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Editors Note: Some of our readers recently received an email from a group calling itself TexasInsider.org and there may be some confusion regarding its affiliation with the Texas Government Insider™. There is no relationship between these two e-publications.
State Pledges $16.2 Million for Road Improvements at Fort Bliss
In response to the Army's announcement it will move 3,800 soldiers to Fort Bliss in 2006, Gov. Rick Perry has committed $16.2 million to improve infrastructure, mobility and traffic flow on and around Fort Bliss. Potential projects include building an overpass between Fort Bliss and Biggs Army Airfield that will ease traffic congestion in the area and provide for the efficient movement of personnel and equipment between the base and the nearby airfield.
Regarding the announcement, Gov. Perry said: "Not only will these infrastructure projects support the additional 3,800 soldiers and civilians that will call Fort Bliss home beginning in 2006, it will place Fort Bliss in a stronger position as the Department of Defense makes base realignment and closure decisions in the near future."
Recently, Perry pledged $20 million for transportation infrastructure improvements at Fort Hood to help secure the relocation of 5,000 additional troops next year. Perry has asked the Transportation Commission to place both the Fort Bliss and Fort Hood projects on its August 26 agenda in order to get them up and running before the next round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions is made next year.
Harris County's MTA To Receive More Than $12 Million in Federal Funding
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County will receive more than $12 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. The funding will be used for environmental impact studies and preliminary planning and engineering of the Advanced Metro Transit Plan. The plan calls for transit improvements such as 72 miles of additional commuter rail service in the Houston metropolitan area.
Rice University ED To Serve on TCEQ Advisory Panel
Christian Holmes, executive director of Rice University's Environmental and Energy Systems Institute (EESI) and Shell Center for Sustainability, has been appointed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) as the sole academic representative on the state's Pollution Prevention Advisory Committee (PPAC). PPAC was established by the Legislature to advise TCEQ on the state's policy and goals for pollution prevention and waste minimization.
PPAC is composed of nine voting members: four representatives from an environmental or public interest group, four representatives from the regulated community, and one representative from academia. PPAC also has eight ex officio members from the following sectors: small business, local government, agriculture, Department of Defense, labor, and the Clean Texas-Cleaner World program.
Holmes, a past chief financial officer and assistant administrator with the Environmental Protection Agency, has also worked for the State Department and the Agency for International Development in nations throughout the world. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Holmes' appointment, one of eight PPAC appointments approved July 22 by TCEQ commissioners, is effective through August 2005.
The other seven PPAC appointments made July 22 are: A.W. Armstrong, a Senior Consultant with JD Consulting, L.P. in Austin, Dr. Melanie Barnes, a senior research associate with the Department of Geosciences at Texas Tech University, Debbie Boyle, the Director of Environment, Safety and Industrial Health for the Oncor Energy Delivery and TXU Gas in Arlington, Sharla Hotchkiss, a board member of Keep Texas Beautiful, Paula Littles, Human Rights Director for the Texas AFL-CIO, Luke Metzger, an advocate with the Texas Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and Kelley Neumann, Vice President of Planning, Programming and Quality Control for the San Antonio Water System (SAWS).
Kingsbery Otto Named General Counsel for the Senate Natural Resources Committee
Kingsbery Otto was recently named General Counsel for the Senate Natural Resources Committee. She previously served as General Counsel to the Senate Economic Development Committee in the 72nd Legislative Session. For the past eight years, she has served as Director of Government Relations at the Department of Family and Protective Services (formerly the Dept. of Protective and Regulatory Services). Otto held a similar position at the Texas Employment Commission. She worked at the Texas Railroad Commission in transportation and gas utilities as well as serving as Public Counsel for the Office of Public Utility Counsel representing consumer interests before the Public Utility Commission.
Otto was a JAG officer in the Texas Army National Guard for nine years, attaining the rank of Major. She was born and reared in Coleman County where she and her mother ranch the family property that has been in the Kingsbery family since 1897. She graduated from Texas A&M and holds a law degree from Texas Tech School of Law.
Opportunities Looming Along Austin-SA Corridor
With the population of the 130-mile corridor along IH-35 from San Antonio to Temple expected to double over the next 20 years to almost 5 million people, major infrastructure projects for the area are in the works or on the drawing board.
Without finding alternative ways to handle the transportation needs of a burgeoning population, IH-35 would have to be expanded to 18 lanes by 2025 to accommodate the increased demand. State Highway 130 - a 90 mile highway paralleling IH-35 from Georgetown to Seguin which is presently under construction and scheduled to be completed by 2007 - will provide a greatly-needed, yet partial solution.
One potential project that is garnering great attention is shifting some of Union Pacific's through-freight operation from existing tracks that run parallel to IH-35 between Georgetown and San Antonio to a new, more efficient corridor east of State Highway 130. The existing Union Pacific Corridor would then be used for commuter rail service.
This project, and others, are being pursued by The Greater Austin - San Antonio Corridor Council, a private, non-profit corporation composed of contributing members from the region's business and public sectors, including 25 local governments and more than 100 private firms and individuals and the Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Commuter Rail District (ASAICRD).
Infrastructure projects won't just benefit construction companies and commuters, according to Jeff Webb, Vice-President of the Corridor Council. The Council's economic development committee believes an efficient transportation system could help attract companies specializing in areas such as information technology, military infrastructure, auto manufacturing or biotechnology to relocate or set-up operations in the area. The creation of commuter rail stations similar to that of Mockingbird Station in Dallas would serve as economic hubs, attracting a mix of retail, housing and business developments.
For more information on projects along the Austin-San Antonio Corridor, visit: The Greater Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council and the Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Commuter Rail District.
UTD Launches Technology Think Tank
The Center for the Analysis of Property Rights and Innovation (CAPRI), a think tank to study intellectual property rights and related issues in the expanding digital domain, recently opened its doors at the University of Dallas' (UTD) School of Management. Dr. Stan Liebowitz, professor of managerial economics at UTD, will serve as the center's director.
The center will award grants to faculty members at UTD and other universities to write research papers on subjects such as open source software, peer-to-peer file sharing, common property ownership of intellectual creations and digital rights management. Funding sources include private corporations, individuals interested in property rights issues and charitable foundations.
Counties Worried About Budget Cuts
Texas county officials are worried state legislators will burden local governments with unfunded mandates and limit counties' ability to raise tax revenue. Counties haven't yet felt the effect of the $9.9 billion the state cut from its budget last year, said Casey Boethel, director of government relations for the Texas Association of Counties. "We haven't seen the full impact from the fallout, although we've begun to see it. Counties and cities are taking on burdens passed down from the state," Boethel said. Earlier this year, Gov. Rick Perry proposed capping residential property appraisals at 3 percent per year and restricting local taxing districts from increasing tax revenue by more than 3 percent without a vote.
Torres Appointed to Economic Development Advisory Board
Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Edward Torres, a partner and manager of San Antonio City Tours, to the Advisory Board of Economic Development Stakeholders. The board is charged with collecting and circulating information on federal, state, local and private community development programs. Torres is a past chairman of Leadership San Antonio, past board member of the San Antonio Area Foundation and the San Antonio Transportation Advisory Board and past finance chairman of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. His term will expire on Sept. 1, 2007.
UT System Concerned About Los Alamos Issues
After months spent working toward a possible bid to operate Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, University of Texas System officials are concerned about problems that have surfaced.. Recent scandals at the lab including the disappearance of two computer disks containing classified lab information have sparked outrage in Congress and at the Department of Energy.
James Huffines, chairman of the UT Board of Regents, which oversees the system's nine academic and six health campuses and UT Chancellor Mark Yudof have both expressed that it is unlikely the UT System would bid alone or as the lead partner in a joint bid. "We'd want to be part of a collaboration if we did it at all, but not the lead when you look at the types of concerns that are out there," Yudof said.
If the UT System does pursue this bid, it could potentially do so with the Texas A&M University System. While no formal, high-level discussions have taken place between the two systems, both have expressed their willingness to explore a partnership and have filed formal expressions of interest in operating the lab with the Energy Department.
State Contracting
The sheer dollar volume of state contracts has made government contracting a topic of frequent interest for the legislature. In addition, the increasing focus on outsourcing by many agencies makes this area grow in importance each year.
Recognizing this, the 77th Legislature (2001) passed SB 311 which included in Article 5 provisions directing:
- The Office of Attorney General (OAG) in consultation with other agencies to create a contract management guide;
- The State Auditor's Office (SAO) to audit agencies for compliance with the guide and to develop a training program for contract managers;
- The OAG may establish procedures by which each state agency would be required to invite public comment for major contracts (those over $1 million); and
- The creation of a Contract Advisory Team with a specific membership and charter, although no Chair was designated.
Portions of this were changed by the 78th Legislature (2003) through passage of HB 3042 which included in Article 7 provisions to:
- move the lead role for creation of the contract guide from OAG to TBPC;
- move from OAG to TBPC the key role for assisting the state auditor in helping non-complying agencies;
- move the training charter from SAO to TBPC;
- move from OAG to TBPC the charter for establishing rules with regard to public comment on major contracts; and
- redirect the recommendations of the Contract Advisory Team to correspond to the above changes of responsibility.
In November, Speaker Tom Craddick issued Interim Study Charges to the committees of the House and included a charge to House Appropriations related to contracts (Interim Charge 4 to the Appropriations Committee). A subcommittee headed by Rep. Carl Isett held a second hearing on this charge yesterday and heard testimony from the following agencies:
- Texas Building and Procurement Commission
- Department of Information Resources
- Health and Human Services Commission
- Employees Retirement System
- Teacher Retirement System
TBPC presented the committee with a draft copy of the contract management guide and said it would be published on their Web site upon completion. The guide includes the process for review of contracts by the Contract Advisory Team. The Texas Government Insider™ will provide further information when the guide is published. Some of the recurring themes in the hearing were:
- How to prevent or remedy the problems of fraud and conflicts of interest;
- How to assure that state agencies use suitable contract negotiation and management skills, either through training and meaningful career paths for state employees or through increased use of third party expertise; and
- Whether there should be more centralized participation by agencies like DIR, TBPC, and the Contract Advisory Team, in the form of oversight and/or by developing more standardization of terms and conditions.
No date has bee set for the next hearing.
Two weeks ago the Lieutenant Governor called for greater accountability in agency outsourcing. In a letter to all committee chairs, he asked that committees review existing contract management practices and provide recommendations on legislation that would "encourage more accountability and forthright contracting practices across state government."
The Texas Government Insider™ will continue to monitor this issue and report our findings.
HHSC Selects Four General Counsels
General Counsels have been selected for the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and three of its departments: Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), and Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
HHSC: Carey Smith, who has been deputy commissioner for legal services at DHS since 2002, has more than 18 years of state government experience, focusing on financial litigation and administrative law. He previously worked at the Office of the Attorney General, most recently in the financial litigation division.
DADS: Phoebe Knauer joined the Department of Family and Protective Services in 1996. She served as deputy general counsel since 1999 and as acting general counsel since May of this year. Knauer, who previously worked for the Texas Employment Commission in a variety of legal roles, including hearings examiner, assistant to the general counsel, briefing attorney to the commissioner and director of the Information Release Department, has focused on family and administrative law in her more than 26 years of state government experience.
DARS: Sylvia Hardman has more than 16 years of state government experience, focusing on administrative and health law. She joined the Texas Rehabilitation Commission in 1997 as assistant general counsel and served as general counsel and ethics advisor since 1998. She previously worked in the fraud unit of the Texas Department of Insurance and the tax division at the Office of the Attorney General.
DSHS: Cathy Campbell joined the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation in 1980 as staff attorney and has been general counsel since 1991. She previously served as staff attorney for the State Board of Insurance. She has focused on health and administrative law during her more than 25 years of state government experience
Gerry Williams will serve as acting general counsel for the final HHSC department - Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Williams has been with the agency since it split from DHS in 1992, most recently as supervising attorney for programs and enforcement. He joined DHS in 1988 as an assistant regional attorney. Williams, who has worked in private practice and as assistant county and district attorney in Ellis County, has more than 18 years of state government experience, focusing on family and administrative law and policy.
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Strategic Partnerships, Inc. (SPI) is a Texas-based, nine 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.
Ed Frazier Joins SPI as COO
Strategic Partnerships, Inc. is pleased to announce that Ed Frazier has joined the SPI Team as Chief Operating Officer. Ed has 35+ years of leadership, management and information technology experience in the private sector, including over 15 years at the executive level.
Prior to joining SPI, Ed held various leadership positions in administration, operations, telecommunications and systems development. He most recently served as President & CEO of eCustomers, Inc., a venture capital backed enterprise software company. He was formerly the Chief Operating Officer of IntelliQuest (NASDAQ: IQST), a marketing research company servicing the high-tech industry, serving in the Office of the President. Prior to joining IntelliQuest, he was the Chief Information Officer of EDS' Centrobe division (formerly known as Neodata Services, Inc.). Ed has also served in executive capacities at Experian (formerly known as TRW's Information Systems and Services sector) and Chilton Corporation.
Ed has served on the boards of public (IntelliQuest, Inc.), private (eCustomers, Inc., Austin Logistics, Inc.) and non-profit (American Red Cross, Dallas Chapter, Community TechKnowledge, churches, and recreational clubs) companies. Ed holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Baylor University.
Upcoming Event: Strategic Partnerships, Inc. and the Councils of Governments of Texas To Host Homeland Security Procurement Seminar For Vendors
Designed for vendors interested in understanding and accessing the regional and local government markets developing as local governments, councils of governments, and the state devote more federal and Texas resources to homeland security, this seminar will review procurement processes and give you the tools to make your products available to this growing group of local, regional, and state government purchasers. Topics to be discussed include: Federal Homeland Security Grants in Texas, Local Non-Grant Spending, Councils of Governments’ Roles, Federal Prime Vendor Program, H-GAC Cooperative Purchasing Program, and Local and State Procurement Systems.
The seminar is being held September 21st at the Omni Hotel in San Antonio in conjunction with the Texas Conference on Regionalism, sponsored by the Texas Association of Regional Councils which will be held from September 22 - 24. For more information, visit http://www.txregionalcouncil.org or to view the seminar information packet, click here.
Dallas Gets New CIO
Brian Anderson, former CIO of Philadelphia, has been hired by the City of Dallas as the new chief information officer (CIO) and director of Communication and Information Services.
Anderson, who started in his new post last week, has more than 20 years experience in the Information Technology field. Most recently, he was the CIO and director of research and development for Public Technology, Inc., a national research and consulting organization based in Washington, D.C. that serves state and local governments. He served as CIO of Philadelphia from 1998 until 2000 and has also worked as a vice president of Aetna U.S. Healthcare in business information systems. Anderson holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Drexel University.
Event Links
Texas Workers' Compensation Educational Conference - 08/18/04 - 08/20/04
itsGov: Technology Buying at Year End - 8/25/2004
Texas Association of School Administrators/Texas Association of School Boards 44th Annual Convention - 09/17/04 - 09/20/04
NASCIO 2004 Annual Conference - 9/19/04 - 9/22/04
82nd Annual County Judges & Commissioners Association of Texas Conference - 9/20/04 - 9/23/04
Texas Conference on Regionalism - 9/22/04 - 9/24/04
Texas Municipal League Annual Conference - 10/27/04 - 10/29/04
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.
- The Guide to the Texas State Government Marketplace - This comprehensive report identifies funding allocations and projected timelines for projects as well as historical spending data in 20 key state agencies. The Guide also offers explanations and insight to potential opportunities in significant legislation from the Regular Session of the 78th Legislature.
Please contact SPI's Crystal Kuhs at ckuhs@spartnerships.com for more details.
Past ABJ articles by Mary Scott Nabers
Keeping country secure also can be profitable - 8/6/2004
Health care problems create opportunities - 7/23/2004
Texas roads paved with opportunity - 7/9/2004
Texas Government Insider Archives
Volume 2 Issue 31 - 08/6/04
Volume 1 and Volume 2 Archives 11/7/03 - 7/30/04
News from Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
2005 Legislative Communications Conference
Registration is now open for Legislative Communications for the 2005 Session, a conference jointly sponsored by SPI and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. The conference will be held October 7th at U.T.'s J.J. Pickle Center. For more information on the conference or to register, visit SPI's website.
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
Who Represents Me? Texas Districts By Address
Procurement Statutes
Audit Report on HHSC's Administration of CHIP Exclusive Provider Organization Contract
Audit Report on the Department of Health's Implementation of Its Bioterrorism Preparedness Plans
NASBO Fiscal Survey of the States
Fiscal Year 2003 Quality Assurance Team's Annual Report
New Texas Fact Book 2004
Joint Select Committee's Report on Public School Finance, March 17, 2004
Public Hearings/Meetings
House Committee on Human Services -- 9:00am, August 19, E2.014
House Committee on Law Enforcement -- 10:00am, August 19, E1.014
Signing Up for the Insider
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