The House Committee on Appropriations 
         79th Legislature 
         March 16, 2005 
         7:00 a.m. 
         Capitol Extension, E1.030 
          
         Pursuant to a notice posted on March 10, 2005, and revised on  
         March 14, 2005 and twice on March 15, 2005, the House Committee  
         on Appropriations met in a public hearing and was called to  
         order by the chair, Representative Pitts, at 7:10 a.m. 
          
         The roll was answered as follows: 
          
         Present:   Representatives Pitts; Luna; Berman; Brown, Betty;  
                    Brown, Fred; Chisum; Crownover; Davis, John; Edwards;  
                    Haggerty; Hamric; Hegar; Hope; Hopson; Isett; King,  
                    Tracy; Kolkhorst; Martinez; McClendon; Menendez;  
                    Pena; Smith, Todd; Turner (23). 
          
         Absent:    Representatives Branch; Dukes; Gattis; Guillen;  
                    Pickett; Truitt (6). 
          
         A quorum was present. 
          
         (Representative Guillen now present.) (Representative Pickett  
         now present.) 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Fred Brown to lay out  
         Regulatory riders. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Betty Brown to lay out a  
         proposed rider for the Department of Licensing and Regulation. 
          
         Testimony was taken.  (See attached witness list.) 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Tracy King to lay out a  
         proposed rider for the Department of Licensing and Regulation. 
          
         Representative Fred Brown moved the adoption of the following  
         Regulatory riders: Amend Contingent Revenue Rider for the Board  
         of Nurse Examiners; Amend Capital Budget Rider for the Board of  
         Medical Examiners; Add Rural Physician Assistant Loan  
         Reimbursement Rider for the Board of Medical Examiners; Add  
         Contingent Revenue Rider for the Board of Chiropractic  
         Examiners; Add Contingent Revenue: Capital Budget Items and  
         Agency Operations Rider for the Securities Board; Add  
         Out-of-State Travel Cap Exemption Rider for the Securities  
         Board; Add Contingent Revenue Rider regarding the enforcement of  
         electricians for the Department of Licensing and Regulation; Add  
         Contingent Revenue Rider regarding weather modification  
         operations for the Department of Licensing and Regulation.   
         Without objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Turner to lay out the  
         Criminal Justice riders. 
  
         (Representative Branch now present.) 
          
         (Representative Dukes now present.) 
          
         Representative Turner moved the adoption of the following  
         Criminal Justice Fiscal Changes: Increase funding for the Public  
         Integrity Unit of the Judiciary Section, Comptroller's  
         Department; Increase funding for fuel and for the construction  
         of a district office for the Department of Public Safety;  
         Increase funding for Texas Department of Criminal Justice  
         payments to County Prosecutors; Riders: Add Office of the  
         Attorney General Family Trust Fund Rider as amended; Amend  
         Comptroller of Public Accounts Refunds of Unexpended Balances  
         from Training Entities Rider; Add Appropriation: Actual  
         Innocence Project Rider for the University of Houston, the  
         University of Texas, Texas Tech University and Texas Southern  
         University Law Schools; Technical adjustment to Felony  
         Prosecutors: Expenses Rider for the Judiciary Section,  
         Comptroller's Department; Add Contingency Appropriation for  
         House Bill 1093 Riders for the Texas Department of Criminal  
         Justice and the Department of Aging and Disability Services; Add  
         Texas Department of Criminal Justice Mental Health Services  
         Rider; Add Texas Department of Criminal Justice Harris County  
         Community Corrections Facility Rider; Add Texas Department of  
         Criminal Justice Permian Basin Mental Health Deputy Pilot  
         Program Rider; Add Texas Department of Criminal Justice Inmate  
         Phones Pilot Project Rider as amended; Add Texas Department of  
         Criminal Justice Prison Safety and Efficiency Rider; Add Texas  
         Department of Criminal Justice Annual Supervision Rider; Add  
         Texas Department of Criminal Justice Expansion of Pre-Parole  
         Transfer Beds Rider; Add Commission on Jail Standards  
         Contingency Appropriation for House Bill 2345 Rider; Add Texas  
         Juvenile Probation Commission Special Needs Diversionary  
         Programs Rider; Add Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers  
         Construction Project Rider; Add Department of Public Safety  
         Driver's License Office Rider; Add Texas Youth Commission  
         Utilization of Existing Youth Commission Facilities Rider; FTE  
         Changes: Amend the FTE cap for the Texas Department of Criminal  
         Justice; Increase the FTE cap for the Texas Department of Public  
         Safety; Items for Future Consideration: Texas Department of  
         Criminal Justice Burglary of a Motor Vehicle State Jail Felony  
         Contingency Rider and increased funding for Correctional Managed  
         Health Care.  Without objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Chisum to lay out the  
         previously pended recommendations for the Office of Rural  
         Community Affairs. 
          
         Representative Chisum moved adoption of the Legislative Budget  
         Board recommendations with the following changes: Add new Goal,  
         Outreach and Assistance, and new Strategy, Rural Policy and  
         Research, to the bill pattern; Technical adjustment to change  
         the Method of Finance for Community Affairs Federal Fund No. 127  
         to the Office of Rural Community Affairs Federal Fund No. 5091;  
 
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         House Committee on Appropriations 
         3/16/2005 
          
         Item for Future Consideration: Restore 5% GR Reduction to Health  
         Care Access Programs and Indirect Administration Strategies.   
         Without objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Chisum to lay out the  
         General Government riders. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Luna to lay out the proposed  
         Item for Future Consideration: Desalination Projects for the  
         Texas Water Development Board. 
          
         Representative Chisum moved the adoption of the following  
         General Government Technical Adjustments: Texas Enterprise Fund  
         Rider 12 in the Trusteed Programs within the Office of the  
         Governor; Capital Budget Rider 2 for the Historical Commission;  
         Performance measure target for the Library & Archives  
         Commission; Riders: Amend Capital Budget Rider for the Building  
         and Procurement Commission; Amend Texas State Cemetery Rider for  
         Building and Procurement Commission; Add Contingent Revenue:  
         General Revenue-Dedicated 911 Service Fee Account No. 5050 Rider  
         for the Commission on State Emergency Communications; Add  
         Contingent Revenue: General Revenue-Dedicated Advisory  
         Commission on Emergency Communications Account No. 5007 Rider  
         for the Commission on State Emergency Communications; Amend  
         Capital Budget Rider for the Library & Archives Commission;  
         Amend Capital Budget Rider for the Commission on Environmental  
         Quality; Amend Capital Budget Rider for the General Land Office  
         and Veterans Land Board; Add Conservation Assistance Grant Funds  
         to Soil and Water Districts Rider for the Soil and Water  
         Conservation Board; Amend Appropriation: Water Assistance Fund  
         Rider for the Water Development Board; Amend Capital Budget  
         Rider for the Texas Workforce Commission; Items for Future  
         Consideration: Contingency Appropriation for House Bill 952  
         Rider for the Employees Retirement System; Defense Economic  
         Adjustment Assistance Grant Program Rider for the Trusteed  
         Programs within the Office of the Governor; Contingency  
         Appropriation for House Bill 3112: Network Security Services  
         Rider for the Department of Information Resources; Contingency  
         Appropriation for House Bill 661 Rider for the Library &  
         Archives Commission; Contingency Appropriation for Bovine  
         Brucellosis First Point Testing Rider for the Animal Health  
         Commission; Contingency Appropriation for House Bill 1563:  
         Vehicle Inspections for Hazardous Waste at Border Crossings  
         Rider for the Commission on Environmental Quality; Additional  
         Appropriation for Coastal Erosion Rider for the General Land  
         Office; Contingency Appropriation for House Bill 1292 Rider for  
         the Parks and Wildlife Department; Appropriation: Collin County  
         Dam Rehabilitation Funding Rider for the Soil and Water  
         Conservation Board; Desalination Projects for the Water  
         Development Board; Contingency Appropriation Rider for the Texas  
         Workforce Commission; Contingency Appropriation of unexpended  
         balances Rider for the Texas Workforce Commission.  Without  
         objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
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         House Committee on Appropriations 
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         The chair recognized Representative Dukes to lay out a proposed  
          rider for the Trusteed Programs Within the Office of the  
         Governor. 
          
         Representative Chisum moved the adoption of the Capital Access  
         Program Rider for the Trusteed Programs Within the Office of the  
         Governor as an Item for Future Consideration.  Without  
         objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Chisum to lay out a proposed  
         rider for the Employees Retirement System. 
          
         Representative Chisum moved the adoption of the Federal Funds  
         for Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program Rider for the  
         Employees Retirement System into the bill pattern. Without  
         objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Chisum to lay out a proposed  
         rider amendment for the Trusteed Programs Within the Office of  
         the Governor. 
          
         Representative Chisum moved the adoption of the Unexpended  
         Balances Between Biennia Rider Amendment for the Trusteed  
         Programs Within the Office of the Governor.  Without objection,  
         the motion was adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Chisum to lay out proposed  
         funding and a rider for the Commission on the Arts. 
          
         Representative Luna moved the adoption of the Commission on the  
         Arts Texas Cultural Endowment Fund Interest Earnings Rider to  
         the Items for Future Consideration.  Without objection, the  
         motion was adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Chisum to lay out proposed  
         appropriation reductions and a contingency rider appropriation  
         for Senate Bill 1177 for the Trusteed Programs Within the Office  
         of the Governor.    
          
         Representative Chisum moved the adoption of the appropriation  
         reductions and contingency rider to the Items for Future  
         Consideration.  Without objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Kolkhorst to lay out the  
         Education Riders.  The chair pended the following Items for  
         Future Consideration: General Academic Institutions: Small  
         Institution Supplement, Phasing out the loss of small-school  
         supplement and Maintenance of Current Services GR Level for  
         Non-Formula Items; Health Related Institutions: Maintenance of  
         Current Services GR Level for Non-Formula Items and for  
         Infrastructure Support and Research Formulas; University of  
         Texas Medical Branch at Galveston: Contingency Appropriation for  
         HB 1031.  The chair moved the following Items for Future  
         Consideration into the bill pattern: OCR Priority Plan Reporting  
 
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         House Committee on Appropriations 
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         Requirements for Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M  
         University.  
           
         Representative Kolkhorst moved the adoption of the following  
         Education riders: Amend Special Project Funding Rider for the  
         University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; Add Best  
         Business Practices Rider for the University of Texas M.D.  
         Anderson Cancer Center; Add Reporting by Higher Education  
         Coordinating Board Rider; Add Proposed Contingency Rider: State  
         of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery Program for the University  
         of Texas at Austin; Add Planning and Engineering Rider for the  
         University of Texas at El Paso; Add Center for Values in  
         Medicine and Technology Rider for the University of Texas at  
         Dallas; Amend OCR Priority Plan Reporting Requirements for Texas  
         Southern University and for Prairie View A&M University; Items  
         for Future Consideration: Contingency Appropriation for House  
         Bill 1512 for the University of Texas at Austin; State Funding  
         for Faculty Costs of Graduate Medical Education; Proposed  
         Funding Texas A&M University Health Science Center; Support of  
         Students and Resident Training Programs University of Texas  
         Medical Branch at Galveston; Rural Technology Center - South  
         Texas College; Center for Mexican American Studies - University  
         of Texas at Arlington; Start Up Funds: Electric, Civil and  
         Environmental Engineering for West Texas A&M University; Mission  
         Specific Support for Texas A&M University at Galveston;  
         Appropriation: Regional Academic Health Center as amended for  
         the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio; Law  
         School Repayment Program of the Texas Higher Education  
         Coordinating Board; Expansion of Health Program for University  
         of Texas El Paso; Appropriation for Expansion of Public Health  
         Program in El Paso; Brazos Family Medicine Residency;  
         Maintenance of GR and Support of Academic Programs for the  
         University of Texas Health Center at Tyler; Biotechnology  
         Research Programs at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer  
         Center; Poultry Diagnostic Laboratory for the Texas Veterinary  
         Medical Laboratory; New Campus Funding for Blinn College;  
         Appropriation for Natural Science and Engineering Building at  
         the University of Texas at Dallas; Special Provisions  
         Instruction and Operations Support Formula; Restoration of  
         Baseline Funding on University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer  
         Center GR; Loss of Small School Supplement at the University of  
         Texas at Tyler; Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board  
         Appropriation for Resident Stipends; University of Texas Medical  
         Branch at Galveston Homeland Defense and Bioterrorism  
         Countermeasure Development; University of Texas Southwestern  
         Collaborative Center for Sickle Cell Disease; University of  
         Texas Southwestern Imaging Center Operating Costs; University of  
         Texas at Dallas Reimbursement for Natural Science and  
         Engineering Building; Texas A&M Kingsville Irma Rangel College  
         of Pharmacy; Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Irrigation  
         Technology Center; Texas Engineering Experiment Station Training  
         Facility Study; Community Colleges Benefits Proportional by  
         Fund; Special Provisions Scope of Practice; Health Related  
         Institutions Support for Growth in Patient Care Missions;  
 
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         House Committee on Appropriations 
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         Community Colleges New Campus Funding; Special Provisions  
         Contingent Appropriations for Small Business Development  
         Centers.  Representative Berman moved to amend Representative  
          Kolkhorst's motion to reflect the name of the University of  
         Texas Health Center at Tyler in that agency's Item for Future  
         Consideration: Maintenance of GR and Support of Academic  
         Programs.  Without objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Kolkhorst to lay out a  
         funding proposal for Texas A&M University related to the faculty  
         reinvestment special item. 
          
         Representative Kolkhorst moved the adoption of the Texas A&M  
         University funding proposal to adjust faculty reinvestment  
         totals to the Items for Future Consideration.  Without  
         objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         Representative Luna moved to reconsider Representative  
         Kolkhorst's motion.  Without objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representatives Kolkhorst and Fred Brown to  
         further explain the funding proposal.   
          
         Representative Fred Brown moved to restore the Texas A&M  
         University faculty reinvestment special item to the Items for  
         Future Consideration.  Without objection, the motion was  
         adopted.   
          
         Representative Fred Brown moved to adopt the additional funding  
         proposal to adjust faculty reinvestment totals as previously  
         laid out.  The chair objected to the motion.  Representative  
         Fred Brown withdrew the motion to add additional funding for the  
         Texas A&M University faculty reinvestment special item. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Kolkhorst to lay out  
         recommendations for the Texas Engineering Extension Service, the  
         Texas Engineering Experiment Station, the Texas Transportation  
         Institute; the Texas A&M University System, the University of  
         Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas at Arlington. 
          
         Representative Fred Brown moved the adoption of the following  
         recommendations in Items for Future Consideration: Increase  
         funding for Texas Engineering Extension Service Regional Swift  
         Water Strike Team Cache; Increase funding for Texas Engineering  
         Experiment Station Molecular Diagnostics via  
         Nanobiotechnologies; Increase funding for Texas Transportation  
         Institute Summer Transportation Institute; Restore scholarship  
         funding for the Texas A&M University System; Increase funding  
         and add Contingency for Senate Bill 95 Rider for the University  
         of Texas at El Paso Asthma Research Center; Add Sustainable  
         Water Supply Research Center Rider for the University of Texas  
         at Arlington.  Without objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         Under Rule 4, Section 23A, Chairman Pitts recognized  
 
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         House Committee on Appropriations 
         3/16/2005 
          
         Representative Eiland to provide information to the committee. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Turner to lay out a proposed  
         rider for Houston Community College. 
           
         Representative Turner moved the adoption of the Public Safety  
         Institute campus at Houston Community College Rider into Items  
         for Future Consideration.  Without objection, the motion was  
         adopted. 
          
         The chair recognized Representative Hopson to lay out a funding  
         proposal and rider for the University of Texas Medical Branch at  
         Galveston. 
          
         Representative Hopson moved the adoption of the Regional  
         Emergency Medical Dispatch Resource Center Pilot Program Rider  
         and Funding Transfer.  Without objection, the motion was  
         adopted. 
          
         Representative Luna moved to reconsider the State Funding for  
         Faculty Costs of Graduate Medical Education Rider.  Without  
         objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         Representative Branch moved the adoption of the State Funding  
         for Faculty Costs of Graduate Medical Education Rider as  
         amended.  Without objection, the motion was adopted. 
          
         At 9:56 a.m., on the motion of the chair and without objection,  
         the meeting was adjourned until 7:00 a.m., March 17, 2005. 
          
         ________________________ 
         Rep. Pitts, Chair 
          
         ________________________ 
         Cristina Self, Clerk 
          
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