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Governor's New Counsel to Start Jan. 3Brian Newby will take over as General Counsel for Gov. Rick Perry on January 3rd. Newby replaces David Medina, whom Perry appointed to the Texas Supreme Court. Newby is a partner at Cantey & Hanger, L.L.P., where he specializes in the areas of commercial litigation, regulatory, employment and business law. He holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and Texas Air National Guard. He serves as Staff Judge Advocate for the 136th Airlift Wing, Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth. He has served on the Texas Tech University Board of Regents since 1999, and has been vice chairman of the board since 2003. Since 1996, he has been on the board of directors of the Tarrant Regional Water District. Newby is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. Speaker Appoints New Press SecretarySpeaker Tom Craddick has appointed Heather Tindall, a communications and media strategist, as his new press secretary. Tindall will join the Speaker's team following the New Year. She replaces Bob Richter. Tindall has more than 15 years of experience in media relations with local, state, national and international media. Additionally, her background includes management, campaign work, radio and record programming, and corporate events and fundraising. Before joining the Speaker's office, Tindall was the director of communications at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT). Craddick also appointed Alexis DeLee as deputy press secretary. Most recently, DeLee served as the communications director at the Republican Party of Texas. 
Texas Tech Chancellor Named to National Higher Ed BoardDavid R. Smith, M.D., chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, has been elected to the board of directors of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC). NASULGC, founded in 1887, is the nation's oldest higher education association. The 215 members of the organization are public universities, land-grant institutions and many of the nation's public university systems. Smith was appointed chancellor of the Texas Tech University System in May 2002 after having served six years as president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Smith previously served as commissioner of the Texas Department of Health for four years. 
UTSA Creates Institute for the Protection of American CommunitiesThe University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has announced the creation of the Institute for the Protection of American Communities (IPAC) and the appointment of Lieutenant General (Retired) Lawson W. Magruder III as its executive director. IPAC was created to provide technical expertise and solutions to security challenges faced by communities. Its niche will be in infrastructure assurance across all sectors in a community with a focus on cyber security and protection from chemical, biological, radiological and explosive threats. During his military career, Magruder held several key commands including commanding general of U.S. Army South responsible for the defense of the Panama Canal and military-to-military relations in Latin America. A native Texan, he retired in 2001 from the U.S. Army after 32 years of active duty service. Magruder joins UTSA after serving as vice president for national security programs for Battelle Memorial Institute where he developed the Battelle Office for Homeland Security. Lens on the Legislature: State Tax Sunset Review BillThis week's legislative focus is on a bill introduced by Rep. Burt Solomons, Chairman of the Sunset Advisory Commission. HB 229 relates to the application of the sunset review process to state taxes. The Carrollton legislator's bill would add a provision to Chapter 325 of the Government Code (the chapter that describes the sunset law) to state that the Sunset Advisory Commission shall periodically evaluate a specific list of taxes according to a schedule adopted by the Commission. It further amends Chapter 101 of the Tax Code to say that such taxes are repealed on October 1st of the year in which the Commission presents its evaluation to the legislature unless the legislature retains the tax. The sunset provisions proposed by Solomons apply to the following taxes:
The Sunset Advisory Commission has traditionally taken its charter very seriously. As reported in the Guide to the Sunset Process, of the 346 agencies it has reviewed in the past 24 years, 9% have been abolished outright, 5% were abolished with their functions transferred to other agencies, and 3% were combined with other agencies. Readers who are interested in following this or other legislation can sign up for the free Bill Alert service provided by the state's Legislative Council. Council Releases 2005 Texas Energy PlanThe Texas Energy Planning Council has released its Texas Energy Plan 2005, which includes 10 recommendations for the state Legislature to consider when it reconvenes in January. Water Board Releases Report on Seawater DesalinationThe Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has released its biennial report on seawater desalination, The Future of Desalination in Texas. In 2003, the Texas Legislature directed the TWDB to allocate $1.5 million for feasibility and regional facility planning studies to determine the technical and economic viability of proposed demonstration seawater desalination projects. This resulted in the TWDB funding studies of the Lower Rio Grande Valley-Brownsville, Corpus Christi, and Freeport project proposals. This report presents summaries, analyses, conclusions and associated information related to these seawater feasibility studies. In Volume 1 of the report, the TWDB recommends that the state continue advancing toward implementation of a large-scale demonstration seawater desalination facility in Texas. Over the next biennium, this implies implementing pilot plant studies and formulating state policy regarding the state's role in providing the financial assistance needed for future development of seawater desalination. Volume 2 includes a more detailed discussion of the studies conducted, along with papers authored by recognized authorities on their respective subjects and related to seawater and brackish groundwater desalination. Recent ReportsThe House Research Organization has published a new report: Should Texas Do More to Regulate Crime Labs?. On December 8th, President Bush signed the Consolidated Appropriations bill for (federal) fiscal year 2005. The impact on Texas is shown in the current issue of Federal Funds Watch. The State Auditor's Office (SAO) has released two new reports: Audit Report on Selected Entities' Compliance with Requirements Related to Historically Underutilized Businesses and Purchases from People with Disabilities and Audit Report on the Public Utility Commission of Texas's Administration of the Texas Universal Service Fund Governor's Latest AppointmentsGov. Rick Perry has recently made the following appointments:
UT Southwestern Medical Center to Acquire Two HospitalsThe University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas will assume ownership, operations and management of St. Paul University and Zale Lipshy University hospitals on January 1, a move medical administrators say is critical to the center's further development and delivery of world-class patient care. The medical center has been managing the 300-bed St. Paul hospital and 152-bed Zale Lipshy hospital since early 2003. New Tow-truck Law to Help Relieve Congestion on Houston FreewaysStarting January 1st, any car that stalls or breaks down on one of Houston's freeways will be towed. The city has signed contracts with wrecker companies to patrol 29 freeway sections and immediately remove any stalled or wrecked cars. Mayor Bill White says the policy will reduce traffic congestion created by stalled cars and crashes and is expected to reduce the potential for secondary accidents. |
Strategic Partnerships, Inc. (SPI) is a research and knowledge based consulting firm offering business development and public affairs services. Founded in 1994, SPI has offices in Texas and California. To learn more about SPI services click here or contact Crystal Kuhs at 512-531-3900. Event Links19th Annual Texas Association of Fire Educators Instructor's Conference - 1/8/05 - 1/14/05 WSLCA Winter Conference 2005 - 01/09/05 - 01/13/05 Texas Career Education Conference - 1/19/05 - 1/21/05 Texas Municipal Utilities Association Annual Conference - 02/02/05 - 02/04/04 Texas Computer Education Association 25th Annual Convention & Exposition - 02/07/05 - 02/11/05 40th Annual Association of Mayors, Councilmembers and Commissioners Institute - 02/12/05 - 02/13/05 Texas Municipal League Legislative Briefing - 02/14/05 25th Annual Association of Texas Professional Educators State Conference - 3/31/05 - 4/2/05 Texas Library Association Annual Conference - 4/5/05 - 4/8/05
Texas Public Health Association's 80th Annual Education Conference - 04/24/05 - 04/26/05 2005 Excellence in Government Conference - 7/25/05 - 7/27/05
SPI’s GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS TEAM IS DIVERSIFIED AND EXPERIENCED
Past ABJ articles by Mary Scott NabersTexas' open records laws can offer wealth of information for contractors - 12/17/2004 Smaller agencies are hidden sources of contract dollars - 12/3/2004 Texas Government Insider ArchivesLast Issue - 12/22/04 Volume 1 and Volume 2 Archives - 11/7/03 - 12/16/04 ResourcesDiagram of Legislative Process Texas Legislative Sessions and Years State Contract Management Guide Who Represents Me? Texas Districts By Address Diagram of Texas' Biennial Budget Cycle Public Hearings/MeetingsSenate Criminal Justice Committee--9:00am, January 4, Houston Community College Conference and Training Center, 3100 Main, Houston Health and Human Services Council--8:30am, January 5, Brown-Heatly Public Hearing Room, 4900 N. Lamar, Austin State Council on Competitive Government--2:00pm, January 6, 1400 N. Congress Ave, Capitol Extension, Room E1.010, Austin Alamo Regional Mobility Authority Board Meeting--12:00pm, January 12, 143 Billy Mitchell Blvd., Suite 6 (Greater Kelly Development Authority), San Antonio Sunset Advisory Commission--2:00pm, January 12, Room E1.030, Capitol Extension 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. |
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Texas Career Education ConferenceThe Texas Career Education Conference will be held January 19 - 21 at the Renaissance Hotel in Austin. The Texas Education Agency plans to share with conference attendess detailed updates regarding program areas and funding. For more information or to register, click here. 40th Annual Association of Mayors, Councilmembers and Commissioners InstituteThe 40th Annual Association of Mayors, Councilmembers and Commissioners Institute (AMCC) will take place February 12 and 13 at the Renaissance Hotel in Austin. The conference will include sessions such as: The Keys to a Successful Bond Election, Making Cents of the Budget and Budget Process and Building the Public's Trust: Responding to Ethical Challenges. For more information or to register, visit www.tml.org. NEA's 23rd Annual Higher Education ConferenceThe National Education Association's 23rd Annual Higher Education Conference will be held March 4 - 6 in San Antonio. Participants will be able to explore the topic of diversity in academia from a variety of perspectives: diversity of the current student body and projections for the "echo-boomers," diversity in the workforce, diversity in what the work is, who provides it and how; and the impact of recent federal and state policy changes on the ability of higher education institutions to educate a diverse student body and employ a diverse workforce. For more information, click here. |
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