MINUTES
SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERAN AFFAIRS
AND MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
Tuesday, August 22, 2000
10:00 a.m.
Lt. Governor's Committee Room
*****
Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule
11.18, a public hearing of the Senate Committee on VETERAN
AFFAIRS was held on Tuesday, August 22, 2000, in the Lt.
Governor's Committee Room
*****
MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator Carlos Truan Senator Steve Ogden
Senator Troy Fraser Senator Leticia Van de
Putte
Senator Eliot Shapleigh
*****
The Chairman, Senator Carlos F. Truan, called the meeting
to order at 10:20 a.m. The following business was
transacted:
Senator Truan welcomed the Committee and made opening
statements. Committee staff was introduced. On a motion
by Senator Shapleigh the minutes for the El Paso meeting at
Ft. Bliss on May 25, 2000 were approved. The motion was
seconded by Senator Fraser. There being no objections, the
minutes were approved. Senator Shapleigh moved the
adoption of the minutes for the meeting on July 28, 2000,
aboard the USS Inchon in Corpus Christi, Texas. There were
no objections and the minutes were adopted.
Chairman Truan called Major General Daniel James III,
Adjutant General, Texas National Guard, Major General Wayne
D. Marty, Assistant Adjutant General, Texas Army National
Guard, and Brigadier General Michael B. Smith, Assistant
Adjutant General, Texas Air Nation Guard. General James
thanked the members for their support in the past and
briefed the Committee on the missions of the Texas National
Guard, including health care in the Rio Grande Valley and
the Youth Challenge Program. He testified on the increased
budgetary needs the Guard will be requesting during the
next legislative session caused by the expanded missions,
the preservation of historic buildings at Camp Mabry that
need to be updated and repaired, and expanding the Guard's
tuition assistance program.
Chairman Truan called on Commander James Keith Sellers,
Public Works Officer, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi to
testify on the number of facilities eligible for a
historical registry on the base and the cost and process
that must be carried out before a building can be renovated
or torn down.
Senator Truan called on the State Historical Commission and
recognized Lawrence Oaks, Executive Director. Also
testifying with Mr. Oaks were Stan Graves, Director of
Architecture, and Sharon Fleming, Staff Architect. Mr.
Oaks discussed the 1996 Act passed by Congress setting up
the National Preservation Board.
The final witness called by the Chairman was Linda
McDonough, Acting Director, Texas Skills Academic Program
(TSAP) of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Ms. McDonough addressed some of the issues about the TSAP
test that had come up at the Ft. Hood hearing in Killeen,
Texas, on March 21, 2000.
There being no further business, Senator Fraser moved the
Committee stand recessed subject to call of the Chair.
There being no objections, the Committee recessed at noon.
___________________________
Carlos F. Truan, Chairman
Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs
and Military Installations
Witnesses in order of testimony:
Major General Daniel James III
Adjutant General, Texas National Guard
P. O. Box 5218
Austin, TX 78763
(512) 465-5006
Major General Wayne D. Marty
Assistant Adjutant General
Texas Army National Guard
P. O. Box 5218
Austin, TX 78763
(512) 465-5115
Brigadier General Michael B Smith
Assistant Adjutant General
Texas Air National Guard
P. O. Box 5281
2200 W. 35th Street
Austin, TX 78703
(512)465-5115
Commandeer James Keith Sellers
Public Works Officer
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi
11001 D St., Suite 143
Corpus Christi, TX 78419
(361) 961-3664
Lawrence Oaks, Executive Director
Texas Historical Commission
P. O. Box 12276
Austin, TX 78711
(512) 463-6100
Stan Graves, Director of Architecture
Texas Historical Commission
P. O. Box 12276
Austin, TX 78711
(512) 463-6099
Sharon Fleming, Staff Architect
Texas Historical Commission
P. O. Box 12276
Austin, TX 78711
(512) 463-6268
Linda McDonough
Acting Director, TSAP
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
1200 E. Anderson Lane
Austin, TX
(512) 427-6525