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.


Texas Leads Nation In Transportation Construction

In FY2004, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) awarded approximately $4 billion in transportation construction contracts - more than any other state. Texas invested $2.9 billion more in transportation projects than New York and almost a billion more than California. The state's rampant construction pace has been made possible by new financing tools that the legislature gave TxDOT and that Texas voters approved in constitutional amendments in 2001 and 2003.

House Bill 3588 (approved last year) gave TxDOT new oversight authority, new planning and development tools and innovative financing options to address transportation needs for the state's growing population. Proposition 14, passed by Texas voters last September, also allowed the state to leverage up to $6 billion in mobility fund and highway fund bonds for construction projects.

Some of the major projects approved by TxDOT in FY04 include:

  • $250 million for the total reconstruction of a two-mile section of I-10 (Katy Freeway) in Houston;
  • $75 million for U.S. 281 Expressway projects between Pharr and Edinburg, which begins the three-lane expansion on U.S. 281; and
  • $13.7 million to widen a nine-mile segment of US 87 from the New Mexico State Line to a four-lane divided highway.

Transportation commissioners also approved infrastructure improvements totaling more than $36 million to support additional troops sent to Texas military communities. On the heels of the announcement that 5,000 additional soldiers and civilians will be assigned to Fort Hood, commissioners approved transportation improvements for the military base totaling $20 million. The commission also approved $16.2 million in infrastructure improvements to support the 3,800 new troops scheduled to arrive at El Paso's Fort Bliss in 2006.


DSHS Gets $64 Million Grant To Fund Bioterror Planning

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has received a $64 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help local and regional public health departments prepare for possible bioterrorism attacks. The grant money will be used for preparedness planning, improving record-keeping on illnesses in the state, lab work, a health alert network and further training of doctors and nurses about bioterrorism tools such as anthrax.


TPWC Approves $12.5 Million For Park and Trail Improvements

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (TPWC), which oversees the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, has approved nearly $12.5 million in grants to improve local and regional parks and build recreational trails throughout the state. The grant money will be used for a variety of projects including renovations of a trail, retaining wall, drainage and handrail at Town Lake in Austin to the continued construction of a new hunter education building at a shooting range in Dallas County. For a complete list of grants awarded, click here.


Comptroller's Office Announces Reorganization

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn has named Jesse Ancira, Jr. as her new Associate Deputy Comptroller, Tim Mashburn as her General Counsel and Betty Ressel as Special Assistant for Technical Assistance.

As Associate Deputy Comptroller, Ancira will assist Strayhorn and Deputy Comptroller Billy Hamilton in overseeing all facets of Texas tax policy and fiscal operations. Ancira formerly served as the Comptroller's General Counsel, Legislative Director and Director of Tax Administration. His public service career also includes positions with several state agencies and as a former Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was elected to the Taylor ISD school board in 2000 and currently serves as board president.

Tim Mashburn will replace Ancira as the Comptroller's General Counsel. Mashburn joined the Comptroller's office in 2001 as an Assistant General Counsel in the Administrative Hearings section. He later became an Administrative Law Judge for the Comptroller's office and served most recently as Deputy General Counsel for Administrative Hearings.

Ressel formerly served as Director of the Comptroller's Technical Assistance Division, overseeing the agency's Property Tax and Local Government Assistance functions. She also serves as Strayhorn's senior education policy advisor. Ressel managed the Texas School Performance Review, overseeing reviews of more than 100 Texas school districts, higher education institutions and state education offices


Final Two HHSC Agencies Begin Operations

The final two new agencies created by the consolidation of Texas' health and human services agencies, the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) and the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), have officially begun operations. House Bill 2292 from the 78th Texas Legislature required Texas' 12 existing health and human services agencies to be consolidated into four new departments under the oversight of the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) became the first new agency created under the reorganization on Feb. 1. The Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) began consolidated operations on March 1.

As part of the reorganization, the agencies have launched three Internet sites this week to help Texans learn more about their programs and missions. They are:

  • www.hhs.state.tx.us - This site brings together information about the hundreds of programs offered by the state's health and human service agencies.
  • www.dshs.state.tx.us - This Department of State Health Services website includes information about public health, mental health and substance abuse programs in the state.
  • www.dads.state.tx.us - The new Department of Aging and Disability Services website provides information about services for older Texans and long-term care for people with physical disabilities and mental retardation.

In addition, HHSC has established a new hotline to provide the public with a centralized place to ask questions and register concerns about health and human services programs. The new number is 877-787-8999 or TDD 888-425-6889 for those with hearing impairments.


Terry Brechtel

San Antonio City Manager Resigns

San Antonio City Manager Terry Brechtel has resigned under pressure from mayor Ed Garza and some members of the city council. Brechtel, 47, is expected to leave her $200,000-a-year post around the beginning of October. She decided to step down after council members aired complaints about her performance during a nearly 7-hour long meeting Tuesday night. Council members' complaints have centered on the city's Code Compliance division, the city attorney's office, problems at the city's One Stop Center for development services and delays in the implementation of an $86 million computer network.

The council will vote to accept Brechtel's resignation and name an interim city manager during a special meeting next week. While the temporary appointee could come from city staff, Brechtel's permanent replacement likely will come from outside of city government.


Michael Brimberry

TSBP Elects New Vice President

Michael Brimberry has been elected vice president of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP). Brimberry has served on the pharmacy board since December 2001. He is the pharmacy information systems manager for the Seton Healthcare Network in Austin. Prior to joining Seton, Brimberry ran his own pharmacy for twelve years. He is a member of the Texas Pharmacy Association, the Capital Area Pharmacy Association and the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists. His board term will expire Aug. 31, 2005.


Austin City Council Approves $7.3 Million in Tax Incentives for Tech Company

The Austin City Council has approved about $7.3 million in tax incentives over a 10-year period for the new for-profit spinoff of Austin-based International Sematech. Sematech, a nonprofit chip consortium, has sought tax incentives from Travis County, the City of Austin and the Del Valle Independent School District for its spinoff, Advanced Technology Development Facility Inc.

The city council approved a 100 percent rebate of personal property tax on business equipment for the for-profit business. Also approved was a $1 million incentive from Austin Energy for energy infrastructure and efficiency improvements. The spinoff is still hoping for about $800,000 in abatements from Del Valle district. The ordinance was approved, in part, because the spinoff will provide about 125 local jobs over the next five years and Sematech is likely to spend around $100 million to equip the spinoff, according to the city council.

This is the third big incentives package that the council has passed this year. In June, the council voted to give Home Depot Inc. $7.2 million in property tax breaks over 10 years to build a data center and hire 500 employees. The council also recently approved $4.3 million in incentives for Samsung Austin Semiconductor in exchange for expanding its chip plant in Northeast Austin.


TWU To Use $3 Million Gift For Enhancements At Houston Campus

A $3 million gift from the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation to Texas Woman's University (TWU) will fund enhancements to TWU's new $37 million Houston Center urban campus, located at the southern gateway to the Texas Medical Center. Construction on the new 10-story, 202,000-square-foot campus will begin next year. The new campus will allow TWU to more than double its Houston enrollment to 3,000 students.

TWU established its Houston campus in 1960 by expanding its nursing program to the Texas Medical Center. Today, the campus serves almost 1,200 students majoring in nursing, physical therapy, library science, health care administration, occupational therapy and nutrition.


New VIA Metropolitan Transit Board Trustee Appointed

Trip Pilgrim, regional vice president of business development for the Baptist Health System in San Antonio, has been appointed to the board of trustees of VIA Metropolitan Transit by the Bexar County Commissioners Court. VIA Metropolitan Transit is the metropolitan transit authority which provides public transportation services in San Antonio and most of Bexar County. Pilgrim will be completing Tim Tuggey's term. Tuggey was elected chairman of the board earlier this year. Pilgrim is chair of the Greater San Antonio Hospital and Health Care Council board of directors and the Public Relations Subcommittee of the Federation of American Hospital Systems. He also serves on the governor's Medicaid Task Force. His term will end Dec. 31, 2004.


2-1-1- Rollout Completed

2-1-1 Texas, which has been available in parts of the state for more than two years, is now available statewide. 2-1-1 is an abbreviated dialing code for free information and referrals about health and human services. The service is operated in a public-private partnership between the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and local government and community groups.


Sunset Commission Update

The Sunset Commission will meet on September 14 and 15 to make decisions on the following agencies:

  • Electric Utility Restructuring Legislative Oversight Committee
  • Public Utility Commission of Texas
  • Office of Public Utility Counsel
  • Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board
  • Workers' Compensation Commission, Texas

Created by the Legislature in 1977 to identify and eliminate duplication and inefficiencies in state government, the Sunset process periodically assesses the continuing need for state agencies. The Sunset review process is overseen by a 12-member commission, comprised of legislators and public members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House. Working extensively with agencies under review, the staff of the Sunset Commission assesses the need for each agency, presents their conclusions and recommendations to the Commission, and coordinates the drafting of legislation needed to implement recommendations adopted by the Commission.


Proposed TBPC Rules

The Texas Building and Procurement Commission (TBPC) has proposed changes to the rules governing the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD). The ESBD is the Web site used by state agencies to post notice in an electronic procurement marketplace before making a procurement with a value that exceeds $25,000. The proposed rules were published in the Texas Register on August 20th with a 30 day comment period.

To view the existing rules, click here.

Some of the key changes are:

  • Clarifies posting time requirements
  • Updates definitions and relevant purchase notice requirements to include TXMAS and reverse auctions
  • Clarifies that the Department of Information Resources is responsible for securing Internet access and service for state agencies
  • Adds a definition for emergency procurement

NADB Exploring Environmentally Friendly Energy Projects

The North American Development Bank (NADB), a San Antonio-based financial institution, is exploring energy projects that rely upon wind, solar power and biomass, which involves the burning of organic waste to generate electricity. These projects, which will most likely take place in Mexico, will be presented to the NADB board of directors for financing in early 2005. Additional projects are slated to follow later in the year. NADB currently provides grants and low-interest loans to finance infrastructure projects along border communities.


Study Indicates Increased Use of Renewable Energy Could Be Good For Texas Economy

A new study released by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an independent nonprofit alliance of more than 100,000 citizens and scientists, suggests that nearly 36,000 jobs could be created in Texas if the national renewable energy standard required that 20 percent of the country's electricity come from clean, renewable sources like wind, biomass and solar.

The study found that a national standard of 20 percent by 2020 would have a positive impact on the Texas economy. It would create jobs in manufacturing, construction, maintenance and other industries. In addition, farmers and rural landowners producing biomass energy would get about $1.1 billion. Wind power could generate about $225 million in lease payments for rural landowners and others who allow windmills on their land. Also, consumers would be able to save money on energy bills because natural gas and electricity costs would be reduced. The study also indicates new standards would create $10 billion in capital investment, and result in another $665 million in property tax revenues for rural communities and school districts.

In 1999, Texas passed a renewable energy standard of about 3 percent by 2009.The Texas legislature will consider upgrading the current state standard next year.



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.

Central Texas Voters To Decide on Passenger Rail This Fall

By unanimous decision, the Capital Metro board decided this week to call a second rail election this fall. In 2000, voters turned down Capital Metro's $1.9 billion light rail initiative. On November 2, voters will decide whether or not they want a 32-mile commuter rail line to run on existing Capital Metro freight track between Leander and the Austin Convention Center downtown. The price tag for this starter line would be around $60 million. This number does not include the $30 million that would be needed for train cars or the more than $40 million the agency has already spent, or committed to spend, on track upgrades and park-and-ride lots by the track up north.


Leander Mayor Named to Capital Metro's Board of Directors

John Cowman, mayor of Leander, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro). Cowman was elected Mayor of Leander in May of 2003, and has been actively involved in the planning of Transit Oriented Development for the City of Leander. He will take the seat made vacant by the recent passing of board member David Harper.


Event Links

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Water Quality Seminar - 09/16/04

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

Legislative Communications Conference - 10/7/2004

Texas Municipal League Annual Conference - 10/27/04 - 10/29/04

Fall 2004 Biometrics Summit - 10/26/04 - 10/28/2004

Mobile & Wireless Technology Forum for Texas Government - 10/28/04

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

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


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

Contractors can capitalize on military growth - 8/27/2004

Keeping country secure also can be profitable - 8/6/2004

Texas Government Insider Archives

Volume 2 Issue 34 - 08/27/04

Volume 1 and Volume 2 Archives - 11/7/03 - 8/20/04

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

Legislative Glossary

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

Diagram of Legislative Process in Texas

Diagram of Texas' Biennial Budget Cycle

Texas Fact Book 2004


Public Hearings/Meetings

Senate Committee on Education--9:00am, September 7, Capitol Extension, E1.012 (Invited and public testimony on Interim Charges 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7)

Senate Committee on Education--9:00am, September 8, Capitol Extension, E1.012 (Invited and public testimony on Interim Charges 1, 2, and 6)

House Committee on Environmental Regulation--10:00am, September 8, Capitol Extension, E1.010

Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council Land & Greenspace Committee Meeting--10:00am, September 10, Council Conference Room at 304 N. CM Allen Parkway in San Marcos.


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.

Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council Land & Greenspace Committee Meeting

A meeting of the Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council's Land & Greenspace Committee will be held at 10:00am on September 10 in the Council Conference Room at 304 N. CM Allen Parkway in San Marcos. The committee is dedicated to the protection and conservation of interconnected land and greenspace for parks, preserves, agriculture, watershed protection, and other needs in the Austin--San Antonio corridor for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations, the protection of private property rights, and the accommodation of rural and urban lifestyles. To RSVP or find out more about the meeting, contact Catherine Robinson at 512-558-7360 or via email at council@thecorridor.org. The Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council is a private, non-profit corporation composed of contributing members from the region's business and public sectors. Charter membership included 25 local governments and more than 100 private firms and individuals. For more information on the organization, visit www.thecorridor.org.

City and County Technology Summit 2004: Reducing Costs and Improving Citizen Services Through Innovations in Information Technology

The Performance Institute, in associaton with the Center for Digital Government, is hosting the City and County Technology Summit 2004 September 22 - 24 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Chicago. Geared towards city and county IT professionals, event speakers include top IT professionals from across the country. Participants will discover the most effective tools and innovations for reducing IT spending, developing sound investment practices, improving citizen services, and achieving mission goals. For more information on the conference, click here.

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/.

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.