MINUTES
SENATE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS, TRADE & TECHNOLOGY
Wednesday, March 5, 1997
1:00 pm
Lt. Governor's Committee Room
Public Hearing
*****
Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule
11.11, a public hearing of the Senate Committee on
International Relations, Trade & Technology was held on
Wednesday, March 5, 1997 in Lt. Governor's Committee Room, at
Austin, Texas.
*****
MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator Carlos F. Truan, Chairman None
Senator John Carona, Vice-Chairman
Senator Kenneth Armbrister
Senator Teel Bivins
Senator Jon Lindsay
Senator Steve Ogden
Senator Bill Ratliff
Senator Eliot Shapleigh
Senator David Sibley
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Chairman Truan called the public meeting to order at 1:15 p.m.
There being a quorum present, the following business was
transacted.
Senator Armbrister assumed the Chair at 1:15 p.m. and laid out
SCR 24. The Chair recognized the Senate sponsor of SCR 24,
Senator Truan, to explain the resolution. Senator Truan sent
up a Committee Substitute for SCR 24 and explained the changes
from the original SCR 24. The Chair recognized Bob Cuellar,
Deputy Executive Director of Transportation Planning and
Development for the Texas Department of Transportation, as a
resource witness to brief the Committee on the status of
harmonizing U.S., Canadian, and Mexican trucking regulations.
A discussion followed. Sam Goodhope, with the Texas Attorney
General's office, was also present as a resource witness, but
did not testify. The Clerk called the roll and the Chair
pronounced a quorum was present. Senator Truan moved SCR 24
do not pass, but that C.S.S.C.R. 24 do pass and be printed.
The motion carried with a vote of 7 ayes, 0 nays, 0 present
not voting, and 0 absent.
Senator Truan requested unanimous consent to certify the
resolution for Local & Uncontested Calendar; without
objection, it was so ordered.
Senator Truan resumed the Chair at 1:25 p.m. and laid out SCR
25, recognizing the Senate sponsor, Senator Armbrister, to
explain the resolution. A discussion followed. Senator
Armbrister moved that SCR 25 do pass and be printed. The
motion carried with a vote of 8 ayes, 0 nays, 0 present not
voting and 0 absent. Senator Armbrister requested unanimous
consent to certify the resolution for Local and Uncontested
Calendar; without objection, it was so ordered.
Chairman Truan laid out SB 553 and recognized the Senate
sponsor, Senator Brown, to explain the bill. A discussion
followed. Senator Sibley and Senator Lindsay requested
unanimous consent to be shown voting aye on CSSCR 24. There
being no objection, it was so ordered. Senator Lindsay
requested unanimous consent to be shown voting aye on SCR 25.
There being no objection, it was so ordered. The Chair
recognized Mr. Robert Handy, Museum Director of the Brazoria
County Historical Museum, to testify for the bill. Senator
Carona moved that SB553 be reported favorably to the full
Senate with the recommendation that it do pass and be printed.
The motion carried with a vote of 8 ayes, 0 nays, 0 present
not voting and 0 absent. Senator Bivins requested unanimous
consent to be shown voting aye for SB 553. There being no
objection, it was so ordered. Senator Carona requested
unanimous consent to certify the bill for Local & Uncontested
Calendar; without objection, it was so ordered.
Senator Carona moved to adopt the minutes from the previous
meeting. There being no objection, it was so ordered.
Chairman Truan recognized Nueces County Judge Richard
Borchard, Chairman of the State Highway 77/281 Coalition and a
board member of the I-69 Texas Alliance and Mr. Randy Delay,
consultant for the Mid-Continent Highway Coalition to brief
the Committee on the progress of I-69 in Texas. A discussion
followed. Webb County Judge Mercurio Martinez, Vice-Chair of
the North America Superhighway Coalition, was recognized by
Chairman Truan. The Chair then recognized Chairman Laney of
the Texas Transportation Commission, Mr. William "Bill"
Burnett, Executive Director of the Texas Department of
Transportation, and Mr. Robert "Bob" Cuellar, Deputy Executive
Director of Transportation Planning and Development for the
Texas Department of Transportation to respond to the
Coalitions' briefing and to update the Committee on federal
transportation activities. A discussion followed.
Chairman Truan passed the Chair to Senator Armbrister to lay
out SB 566 at 2:54 p.m. The Chair laid out SB 566 and
recognized its Senate sponsor, Senator Truan, to explain the
bill. Robert Cuellar with the Texas Department of
Transportation testified on the bill. A discussion followed.
At the request of the sponsor, the bill was left pending
before the Committee. Senator Truan resumed the chair at 3:00
p.m., and recognized Ms. Katari Aragon, with the Mexican
Consulate's Office as a resource witness for the briefing on
NAFTA corridors and CSSCR 24. The Chairman recognized Senator
Armbrister for a question for Ms. Aragon. A discussion
followed.
There being no further business, at 3:05 p.m. Senator
Armbrister moved that the Committee stand recessed subject to
the call of the Chair. Without objection, it was so ordered.
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Senator Carlos F. Truan, Chair
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