Editors 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.


Bill Campbell

Bill Campbell To Join HHSC As Associate Commissioner

Bill Campbell, who has served as interim commissioner at the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (TDMHMR) since March, will join the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) as associate commissioner for planning and project management. In this capacity, he will be in charge of strategic decision support and special projects at HHSC. He will also be responsible for the daily activities related to the transformation phase of the consolidation. Campbell will begin his new role at HHSC on Sept. 1.

Campbell has 13 years senior management experience with Texas state agencies, and over 22 years experience in state government. Prior to serving as interim commissioner at TDMHMR, he was Deputy Commissioner of Finance and Administration at the agency. He began working at TDMHMR in 1999 when he joined as the Chief Financial Officer. Other agencies Campbell has worked for are the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) and the Texas Legislative Budget Board (LBB). He holds a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin.


Voting on $519.5 Million AISD Bond Package to Start Next Week

When early voting for the September 11 election kicks-off on Wednesday, Austin voters will have the opportunity to weigh in on a $519.5 million bond package, which if approved would be used for construction and renovations to nearly every one of the Austin Independent School District's (AISD) 106 campuses. The package is divided into six propositions that deal separately with issues such as overcrowding and security. Voters can support all or parts of the package.

The bond money would be allocated as follows:

  • $233,645,527 for renovations to campuses and districtwide facilities including technology, athletics, physical education, and environmental health
  • $228,197,826 for new schools, districtwide facilities, additions, and land acquisition
  • $20,954,097 for safety and security
  • $13,234,166 for the purchase of low-emission school buses
  • $23,495,000 for the refinancing of contractual obligations

The $520 million package would increase the tax rate by 4.65 cents per $100 of assessed property value. For more information on the bond package, click here.


Donna Reynolds

Donna Reynolds Leads TDI Initiative

Earlier this year, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) hired Donna Reynolds, a Texas state government veteran, to coordinate the agency's efforts to encourage participation in the Texas insurance market by interested companies and to facilitate development of new business opportunities for regulated entities. As TDI's new Business Development Specialist, Reynolds is working to facilitate growth of the insurance industry in Texas.

According to TDI's 2003 Annual Report, there are approximately 7,065 domestic insurers in the U.S., including 2,018 licensed to do business in Texas. Total premium volume in the U.S. insurance market exceeds $1 trillion. Texas' premium volume of $78.5 billion ranked third among the states, trailing only California and New York. This makes Texas one of the top insurance markets in the world, roughly equal in size to that of Canada.

At TDI, Reynolds provides legislative and business climate information to companies that are considering a move to Texas or who would like to expand their market in Texas. She works closely with the Governor's economic development staff and city, county and regional economic development groups to put together a relocation package that will meet a specific company's requirements: buildings, employees, training, infrastructure and general business climate information. She also is focused on "community building," encouraging insurers to become involved in the areas they serve.

Reynolds brings to TDI over 25 years of service in both the public and private sector and extensive civic involvement and commitment. She previously served as Chief of Staff for State Representative Corbin Van Arsdale and has held the position of Vice President of Employer Relations and Governmental Affairs with the Texas Association of Business and Chambers of Commerce. She also has extensive public service management experience with the United State Senate, Office of the Governor and the Texas State Treasury. Her private sector managerial experience includes work in Economic Development & International Trade for the Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

Reynolds, a fourth generation Texan, holds a BA in Human Resource Management Development and is completing her MA in Pastoral Ministry at Trinity Theological Seminary. She has served on a number of boards, commissions and tasks force, including the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities, Executive Women in Texas Government, and the State Agency Council.


North Texas Leaders Rally Around $3.5 Billion Regional Rail Plan

North Texas officials, including leaders from Dallas, Tarrant, Denton and Johnson counties, have rallied around a plan to build a $3.5 billion, six-county, 260-mile commuter rail network. The plan, which would require a half-cent sales tax increase for taxpayers in the counties involved, was approved by a unanimous vote during a meeting of the Texas Transportation Summit. Before the plan is implemented, it must first be approved by the Texas Legislature and then voters.


DIR Awarded Grant to Help Protect State From Cyber Attacks

The Governor's Criminal Justice Division (CJD) has awarded a $276,667 grant to the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR), the department charged with improving technology decisions and ensuring appropriate use of information resources. The grant will be used to help protect the state from cyber attacks. DIR will use the award to test existing vulnerabilities and create preparedness against possible cyber attacks.

Each year, CJD provides more than $130 million in grants to help Texans fight crime. CJD funds a variety of programs for juvenile justice, crime prevention and victim services grants.


DHS Awards More Than $17 Million to Nation's Firefighters

In the eleventh round of the Fiscal Year 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded 236 grants totaling more than $17 million to fire departments throughout the United States. The grants from the Firefighters Grant Program will ultimately total around 800 awards worth nearly $750 million. The money will help local fire department purchase firefighting equipment, fund firefighter health and safety programs, enhance emergency medical services programs, and conduct fire education and prevention programs.

Dozens of Texas fire departments have received Assistance to Firefighters grants. To view the list of award recipients, click here.


Six Victims Agencies Awarded More Than $1.2 Million in Federal Funding

Six Travis County and Austin victims services programs have been awarded more than $1.2 million in federal grants. The grants, distributed through the Governor's Criminal Justice Division, are paid through the federal Victims of Crime Act. They are part of $130 million that is being spent in Texas on crime-fighting and victim-services programs.

Approved for funding were:

  • $108,000 to Austin Children's Shelter to provide emergency shelter, intervention and support to child victims of abuse.
  • $310,750 to the City of Austin to provide services and support to victims of violence.
  • $234,261 to Deaf Abused Women and Children Advocacy Services to help deaf and hard of hearing victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through advocacy, crisis counseling and personal contact.
  • $439,913 to the Travis County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survival Center to provide shelter services, crisis counseling and medical attention to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
  • $54,450 to the Travis County Sheriff's Office Victim Services Unit which provides advocacy, counseling and intervention to victims of violent crimes.
  • $103,756 to the Travis County Children's Advocacy Center Inc. to provide a child-friendly atmosphere for forensic interviews and support services for children who have been victimized.

Alliance for NanoHealth Awarded $2.8 Million in Federal Funds

The Alliance for NanoHealth, a Houston consortium working to improve biology, medicine, public health and physical science by developing nanoscale engineering devices that may lead to treatments or even cures for complex human diseases, has been awarded $2.8 million in federal funding. Nanotechnology, the art of manipulating materials on an atomic or molecular scale, is considered to be one of the fastest developing fields in the nation. The five-member institutions that make-up the Alliance for NanoHealth are Rice University, University of Texas Health Science Center, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and University of Houston.


Federally Supported R&D at UT-Austin On the Rise

Federally supported research and development (R&D) expenditures at The University of Texas at Austin rose to $219.16 million in 2002 from 195.2 million in 2001, making it second highest among universities and colleges without a medical school, according to figures from the National Science Foundation's Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges.

Federally financed R&D expenditures at UT-Austin have grown 52 percent since 1995 when they were $144 million. The largest amounts of federal funding for research at the university come from the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Engineering programs at the university had $79.3 million of federally financed R&D expenditures in 2002; physical science programs had $52.7 million; math and computer sciences programs had $37.4 million; life sciences programs had $27.5 million; environmental sciences programs had $10.4 million; social sciences programs had $6.1 million; psychology programs had $4.7 million; and other programs in other sciences split $930,000.


John Cox

TASSCC Awards

The Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communications (TASSCC) awarded three Excellence Awards last week at their Annual Conference.

John Cox of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board received the Dave England Award that recognizes an individual who has demonstrated leadership and outstanding performance in the field of Information Technology. John serves on many Boards and cross-agency committees that influence the direction of IT in state government. He has also worked at Steven F. Austin University and Midwestern State University. This award is named in honor of Dave England to recognize his years of service to the State of Texas and his outstanding vision in Information Technology.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) earned Excellence Awards for the Innovative Use of Technology. These awards are given to agency or university automated systems that demonstrate innovation in technology and value to the organization's customers.

DFPS was recognized for its IMPACT system (Information Management Protecting Adults and Children in Texas), a browser-based system that helps Protective Services staff manage cases for some of the neediest Texans.

TDA was honored for its BRIDGE Project, a web-based application that processes licenses, grants, claims and inspections. It includes a stand-alone laptop system that field staff use to document inspections and upload results to the central office.


Perry Proposes Plan to Attract More Defense Projects and Troops to Texas

Gov. Rick Perry has proposed a change in state law that could attract more defense projects and bring more troops to Texas. Perry's plan would allow communities to spend sales tax money on military infrastructure projects. Under existing state law, construction projects on military bases cannot be financed by sales tax money. Allowing communities to spend local sales taxes on military projects can help attract new jobs and economic opportunities, according to Perry.

President Bush has recently proposed bringing home as many as 70,000 troops stationed abroad during the next few years. Perry hopes to see many of those troops relocated to Texas bases.


Homeland Security Vendor Seminar to Focus on Upcoming Opportunities

At the Accessing Texas Homeland Security Markets vendor seminar being held September 21st at the Omni Hotel in San Antonio, participants will learn how to compete for homeland security procurements. Procurement officers from key federal, state, regional, and local agencies will discuss upcoming qualifying and bidding opportunities for product and service providers.

The event is co-hosted by Strategic Partnerships, Inc. and the Councils of Governments of Texas. For more information, visit www.txregionalcouncil.org or to view the seminar information packet, click here.


Budget Hearings

During this past month, state agencies have been submitting their Fiscal Years 2006-07 Legislative Appropriations Requests (LARs) to the Governor’s Office of Budget, Planning, and Policy and to the Legislative Budget Board. The process continues with staff-level hearings and ultimately leads to hearings in the upcoming 79th session. Those staff hearings are conducted by LBB staff and GoBPP staff and they are often joined by staff from Senate Finance and/or House Appropriations. They began late last week. The schedules for these hearings can be found at:

The instructions, formats, and templates for LARs are available on both the Governor’s Web site and LBB’s Web site.


Workers’ Compensation Hearings

Readers who are following workers’ compensation issues will find this coming week to be busy.

  • On Wednesday morning, the House Economic Development Committee, chaired by Jim Keffer will meet to “study how businesses currently view the Texas Workers' Compensation System and whether it deters business growth or expansion into Texas.” Click here for more information.
  • On Wednesday afternoon, the House Business and Industry Committee, chaired by Helen Giddings, will meet to take up workers' compensation networks and committee charge #5. For more information, click here.
  • On Thursday morning, Sen. Todd Staples will convene the Senate Select Interim Committee on Workers’ Compensation for their 4th hearing. This will be a joint hearing with the House Business and Industry Committee. Click here for more information.

Details of past hearings have been reported in the Texas Government Insider™.


Cash-Strapped State Health Care System to Get Infusion of Nearly $561 Million

Gov. Rick Perry has approved nearly $561 million of increased spending on health care for needy Texans for fiscal year 2005, which starts September 1. The money for the health care priorities will come from federal fiscal relief dollars appropriated to Texas in May 2003, available funds, more efficient use of state dollars to draw additional federal dollars, budget transfers within health and human services agencies, and unclaimed lottery proceeds. Health and Human Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins has the authority to now implement these spending priorities.

Health care service expenditures approved include:

  • $20.3 million to restore Medicaid benefits to pregnant women with incomes up to 185 percent of poverty, or $34,873 for a family of four;
  • $300.5 million to reduce by half the estimated shortfall for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program;
  • $138.5 million to maintain community care personal attendant aid to persons with disabilities and elderly clients;
  • $53.2 million to maintain current reimbursement rates for doctors and other health care workers who provide health care services to Medicaid clients; and,
  • $25 million to draw down additional federal Medicaid funds to help hospitals that serve extraordinarily high numbers of indigent patients.

Arlington Voters to Decide Whether or Not They Want to Build a Stadium For Cowboys

The Arlington City Council has decided that area voters should get to decide whether or not they want to spend $325 million in tax money to build a stadium for the Dallas Cowboys. In a Nov. 2 election, voters will weigh in on the plan, which calls for, among other things, a half-cent sales tax increase and a $3 parking fee to stadium events.

The Cowboys started negotiating with Arlington officials after failing to reach an agreement with the city and county of Dallas. Irving, home of Texas Stadium, is working on stadium plans in the event Arlington voters reject the stadium plan.



Steve Robinson

Steve Robinson Takes on Expanded Role at SPI

Strategic Partnerships, Inc. (SPI) is pleased to announce that Steve Robinson, former Executive Director of the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) and current SPI affiliate, will now work for the company as a full-time senior consultant. He will head-up SPI's growing criminal justice consulting practice. Robinson will also manage key national account relationships as SPI expands its practice into other states.

Since he was named executive director of TYC in 1993, Steve directed dramatic shifts in policy and managed phenomenal growth at the agency. During his tenure, the juvenile population in custody more than doubled, and the agency's capacity and budget tripled. Steve began his career in juvenile corrections at TYC in 1975 and held various positions with the agency including hearings examiner, internal auditor, halfway house administrator, and institution superintendent. For seven years, he was chief of the Travis County Juvenile Probation Department in Austin.


Construction Begins on $10.5 Million Drainage Project in San Antonio

The Brooks Development Authority, the entity responsible for property management and development at Brooks City-Base (the former Brooks Air Force Base), and the City of San Antonio Public Works Department have begun construction of a $10.5 million drainage project in Southeast San Antonio designed to ease flooding along Goliad Road.

The Goliad Road Drainage Outfall Project will be paid for by a series of bonds. It will be completed in three phases and should allow the community to be prepared in the event of a 100-year storm. The project will also allow developers to proceed with City-Base Landing, a 570,000-square-foot retail development located at Brooks.


UTSA Sets Goal of Becoming A Top-Tier Research University

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is striving to make the list of the top 100 universities in research activities. UTSA now conducts about $40 million a year in research. To crack the list, that amount would need to be significantly higher, around $100 million. UTSA's strategy for becoming a top-tier research university includes: 1) attracting "star" research faculty members who bring research projects with them, 2) expanding the university's building and laboratory space and 3) adding doctorate programs


Government can be confusing...but the statutes are clear! Here are some helpful guides for review!

The Office of Attorney General has a number of excellent publications that may be of interest to our readers and are available for downloading. Some of the pertinent publications are as follows:


TBPC Proposes Changes to HUB Rules

The Texas Building and Procurement Commission (TBPC) has proposed changes to its HUB rules. The proposed amendments delete the requirements to advertise required HUB Forums in trade publications and permits advertising through existing means, including the Centralized Master Bidders List, the HUB Directory and the TBPC's Web site without incurring costs and without compromising the intent/purpose of administering the HUB Forums. They also provide for administering HUB Forums at a location other than the offices of the state agency when state agency offices will not accommodate HUB Forum participants and allow agencies to administer HUB Forums cooperatively with other agencies. To view the proposed changes, click here.


Event Links

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

Fall 2004 Biometrics Summit - 10/26/2004 - 10/28/2004


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 Government Insider Archives

Volume 2 Issue 32 - 08/13/04

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

Legislative Budget Board-- 9:00am, August 23, E1.030

Senate Committee on Education-- 9:00am, August 23, E1.012

Senate Select Interim Committee on Workers' Compensation-- 9:30am, August 25, E1.012

Department of Information Resources Board Meeting-- 10:00am, August 25, William P. Clements Building, 300 W. 15th, Room 103


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.

EWTG August Lunch: A Presentation on Preparing for the Legislative Session by Patricia Shipton

Patricia Shipton, Gov. Rick Perry's chief liaison to the legislature, will share her experiences working with the legislature at the Executive Women in Texas Government (EWTG) August luncheon. Participants will learn from a professional the secrets of dealing successfully with legislators to accomplish their goals.

The luncheon is from 12:00pm to 1:00pm at the Austin Woman's Club and the cost is $17. Networking begins at 11:30am The Austin Woman’s Club is located at 708 San Antonio. For more information, call 371-1263.

2004 Texas Conference on Regionalism

The Texas Association of Regional Councils is sponsoring the 2004 Texas Conference on Regionalism September 22 - 24 at the Omni Hotel in San Antonio. The Alamo Area Council of Governments is hosting the event, which will feature a series of dialogues and consensus building sessions on regional solutions to issues raised by economic, population, social, and political trends in Texas. Over 600 representatives from key state and federal agencies, decision-makers from regional councils of governments, civic leaders, executives and vendors are expected to attend. For more information on the conference, visit www.txregionalcouncil.org/.

LBJ School Offers Professional Development Courses

The Office of Professional Development at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs offers a number of excellent courses aimed at senior agency managers. Some of the upcoming courses are: Systems Thinking, August 23-24; Working it Out, August 30-31; Strategic Planning & Performance Measures, September 7-8; Management Development Program (New Braunfels), September 21-24; Managing Organizational Change, October 14-15; and, Basic Public Purchasing, October 26-27.

Further information is available on their Web site, including a schedule going through 2005.