MINUTES 
                                           
                      SENATE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS & COMMERCE 
                         Subcommittee on Interim Charge #5 
                               Monday, March 18, 2002 
                                     1:00 p.m. 
                           Capitol Extension, Room E1.016 
                                           
                                       ***** 
          
         Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule  
         11.18, a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Business &  
         Commerce, Subcommittee on Interim Charge #5,  was held on  
         Monday, March 18, 2002, in the Capitol Extension, Room E1.016,  
         at Austin, Texas. 
          
                                       ***** 
                                           
         MEMBERS PRESENT:                        MEMBERS ABSENT: 
         Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Chair 
         Senator Troy Fraser                      
         Senator Mike Jackson                     
                                                  
                                       ***** 
                                           
         Chair Van de Putte called the meeting to order at 1:25 p.m.   
         There being a quorum present, the following business was  
         transacted. 
          
         The Chair made opening remarks and advised that the focus of the  
         first Subcommittee meeting was on state agencies and how rates  
         were determined for use on state procurement contracts.  This  
         meeting would focus on the impact prevailing wage rates have on  
         the industry, on labor and the State.   
          
         Chair Van de Putte then called Panel 1 - Update From State  
         Agencies.  The panelists were: 
          
              John  Davenport, Director, Construction Procurement,  
                   Texas Building and Procurement Commission, 
              Mark Hughes, Workforce Information, Analysis & Reporting  
         Division Director, 
                   Texas Workforce Commission, and  
              Thomas Bohuslav, P.E., Construction Division Director,  
                   Texas Department of Transportation. 
          
         The following witnesses were called to respond to questions  
         raised during testimony by Panel 1: 
          
              Jose Rodriguez, El Paso County Attorney, El Paso, 
              Denise Donnelly, Office of the Attorney General, Austin,  
  
         The Chair called for testimony by the sole member of Panel 3 -  
         Contractors, Andrew Rittler, representing the Association of  
         Building Contractors, Austin.  Travis Snell, representing the  
         Comptrollers Office, was called to respond to a question raised  
         during Mr. Rittler's testimony.  
              . 
         Chair Van de Putte then called Panel 2 - Labor representatives: 
          
              Danny Tilley, Executive Secretary, Texas Building &  
         Construction Trades Council, 
              Bob Salvatore, President, AFL-CIO, San Antonio, 
              Ronnie Raspberry, Executive Secretary, Houston Building  
         Trades, Houston,  
              Rick Lord, Business Agent, UAPP 68, Houston, and 
              Gordon Byram, Business Manager, IBEW Local 520, Austin. 
          
         Upon completion of testimony by Panel 2, the Chair called for  
         public testimony to commence, as follows: 
          
              Rev. James Hall, Texas Industrial Areas Foundation Network,  
         El Paso, 
              Sister Bernie Barrett, Metro Alliance, COPS, San Antonio, 
              Bonifacio Raymundo, Valley Interfaith, McAllen, 
              Father Jerry Franks, Valley Interfaith, McAllen. 
          
         Chair Van de Putte recalled Jose Rodriguez, El Paso County  
         Attorney, to present his testimony, as well as a video by Mayor  
         Raymond Caballero, Mayor of El Paso. 
               
         Mr. Rodriguez' testimony was followed by testimony from: 
          
              Douglas Shawn Broadrick, Road Sprinkler Fitters Members,  
         Waller, Texas, and 
              Lance Lively, AGL - Road Division, Austin. 
          
         There being no further business, at 4:02 p.m. Chair Van de Putte  
         moved that the Subcommittee stand recessed subject to the call  
         of the chair.  Without objection, it was so ordered.   
          
         ________________________________ 
         Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Chair 
          
         ________________________________ 
         Barbara Henderson, Clerk