3/15/01
The House Committee on Appropriations
77th Legislature
March 15, 2001
7:00 a.m.
Capitol Extension, E1.030
Pursuant to a notice posted on March 8, 2001, the House
Committee on Appropriations met in a public hearing and was
called to order by the chair, Representative Junell, at 7:05
a.m.
The roll was answered as follows:
Present: Representatives Junell; West, George "Buddy"; Allen;
Coleman; Delisi; Glaze; Hamric; Heflin; Janek; Maxey;
Mowery; Pickett; Pitts; Puente (14).
Absent: Representatives Eiland; Farrar; Flores; Gallego;
Giddings; Gutierrez; Hochberg; King, Tracy; Luna,
Vilma; McReynolds; Moreno, Paul; Smith; Turner,
Sylvester (13).
A quorum was present.
Testimony was taken. (See attached witness list.)
Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
(Representative Luna, Vilma now present.)(Representative Eiland
now present.)(Representative McReynolds now
present.)(Representative Flores now present.)(Representative
Farrar now present.)(Representative Turner, Sylvester now
present.)(Representative Gallego now present.)(Representative
Giddings now present.)(Representative Smith now present.)
Representative Maxey moved the adoption of LBB recommendations
with the following changes:
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Fiscal Changes
Funds to maintain current caseloads for child care
licensing workers.
Funds for strategy A.1.5., Foster Care/Adoption Payments
Funds for Strategy A.2.1., Adult Protective Services
Riders
Amended Capital Budget rider (Maxey #1)
Article XI
Integrated Family Services With Specialized Child Care
Funds to increase supervisor salaries
Funds to expand outsourced computer services contract
Funds to CPS work-from-home pilot project
Funds to provide information technology support staff
to work-from-home employees (6 FTEs)
Funds to reduce CPS investigative caseloads per
employee (364 FTEs)
Funds to move medically fragile children living in
nursing homes and ICF-MR facilities to specialized
foster homes
Funds to add trainers for CPS (14 FTEs)
Funds for information and referral staff at PRS
statewide intake call center (30 FTEs)
Funds to expand to statewide the child and family
assessment program (9 FTEs)
Funds for 5% increase for adoption subsidy payments
Funds to provide payments to kinship caregivers (12
FTEs)
Funds to add contract monitoring staff (23 FTEs)
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Funds to improve infrastructure for automated systems
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Funds to establish a two-tiered rate schedule for
adoption subsidy payments
Funds add licensing staff to inspect foster homes (24
FTEs)
Funds increased compensation for CPS investigators
Funds for senior management recruitment (6 FTEs)
Funds for additional emergency child care and respite
services
Funds for additional staff for early childhood program
expansion (5FTEs)
Funds for youth program staff (5 FTEs)
Funds to expand substance abuse treatment
Funds to upgrade voice systems
Funds for lease renewals and relocations
Funds to expand STAR program (Services To At-Risk
Youth)
Funds for additional attorneys to support permanency
planning (28 FTEs)
Funds to create certification program for Adult
Protective Services workers
Funds to create certification program for Child Care
Licensing workers
Funds to create certification program for Statewide
Intake workers
Funds for additional training for APS, Child Care
Licensing and Statewide Intake workers
Funds to expand CPS training by one month (64 FTEs)
Funds to provide student intern stipends
Funds to convert Micro Systems to Oracle
Funds to enhance Intranet reports
Funds for voice recognition technology for field
workers
Funds for additional drug testing services
Funds for after school initiative
Funds to expand Parents As Teachers program
Funds to expand Runaway Hotline
Funds to recruit foster and adoptive families
TANF Funds to expand Communities-in-Schools program
TANF Funds to expand Healthy Families program
TANF Funds to expand Second Chance parenting program
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Integrated Family Services with Specialized Child Care
Pilot Project rider
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
Interagency Council on Early Childhood Intervention
(Representative West, George "Buddy" in chair.)(Representative
Junell in chair.)
(Representative Gutierrez now present.)
Representative Coleman moved the adoption of LBB recommendations
with the following changes:
Fiscal Changes
Funds to reduce waiting lists for respite services
Technical Changes
Amend Rider 5, Education Funding to include language in
memorandum of understanding with Texas Education
Agency to ensure federal compliance.
Increase in federal funding (IDEA-c grants) for special
education grants.
Performance Measure Changes
Adjust according to technical change, the number of
Children Served in Comprehensive Services.
Riders
Capital Budget rider (Coleman #1)
Memorandum of Understanding with Texas Education Agency
(Coleman #2)
Medicaid Billing of Developmental Services (Coleman #3)
Article XI
Funds to eliminate waiting lists for respite services.
Funds to provide services to children based on a projected
growth rate of 11.4%.
Funds for 35 Parent to Parent network project grants.
Funds to expand eligibility for comprehensive services to
low birth weight babies.
Funds for 36 infant and family health training seminars
throughout the state.
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
At 9:48 a.m., on the motion of the chair and without objection,
the meeting was recessed until adjournment of the House, March
15, 2001.
The committee reconvened at 12:23 p.m. and was called to order
by the chair, Representative Junell. The roll was answered as
follows:
Present: Representatives Junell; West, George "Buddy"; Allen;
Eiland; Flores; Glaze; Gutierrez; Heflin; Hochberg;
King, Tracy; Luna, Vilma; Maxey; Mowery; Pickett;
Puente (15).
Absent: Representatives Coleman; Delisi; Farrar; Gallego;
Giddings; Hamric; Janek; McReynolds; Moreno, Paul;
Pitts; Smith; Turner, Sylvester (12).
A quorum was present.
Testimony was taken. (See attached witness list.)
Comptroller of Public Accounts
(Representative Gallego now present.)(Representative Pitts now
present.)
Representative Flores moved to add the following changes to
previously adopted recommendations:
Riders
Appropriation of Tax Refunds (Flores #1)
Startup Funding for College Savings Plan (Flores #2)
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
Texas Department of Agriculture
Representative Pickett moved to add the following changes to
previously adopted recommendations:
Riders
Appropriations Limited to Revenue Collections: Prescribed
Burn Manager Certification Program rider (Pickett #1)
Adopted amended rider entitled Weather Modification Grant
Program rider (Pickett #2)
Article XI
Transfer the Office of Rural Affairs from the Texas
Department of Economic Development and the Texas
Department of Agriculture, Contingency for H.B. 819
Oyster Program, Contingency Appropriations for H.B. 1954
Grant Program to Provide Surplus Agricultural Products,
Contingency for H.B. 1086
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
General Land Office
Representative Flores moved to add the following changes to
previously adopted recommendations:
Article XI
Veterans Cemeteries, Contingency Appropriation for H.B. 310
Funds for Southeast Texas Biotechnology Park
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
Historical Commission
(Representative Smith now present.)
Representative Puente moved to add the following changes to
previously adopted recommendations:
Riders
Unexpended Balances: Acquisition of Historical Artifacts
(Puente #1)
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
Animal Health Commission
Representative Heflin moved to add the following changes to
previously adopted recommendations:
Riders
Contingency to Increase the Full-time Equivalent (FTE) Cap
for the Scrapie Program (Heflin #1)
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
Commission on the Arts
Representative Heflin moved to add the following changes to
previously adopted recommendations:
Rider
Capital Budget rider (Heflin #1)
Water Development Board
(Representative Janek now present.)
(Representative West, George "Buddy" in chair.)
Representative Puente moved to add the following changes to
previously adopted recommendations:
Article XI
Funds for Texas Geographic Network
Contingency Appropriations: Rural Water Infrastructure Fund
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
Department of Information Resources
Riders
Texas Online Project
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission
(Representative Junell in chair.)
Representative Heflin moved to add the following changes to
previously adopted recommendations:
Riders
Recovered Costs and Responsible Party Payments rider
(Heflin #1)
Capital Budget rider (Heflin #2)
Article XI
Contingency Appropriations for the Remediation of the
Gibson Waste Tire Site
Appropriations: Refinement and Enhancement of Modeling to
Demonstrate Attainment with the Clean Air Act.
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
State Office of Risk Management
Representative Heflin moved to add the following changes to
previously adopted recommendations:
Riders
Risk/Reward Allocation Program Contingency Appropriation
for H.B. 2976 (Heflin #1)
Article IX
Sec. 6.37. Reimbursements for Workers' Compensation
Payments
Without objection, the motion was adopted.
At 12:54 p.m., on the motion of the chair and without objection,
the meeting was adjourned subject to the call of the chair.
________________________
Rep. Junell, Chair
________________________
Darshoel Willis, Clerk