MINUTES 
          
                       SENATE COMMITTEE ON ADMINISTRATION 
                             Friday, August 22, 1997 
                                     9:30 am 
                         Capitol Extension, Room E1.028 
          
                                      ***** 
          
         Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule  
         11.11, a public hearing of the Senate Committee on  
         Administration was held on Friday, August 22, 1997 in the  
         Capitol Extension, Room E1.028, at Austin, Texas.   
          
                                      ***** 
          
         MEMBERS PRESENT:                        MEMBERS ABSENT: 
         Senator Chris Harris                    None 
         Senator Carlos Truan 
         Senator Kenneth Armbrister 
         Senator J.E. Brown 
         Senator Mike Moncrief 
         Senator Bill Ratliff 
         Senator David Sibley 
          
                                      ***** 
          
         The Chair called the meeting to order at 9:40 am.  There being  
         a quorum present, the following business was transacted.   
          
         Senator Harris directed the committee to the revised travel  
         policy for out-of-state travel in their notebooks.  There was  
         discussion.   Senator Truan moved the following rules be  
         adopted: 
          
         1.   Airline reservations for out-of-state conferences be made  
         through the Secretary of the  Senates office.  Airfare  
         reimbursed at lowest available rate and/or state rate.   (Any  
         difference     would be paid by the individual). 
          
         2.   Rental cars are discouraged unless absolutely necessary.   
         The Secretary of the Senate and the     Chairman of  
         Administration will have discretions to determine the need for  
         a rental car.  
          
         3.   Hotel charges will be reimbursed at lowest available  
         single occupancy rate.  (Any difference      would be paid by  
         the individual). 
          
         Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Truan.  Senator Truan  
         expressed concern over the article that reported missing state  
         property.  The committee asked Betty King, Secretary of the  
  
         Senate, to look into this and report back to the committee. 
          
         Senator Harris asked Jose Camacho to give the committee an  
         update on the STC's recommendations for implementation of new  
         technology.  Senator Truan assumed the chair.  Jose gave a  
         brief history of what Legislative Council, in conjunction with  
         the STC, had been charged to evaluate.  Legislative Council  
         tested and evaluated Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation  
         operating system.  The recommendation by Legislative Council  
         and the STC is that Windows 95 be implemented as the desk top  
         operating system for the 76th legislative session.  There was  
         discussion and questions.  The second charge was to evaluate  
         an office suite to go with the operating system.  MicroSoft  
         Office 97 and Corel WordPerfect 8 Suite were the two products  
         evaluated. Legislative Council, with concurrence from the STC,  
         has recommended the Corel WordPerfect 8 Suite to be used with  
         the Windows 95 operating system.  There was discussion and  
         questions.  Senator Sibley moved to accept the recommendations  
         to implement Windows 95 and Corel WordPerfect 8 Suite as the  
         new operating systems for the 76th Legislative session.   
         Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris resumed the chair.  The next item was the  
         $100.00 a month pay raise for Senate employees.  There was  
         discussion.  Senator Ratliff moved to give the $100.00 a month  
         pay raise to Central Staff only.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0  
         nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Patterson to present the  
         budget for Veteran Affairs & Military Installation.  There was  
         discussion.  Senator Truan moved to approve the $56,950.00  
         budget request. Motion passed 7 ayes, 1 present not voting, 0  
         nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Whitmire to present the  
         budget for Criminal Justice.  There was discussion.  Senator  
         Ratliff moved to approve the $314,400.00 budget request and  
         the salary exception for Patrick Redman.  Motion passed 7  
         ayes, 0 nays.  
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Madla to present the budgets  
         for Nominations and Senate Interim Committee on Annexation.   
         There was discussion.  Senator Moncrief moved to approve the  
         $92,560.00 budget request for Nominations.  Motion passed 7  
         ayes, 0 nays.   
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Ratliff.  Senator Ratliff  
         spoke to the issue of the amount of money being requested by  
         all committees and especially by the interim committees.   
         There was concern expressed by all the members.  
          
         Senator Madla continued with his presentation of the budget  
         for the Interim Committee on Annexation.  Senator Truan moved  
         to approve the $69,800 budget request.  Motion passed 7 ayes,  
         0 nays.  
  
         2 
  
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Ratliff who asked where all  
         the Interim Committees were going to be housed and if the  
         budgets being presented reflected the purchase of furniture  
         and other equipment?  There was discussion.  Senator Ratliff  
         moved that there be no purchase of new furniture or equipment  
         for committees and that they work within existing spaces and  
         any exception to this would need prior approval from the  
         Administration Committee.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays.  
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Moncrief  who, in the  
         absence of Senator West, moved to approve the $98,502.00  
         budget request for the Interim Committee on Gangs and Juvenile  
         Justice.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Moncrief who presented the  
         budget for the Interim Committee on Home Health and Assisted  
         Living.  Senator Truan moved to approve the $118,650.00 budget  
         request.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Ellis to present the budget  
         for Jurisprudence.  There was discussion.  Senator Ratliff  
         moved to approve the $254,940.00 budget request.  Motion  
         passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris passed the gavel to Senator Truan.  Senator  
         Truan recognized Rosa Compos and Carol Stymons to present the  
         the budget for Health and Human Services.  Senator Truan  
         recognized Senator Harris who brought up item 7 on agenda and  
         ask that the additional monies being requested for the current  
         budget be voted on at the same time.   There was discussion.   
         By unanimous agreement the Health and Human Services requested  
         budget was not approved.  The committee directed the staff to  
         consult with Senator Zaffirini and come back with a revised  
         budget.  Senator Harris moved to approve the requested  
         addition of 3,007.25 for the current budget.  Motion passed 7  
         ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris resumed the chair and recognized Mel Hazelwood  
         to present the budget for Education along with approval for  
         the salary exception for Mel Hazelwood.  There was discussion.   
         Senator Sibley moved approval of the $271,100.00 budget  
         request and the salary exception.  Motion passed 6 ayes, 1  
         absent. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Buddy Garcia to present the budget  
         for Intergovernmental Relations.  There was discussion.   
         Senator Moncrief moved approval of the $236,400.00 budget  
         request which includes enough for the Interim Committee on  
         Housing.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nay. 
          
         Senator Harris passed the gavel to Senator Truan and asked to  
         be recognized.  Senator Harris presented the budgets for  
         Administration and the Interim Committee on Title Insurance.    
         Senator Moncrief moved approval of the $149,625 budget for  
  
         Administration and the $66,500 budget for the Interim  
         Committee on Title Insurance.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
                                                                                   
         3 
  
         Senator Harris resumed the Chair and presented the budget for  
         the Subcommittee on Agriculture in the absence of Senator  
         Haywood.  Senator Truan moved to approve the $39,700.00 budget  
         request.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Sibley to present the  
         budgets for Economic Development and  the Interim Committee on  
         Electric Utility Restructuring.  Senator Moncrief moved  
         approval of the  
         $299,600.00 budget for Economic Development and $84,500.00 for  
         the Interim Committee on Electric Utility Restructuring.   
         Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Ratliff to present the  
         budget for Finance and approval for a salary exception for  
         Nancy Frank.  Senator Moncrief moved to approve the $ 347,550  
         budget request and  approval for the salary exception.  Motion  
         passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Moncrief to present the  
         budget for General Investigating.   Senator Ratliff moved to  
         approve the $32,550.00 requested budget.  Motion passed 7  
         ayes, 0 nays.  
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Truan to present the budget  
         for International Trade and Technology.  Senator Sibley moved  
         to approve the $256,683.00 requested budget.  Motion passed 7  
         ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Brown to present the budget  
         for Natural Resources and the Joint  Interim Committee on  
         Water Resources Development and Management.  Senator Truan  
         moved to  approve the $265,000.00 budget for Natural Resources  
         and the $76,432.00 budget for the Joint Interim Committee on  
         Water Resources Development and Management.   Motion passed 7  
         ayes,  0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized David Edmondson to present the  
         budget for the Committee of the Whole on Legislative and  
         Congressional Redistricting along with a salary exception.   
         There was discussion.  Senator Truan moved to approve the  
         $173,180.00 budget along with the salary exception.  Motion  
         passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
           
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Armbrister to present the  
         budget for State Affairs along with a salary exception. This  
         budget request includes enough monies for the special interim  
         committee on State Affairs, and interim committee on  
         Transportation.  There was discussion.   Senator Moncrief  
         moved to approve the $402,816.00 budget along with the salary  
         exception.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Truan to present the budget  
         for the Subcommittee on Water.  There was discussion.  Senator  
  
         Truan moved to approve the $69,440.00 budget for the  
         Subcommittee on Water.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
                                                                                  
         4 
  
         Senator Harris recognized Cindy Brockwell to present the  
         budget for the interim committee on Public Information.  There  
         was discussion.  Senator Truan moved to approve the $49,950.00  
         budget  request.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris presented the $44,140.00 budget request  for  
         the interin committee on Sex Offenders.  Ssenator Moncrief  
         moved approval of the requested budget.  Motion passed 7 ayes,  
         0 nays. 
          
         Senator Harris recognized Senator Ratliff.  Senator Ratliff  
         expressed concern over the Senate expenditures, not only in  
         Committee offices but in Senate offices.  He wanted to see  
         total bottom line  figures on the Senate rate of expenditures.   
         Senator Harris agreed and with the committees approval asked  
         Betty King, Secretary of the Senate, Mark Morgan, Senate  
         Auditor and Myra Schmitt, Administration Committee Clerk to go  
         to work on this project.  Senator Ratliff asked that if  
         possible he'd like for the figures to be compared to at least  
         one prior biennium so he could see what the slope of the curve  
         is. There was further discussion on this subject.  Senator  
         Moncrief brought up the issue of when a member of a committee  
         can not attend a meeting then a member of his/her staff could  
         attend and the travel expense be charged to the committees  
         travel budget.  It was the understanding that this was the Lt.  
         Governor's intent.  There was discussion and most committee  
         chairs were not aware of this.  This is a matter that will  
         need further discussion. 
          
         Senator Harris explained that during the 74th legislative  
         session a bill was passed requiring state agencies and  
         institutions of higher education to reimburse the general  
         revenue fund for 50% of the unemployment benefits (paid by the  
         TWO on the agencies' behalf) from agency appropriations.  In  
         addition another bill was passed requiring state agencies and  
         institutions of higher education to reimburse the general  
         revenue fund (from agency appropriations) for 25% of all  
         workers' compensation benefits paid to current or former  
         employees who were originally paid from the general revenue  
         fund.  The former auditor made the decision to charge these  
         costs to each senator's caucus limit, this decision was made  
         without discussion or formal approval from the Administration  
         Committee.  Charging what are essentially payroll overhead  
         costs to the caucus limit is inconsistent with how we account  
         for other payroll costs such as social security taxes and  
         benefits replacement pay.  It is the opinion of the Senate  
         Auditor that these expenses need to be charges to the general  
         senate account.  Senator Harris moved to approve this  
         decision.  Motion passed 7 ayes, 0 nays. 
          
         There was discussion as to the deadline to make reservations  
         for the Hawaii trip and Betty King was asked to check and let  
         the members know the deadline to receive the best airfare.   
         There being no further business, Senator Moncrief moved that  
  
         the Committee stand recessed subject to the call of the Chair.   
         Without objection, it was so ordered.   
          
         ______________________ 
         Senator Chris Harris, Chair 
          
         ______________________ 
         Myra J. Schmitt, Clerk