MINUTES 
                                           
                          SENATE COMMITTEE ON NOMINATIONS 
                               Monday, March 24, 2003 
                           3:00 p.m. or upon adjournment 
                           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 Nominations  
         was held on Monday, March 24, 2003, in the Capitol Extension,  
         Room E1.016, at Austin, Texas. 
          
                                       ***** 
                                           
         MEMBERS PRESENT:                        MEMBERS ABSENT: 
         Senator Jon Lindsay                     Senator Chris Harris 
         Senator Bob Deuell 
         Senator Gonzalo Barrientos 
         Senator John Carona 
         Senator Juan Hinojosa 
         Senator Mike Jackson 
                                           
                                       ***** 
                                           
         The chair called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.  
          
         The Chair called on the nominees from the Texas Higher Education  
         Coordinating Board: Neal Adams, Jerry Farrington, Lorraine  
         Perryman, Curtis Ransom and Windy Sitton. 
          
         The Chair introduced Senator Nelson, who introduced Neil Adams  
         with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, she also  
         introduced Kenneth Ingram with the Texas Woman's University  
         Board of Regents. 
          
         The Chair recognized Senator Shapiro, who introduced Curtis  
         Ransom, Jerry Farrington, Lorraine Perryman and Windy Sitton  
         with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.  She also  
         introduced Harry Crumpacker II with the Texas Woman's University  
         Board of Regents.   
          
         The Chair introduced Senator Wentworth, who introduced Raul  
         Gonzalez with the University of Houston System Board of Regents  
         and Allen William Dreeben with the Texas State University System  
         Board of Regents.   
          
         Jerry Farrington, with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating  
         Board, gave his opening statements.           
          
         The Chair introduced Senator Averitt, who introduced Barbara  
         Rusling with the Texas State Technical College System Board of  
  
         Regents. 
          
         The nominees with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board  
         gave their opening remarks. 
          
         The Chair introduced Senator Armbrister, who introduced Don  
         Elliott with the Texas State Technical College System. 
          
         The Chair introduced Senator Williams, who introduced Kent Adams  
         with the Texas State University Board of Regents. 
          
         The Chair introduced Senator Whitmire, who introduced Victoria  
         Hodge Lightman with the Texas Commission on the Arts.  
          
         The Chair introduced Senator Lucio, who introduced Loren  
         McKibbens with the Texas Commission of the Arts, and C. De la  
         Garza with the Texas State Technical College System Board of  
         Regents.  
          
         The Chair introduced Senator Estes, who introduced Midwestern  
         State University Board of Regents nominees Patricia Ann Haywood  
         and Don Ross Malone.  He also introduced W.C. Abernathy with the  
         Texas Commission of the Arts.   
          
         The Chair introduced Senator Ellis, who introduced University of  
         Texas Board of Regent, Hubbard Scott Caven and Mike Cemo with  
         the University of Houston System Board of Regents. 
          
         Senator Lindsay introduced Senator Duncan, who introduced Windy  
         Sitton with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and  
         Pollyanna Stephens with the Texas State University Board of  
         Regents. 
          
         At 4:10p.m., a quorum was present. 
          
         At 4:10 p.m., without objection, the motioned carried to adopt  
         the minutes from the previous meeting.  
          
         With introductions complete, the Chair questioned the Texas  
         Higher Education Coordinating Board regarding budget and  
         scholarships issues and Senator Hinojosa suggested that a study  
         needs to be done on the number of seats in Texas medical schools  
         required to meet the needs of the state.  Senator Barrientos  
         questioned scholarships, tuition deregulation, and the ethnic  
         breakdown of employees.   
          
         The Chair introduced Senator Bivins, who introduced Lorraine  
         Perryman with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.                                              
         There being no other questions, the nominees were confirmed with  
         a vote of 5 ayes and 0 nays.  Senator Deuell asked to be shown  
         voting aye. 
         Chairman Lindsay introduced Senator Carona, who introduced  
         Robert A. Estrada with the University of Texas System Board of  
         Regents.  Chairman Lindsay introduced James Huffines. 
         The University of Texas System Board of Regents nominees gave  
  
         their opening remarks. 
         Senator Hinojosa questioned the University's tuition rates and  
         voiced his concern that the middle class could be priced out if  
         deregulation was permitted.  The nominees responded that there  
         were a number of programs for the middle class regarding  
         flexible tuition.  Senator Barrientos asked if each supported  
         deregulation; Estrada and Caven said yes and Huffines supported  
         "tuition flexibility."  Senator Barrientos questioned the top  
         ten percent rule and graduate programs.  Senator Barrientos also  
         discussed putting a student on the Board of Regents.  Senator  
         Lindsay questioned the research work of the university and ways  
         of improving it.                              
         There being no other questions the nominees were confirmed with  
         a vote of 6 ayes and 0 nays.  Senator Carona and Jackson asked  
         to be shown voting aye. 
         The Chair called the Midwestern State University Board of  
         Regents nominees, Patricia Haywood and Don Malone.  Senator  
         Hinojosa questioned population.  
         The Chair announced that the consideration of the nominees would  
         be left pending awaiting the arrival of a quorum. 
         The Chair introduced the nominees with the Texas State Technical  
         College System, C. De la Garza, Don Elliott, Michael Northcutt,  
         Jerilyn Pfeifer, and Barbara Rusling.  They gave their opening  
         remarks.  Senator Hinojosa gave accolades. 
         The Chair announced that the consideration of the nominees would  
         be left pending awaiting the arrival of a quorum. 
         The Chair introduced the Texas State University System Board of  
         Regents nominees, Kent Adams, Alan Dreeben and Pollyanna  
         Stephens.  Senator Hinojosa questioned the main location of  
         their campus. There being no other questions, the Chair  
         announced that the consideration of the nominees would be left  
         pending awaiting the arrival of a quorum.  
         The Chair introduced the University of Houston System Board of  
         Regents: Michael Cemo, Raul Gonzalez and Leroy Hermes.  They  
         gave their opening remarks.  Senator Lindsay questioned their  
         ability to become a Tier One school.   
         There being no other questions, the Chair announced that the  
         consideration of the nominees would be left pending awaiting the  
         arrival of a quorum. 
         There being a quorum present, the Chair asked that the nominees  
         from Midwestern State University Board of Regents, The Texas  
         State Technical College System Board of Regents, the Texas State  
         University Board of Regents and the University of Houston Board  
         of Regents be sent to the full Senate. With a vote of 6 ayes and  
         0 nays, the nominees were confirmed.  Senators Carona and  
         Jackson asked to be shown voting aye.   
         The Chair introduced Texas Woman's University Board of Regents  
         nominees, Kenneth Ingram, Tegwin Pulley and Harry Crumpacker II.   
         Senator Deuell questioned the future of nursing school  
         expansion.  There being no other questions, the Chair requested  
         that the nominees be sent to the full Senate.  The nominees were  
         confirmed with 6 ayes and 0 nays.  Senators Barrientos and  
         Carona asked to be shown voting aye.   
         The Chair introduced the nominees with the Texas Commission on  
         the Arts, W.C. Abernathy, Alphonse Dotson, Victoria Lightman,  
  
         Loren McKibbens, Maria Ramirez, and Mildred Witte.  They each  
         gave their opening remarks.  
         There being no questions the nominees were passed to the full  
         Senate with a vote of 6 ayes and 0 nays with Senator Barrientos,  
         and Senator Carona asked to be shown voting aye. 
         The Chair read a witness card registering neutral for the  
         nominees to the Texas State Technical College System Board of  
         Regents. 
         The Chair asked that the nominees with the Texas School Safety  
         Center Board of Directors and the School Land Board be passed to  
         the full Senate; there being no objections the nominees were  
         passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.  Senator Carona asked to be shown  
         voting aye.  
         There being no other business at 6:15p.m., Chairman Lindsay  
         announced the committee would stand in recess subject to the  
         call of the chair.  There being no objections, the committee  
         recessed. 
          
         _______________________________ 
         Senator Jon Lindsay, Chairman 
          
         _______________________________ 
         Tanya Tillman, Committee Clerk