MINUTES 
          
                           SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE 
             Interim Subcommittee on Articles I, VI and VII Agencies 
                           Tuesday, February 24, 1998 
                                    9:30 a.m. 
                         Capitol Extension, Room E1.036 
          
                                      ***** 
          
         Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule  
         11.11, a public hearing of the Interim Senate Finance  
         Subcommittee on Articles I, VI and VII Agencies was held on  
         Tuesday, February 24, 1998 in the Capitol Extension, Room  
         E1.036, at Austin, Texas.   
          
                                      ***** 
          
         MEMBERS PRESENT:                        MEMBERS ABSENT: 
         Senator Gonzalo Barrientos, Chairman 
         Senator Kenneth Armbrister 
         Senator Teel Bivins 
                                                  
                                      ***** 
          
         Chairman Barrientos called the meeting to order at 9:40 a.m.   
         The following business was transacted.   
         The following members arrived after the roll was called:   
         none. 
          
         Chairman Barrientos made opening remarks regarding the  
         committee charges and the remaining committee schedule and  
         announced that the Article 7 hearing originally scheduled for  
         March 17-18, 1998 would be postponed to a later date.  He  
         suggested that committee staff look at member and agency  
         schedules and contact the appropriate agencies when a date  
         could be determined. 
          
         The Chair called on representatives from Article VI agencies  
         to provide testimony and answer questions of the committee  
         regarding interim committee charges.  (All agencies submitted  
         written comments prior to the hearing date.)  Invited  
         witnesses appeared as follows: 
          
              Larry Soward, representing the Department of Agriculture,  
              provided oral testimony. 
          
              Marva Scallion and John O'Brien, representing the  
              Legislative Budget Board, answered questions regarding  
              the Department of Agriculture. 
          
              Max Coats, representing the Animal Health Commission,  
      
              provided oral testimony. 
              Suzy Whittenton, representing the Animal Health  
              Commission, provided oral and written testimony. 
          
              Spencer Reid, representing the General Land Office and  
              the Veterans Land Board, provided oral and written  
              testimony. 
          
              Rick Jacobi, representing the Low-level Radioactive Waste  
              Disposal Authority, provided oral testimony. 
          
              Timothy Schaffner, representing the Low-level Radioactive  
              Waste Disposal Authority, registered as a resources  
              witness, but did not testify. 
          
              Andrew Sansom, representing the Parks and Wildlife  
              Department, provided oral testimony. 
          
              Jayna Burgdorf, representing the Parks and Wildlife  
              Department, provided oral testimony. 
          
              Herman Settemeyer, representing the River Compact  
              Commission, provided oral testimony. 
          
              Dan Pearson, representing the Natural Resource  
              Conservation Commission, provided oral testimony. 
          
              Machelle Pharr, representing the Natural Resource  
              Conservation Commission, provided oral testimony. 
          
         The Chair called the following witness to provide public  
         testimony: 
          
              Dwayne Anderson, representing Texas Clean Water Action,  
              provided oral testimony on the Department of Agriculture,  
              the Natural Resource Conservation Commission, the  
              Department of Parks and Wildlife, and the Soil and Water  
              Conservation Board. 
          
         At 4:25 p.m., Chairman Barrientos announced that the Committee  
         would stand recessed until 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, February 25,  
         1998.  Without objection, it was so ordered.   
          
         ____________________________ 
         Senator Gonzalo Barrientos, Chair 
          
         ____________________________ 
         Patricia Hicks, Clerk