MINUTES
SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
Subcommittee on Articles II and VIII Agencies
Tuesday, August 4, 1998
9:30 a.m.
Capitol Extension, Room E1.036
*****
Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule
11.11, a public hearing of the Senate Interim Finance
Subcommittee on Articles II and VIII Agencies was held on
Tuesday, August 4, 1998 in the Capitol Extension, Room E1.036,
at Austin, Texas.
*****
MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator Jane Nelson, Chair Senator Royce West
Senator Carlos Truan
*****
Chairwoman Nelson called the meeting to order at 9:40 a.m.
The following business was transacted.
The Chair made opening remarks and called on invited witnesses
to provide testimony and answer questions of the committee
regarding the future of state-operated chest hospitals in San
Antonio and Harlingen. Invited witnesses appeared as follows:
William Archer, M.D., representing the Texas Department
of Health (TDH), provided oral testimony on the TDH
Hospitals Long-Range Plan.
Andrew Maternowski, M.D., representing the South Texas
Hospital, provided oral testimony and written statistical
analyses on inpatient and outpatient care at the South
Texas Hospital.
James N. Elkins, representing Texas Department of Health
Hospitals, provided oral testimony on the TDH Hospitals
Long-Range Plan.
Javier Ortegon, representing the Texas Department of
Health, provided oral testimony on the TDH Hospitals
Long-Range Plan.
The Chair recognized Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. and State
Representative Jim Solis, and invited them to sit on the dais
with other members of the committee. Testimony resumed as
follows:
Barbara J. Seaworth, M.D., representing the Texas
Department of Health, provided oral testimony on the TDH
Hospitals Long-Range Plan.
Candace L. Downing, representing the South Texas
Hospital, registered as a resource witness, but did not
testify.
Richard S. Kronenberg, M.D., representing the University
of Texas Health Center at Tyler, provided oral and
written testimony on tuberculosis care at the University
of Texas Health Center at Tyler.
Don Green, representing the Texas Department of Mental
Health and Mental Retardation, provided oral testimony on
the current level of interaction between state-operated
chest hospitals.
Barbara J. Seaworth, M.D., representing the Texas
Department of Health, was called back to the witness
table to answer additional questions on the TDH Hospitals
Long-Range Plan.
Public testimony was provided as follows:
*Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr., representing Senate District
27, provided oral testimony on the South Texas Hospital
and the continued need for state funding in order to
contain tuberculosis along the border and south Texas.
He urged committee members to consider "Option C" of the
TDH Hospitals Long-Range Plan and asked that a letter
dated August 4, 1998, written by him to Governor George
W. Bush on this subject, be entered into committee
records.
*State Representative Jim Solis, representing House
District 38, provided oral testimony on the need for the
continued funding and operation of the South Texas
Hospital. He also spoke on the need for a direct
affiliation between the South Texas Hospital and a state
medical school.
*Ruben D. Martinez, M.D., representing himself, provided
oral testimony on the continuation of funding for the
South Texas Hospital.
Gilbert G. Hernandez, representing himself, provided oral
testimony on the continuation of funding for the South
Texas Hospital.
There being no further business, at 2:45 p.m. Senator Nelson
announced that the Committee will stand recessed subject to
the call of the Chair. Without objection, it was so ordered.
______________________
Senator Jane Nelson, Chair
______________________
Patricia Hicks, Clerk
*Public testimony was taken out of the order printed in the
minutes. Senator Lucio provided public testimony after Javier
Ortegon; and Representative Solis and Dr. Ruben Martinez
provided public testimony before Don Green. All other
witnesses spoke in the order presented in the minutes.