.3 million to make much-needed repairs and improvements to one of its runways. Previous add-ons will be repaired and the entire runway will be over overlaid with new pavement. A new runway lighting system will also be installed, in addition to other improvements. Bids for the new projects will be let in January. Ninety percent of the funds will come from TxDOT's Aviation Facilities Grant Program, which is used to preserve and improve the state's general aviation system. Angelina County will be responsible for the remaining 10 percent of the grant.

Event Links

Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Fall Conference - 11/04/04 - 11/05/04

Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Fall Institute - 11/7/04 - 11/9/04

TASA/TASB Pre-Legislative Seminar - 12/03/04

2004 UST Management & Compliance Assistance Seminar 12/09/04

WSLCA Winter Conference 2005 - 01/09/05 - 01/13/05

WIN TEXAS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

For a FREE TRIAL of SPI's Future Opportunity Analysis and Bid Monitoring services click here.

SPI has a dedicated Information Services (IS) Division that researches governmental entities and analyzes data for future and current business opportunities. Our team studies and reviews strategic plans, legislative appropriations requests, appropriations bills, and budgets to identify potential business projects. IS provides these key services and products:

• Future Opportunity Analysis - email notification of new opportunities as they are discovered and updates to opportunities as new information becomes available



• Bid Monitoring - timely email notification of current procurement opportunities for over 500 state agencies, institutions of higher education, cities, counties, school districts, airports, and ports.



• Customized Research - specific intelligence on entities, opportunities, markets, trends, products, competitors, etc.

Please contact SPI's Crystal Kuhs at ckuhs@spartnerships.com for more details.

Past ABJ articles by Mary Scott Nabers

State requests can hold keys to future spending - 10/15/2004

Texas cities looking to rails to solve traffic woes - 9/24/2004

Biometrics growth identified as future windfall - 9/10/2004

Texas Government Insider Archives

Volume 2 Issue 42 - 10/22/04

Volume 1 and Volume 2 Archives - 11/7/03 - 10/14/04

News from Strategic Partnerships, Inc.

Upcoming Event: Mary Scott Nabers, SPI's CEO and President, will be a keynote speaker at the Executive Women in Texas Government (EWTG)18th Annual Professional Development Conference.

The conference will be held on Monday, November 22 at the Renaissance Austin Hotel. The 2004 conference theme is "Leadership in a Changing Texas."

EWTG is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to developing and encouraging women in Texas government and higher education by offering educational, interactive and professional growth opportunities. EWTG has over 400 members representing more than 100 state agencies and institutions of higher learning throughout Texas.

For more information, visit http://www.ewtg.org/conference.

Resources

Texas Education Links

Texas Municipal Courts FY05 Academic Schedule

LBJ School Office of Professional Development Calendar of Events

HUB Forms Library

State Contract Management Guide

TBPC Facilities Master Plan

Who Represents Me? Texas Districts By Address

Legislative Glossary

Diagram of Legislative Process in Texas

Diagram of Texas' Biennial Budget Cycle

Texas Fact Book 2004

Public Hearings/Meetings

Joint Committee on Study Commission on Water for Environmental Flows--9:30am, November 3, Capitol Extension, E1.036

Senate Select Interim Committee on Water Policy--1:30pm, November 3, Capitol Extension, E1.036

Austin-San Antonio Intermuncipal Commuter Rail District's Board of Directors Meeting--11:00am, November 5, Alamo Area Council of Government's office, 8700 Tesoro Dr., Ste. 100, San Antonio

Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority--5:30pm - 10:30pm, November 10, Red Oak Ballroom in Northcross Mall, 2525 W. Anderson Lane

Signing Up for the Texas Government Insider™

We welcome you to add your friends and co-workers to the Texas Government Insider™ distribution. Simply click the Sign up for our mailing list icon near the top of this issue. Occasionally, we learn about people who signed up, but didn’t get the Texas Government Insider™. In nearly all cases, the problem turned out to be spam filtering on the receiving end. We strongly support the elimination of undesired email and applaud the use of technology to filter it. Occasionally, however, such filters prevent email that the recipient wanted to receive. If you have been unable to receive the Texas Government Insider™ or suddenly stop receiving it, we urge you to contact your information technology department to see if this was the cause.

Understanding How Agencies Find Your Business and the Role You Play

The Capital City African American Chamber of Commerce and the Austin Minority and Small Business Development Alliance Committee are hosting a free forum - "Understanding How Agencies Find Your Business and the Role You Play" - November 3 from 5:30pm - 8:00pm in the Central Receiving Building at The University of Texas, 2200 Comal, Austin. The seminar will cover: advertising and solicitation requirements for state agencies, how to use the Centralized Masters Bidders List (CMBL) & HUB Directory, and key advantages of CMBL registration. To make a reservation contact: admin@capcitychamber.org or call 459-1181.

UT Law Lecture Inaugurating the Kay Bailey Hutchison Chair in Latin American Law

HUB Vendor Fair

The The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will host a HUB Vendor Fair 9:00am - 2:00pm on November 10 in the Main Auditorium Foyer, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio. For more information, contact Rudy De La Cruz at 210-567-6036 or via email at delacruz@uthscsa.edu.

E-Records 2004: Compliance and Conversion Solutions

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) and the Department of Information Resources (DIR) will host a one-day conference on November 18 for state government officials involved in the management of electronic records. This e-records conference seeks to improve electronic records management in Texas government through the use of statewide standards and best practices. The conference will focus on the conversion from paper records to electronic records. The conference will be held at The Commons Center on the University of Texas' J.J. Pickle Research Campus in Austin. For more details, click here.

E-Gov Institute Information Assurance Conference

The 5th E-Gov Institute Information Assurance Conference will be held November 30 - December 2 in Washington, D.C. The conference is designed by and for those responsible for Information/CyberSecurity programs in the public sector. Speakers include Amit Yoran, Former Director for the National Cybersecurity Division, Dept. of Homeland Security, who will give a keynote address on Cybersecurity Priorities for 2005: Challenges, Risks and Opportunities. For more information, click here.

Editor's Note: Often we hear from people who signed up, but aren't receiving the Texas Government Insider™. In nearly all cases, the problem turns out to be spam filtering on the receiving end. We strongly support the elimination of undesired email and applaud the use of technology to filter it. Occasionally, however, such filters prevent email that the recipient wants to receive. If you have been unable to receive the Texas Government Insider™ or suddenly stop receiving it, we urge you to contact your information technology department to see if this was the cause.