MINUTES
SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
Wednesday, January 31, 2001
7:00 p.m.
Capitol Extension, Room E1.036
*****
Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule 11.18, a public
hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance was held on Wednesday, January
31, 2001, in the Capitol Extension, Room E1.036, at Austin, Texas.
*****
MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator Rodney Ellis Senator Troy Fraser
Senator Chris Harris Senator John Whitmire
Senator Gonzalo Barrientos
Senator Robert Duncan
Senator Tom Haywood
Senator Mike Jackson
Senator Jon Lindsay
Senator Eddie Lucio
Senator Steve Ogden
Senator Carlos Truan
Senator Judith Zaffirini
*****
The chair called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The following business
was transacted:
Senator Barrientos assumed the chair.
Senator Truan was recognized and announced the Senator Staples was in
attendance.
The Chair recognized the following invited witnesses to give testimony on
State Employee Issues:
Wade McDonald, LBB
Gave overview of budget figures.
John Keel, Director, LBB
Answered questions.
Lawrence Alwin, Office of the State Auditor
Introduced witnesses with him. Gave an overview of work place
issues. Answered questions.
Kelli Dan, State Classification Officer, SAO
Gave an overview of issues about classification and where state
employees stand in regard to the private sector. Gave
statistics on inflation and state employee salaries. Answered
questions.
Deborah Kerr, SAO
Answered questions.
Louis Rocha, Texas DPS
Answered a question regarding cost of living rate.
Dr. Michael Lauderdale, University of Texas at Austin
Spoke to "Survey of Organizational Excellence" research and to
the issues of pay and benefits of state employees. Answered
many questions.
Sandi Aitken, Director, Premiere Employees, Motorola
Discussed their 3-prong strategy for recruitment and retaining
employees.
Ed Stewart, Director, Public Relations, Southwest Airlines
Discussed the strategy for hiring and retention. All about the
people, all about the individual. Hire for attitude. Cultural
committee no Human Resources.
Charles Zucker, Texas Faculty Association
Spoke to issues of faculty in Texas. Strongly supports
increased pay raises.
Dee Simpson, AFSCME, Corrections Council of Texas
Spoke specifically to correctional officers.
Mike Wiggins, Sargent, Tex. Highway Patrol, TX Dept. of Public
Safety Officers Association
Spoke to employees health insurance, and salary increase to keep
them at the average of the 8 comparable cities.
Anthony W. Brown, Foster Care Eligibility Specialist, Texas State
Employee Union
Spoke to three critical issues; $4,800 across-the- board pay
raise, affordable health care, and adequate staffing at all
agencies and universities.
Gary Anderson, Executive Director, Texas Public Employees Union
Spoke to the issue of employee turnover. The cost to the state
exceeds over $500 million each biennium.
The Chair recognized the following witnesses to give public testimony:
Stuart Greenfield, State Employees
Billy Humphrey, Correctional Employees
Glenda Turner, TDCJ Employees
Thomas Turner, TDCJ Employees
Paul Antwine, TDCJ Employees
Lindsey Eck, Self
Jane McFarland, Small Agency Task Force
Ruth Snyder, Self
Jonathan Bow, Self
Joe Trash, Self
Melissa Montgomery, Case Worker & Texas State Employees Union
Karen Coad, Child Protective Services,
Barbara Shumate, TDCJ Employees
Patrick Leedy, TDCJ
Andre Gary, TDCJ Employees
Donald McCoy, AFSCME
Carl Bragg, AFSCME
Willie Mae Bolar, Prairie View A&M University
Floyd Smith, TDCJ
April Brown, Self
Mark Miyek, Self
Don Dickson, Texas State Troopers Association
Verta Thompson, University Staff Association
Registered, but not testifying:
Milagros Rosado, Texas Workers Compensation Commission
Janie Rangel, Texas Worker's Compensation Commission
Verla Paul, State Employees
Louis Rocha, Self
Coy W. King, AFSCME
Nydia D. Thomas, Self
Walter Hinojosa, Texas AFL-CIO
Joseph G. Carrizales, Self
Tino Barraza, TPEA
Marisa Gonzalez, State of Texas Employees
Larry Clements, TPEA
Bert Roberts
Emily Bustos, TPEA
Sandra Thurman, TPEA
Nancy Barton, TPEA
Brad H. Phipps, TPEA
Karen Sanders, TPEA
Richard G. Sanders, TPEA
Sharon Little, TPEA
Cathy Snider, TPEA
Judy McReynolds, Self
Rebecca Eichelberger, Self
Dianne Lindemann, TPEA
Edward J. Stoll, TPEA
Randolph P. Tesch, TxDot
Dennis Ogrodney, TPEA
Andrew Bozek, Self
Joanne Day, TPEA
Katherine von Alt, TPEA
Lisa L. Brundrett, TxDOT
Don Nyland, State Employees & Teachers
Ronald W. Garrett, TPEA
Mary Garrett, TPEA
Suzanne G. Hallam, TBEA
David E. Thomson, TPEA
Edward Villalpando Jr. Tx.DoT
David Lee Martinez, Tx. DoT
Teddy P. Hernandez, TPEA
Antonio Saldivas, TPEA
James E. Drake, Tx. DOT
Gary Walthall, TPEA
John A. Delgado, TX. DOT
Cecelia Irvin, TPEA
Clint J. Dube, TxDOT-TPEA
Charles R. Vaughn Sr., TX. DOT-TPEA
Samuel Davis, TDCJ
Timothy D. Larson, State Employees
Patrick Knox, TPEA
Ryan Alan Hall, TPEA
Lance Richter, TPEA
Leslie A. Harper, Texas Dept. of Health Laboratories
Lilly Cisneros, TSEU
Julie Borders, Texas State Employees Union
Michael Gross, Texas State Employees Union
Renato Espinoza, Texas State Employees Union
Jim Zukowski, TPEA
Melodye Nelson, TDCJ
Pamela G. Gault Co IV, TDCJ
Jean Sanders, TDCJ
Sherry Lane, TDCJ
Linda Martin, TSEU
D.L. Dally Willis, CWA Union
Bobby Lane, Self
Elizabeth H. Bruns, Self
Bobby Jones, State Employees
Carroll Draper
Mark R. Trostle, Self
Susan Trostle, State Employees
Bridget Draper
James R. Soper, Self
Kay Soper, Self
Brian E. Olsen, AFSCME
Arlan Foster, AFSCME
Daniels S. Bridges, TPEA
Vernice C. Ansley, TPEA
Margaret Olsovsky, Self
Karen Tannert, Self
Dwayne Barnes, Employees of State Jail Division
Anthony Reese, TDCJ State Jail Division
John Fabian, State Employees/Self
Chad Bronham, Self
John Mason, Self & TSEU
Evelyn Ognodry, TPEA
Geoffrey Connor, Office of the Secretary of State
Senator Ellis resumed the chair.
Written testimony:
Christine Brown, Self
Forrest Hanna, Self
Jennifer Schwank, Self
Barbara Scobey, Self
Belinda Field, Self
Robert Kevin DeBose, Self
Annie Collier, Self
Robin T. Whitley, Self
Chairman Ellis thanked the public for their hard work and input.
There being no further business, at 10:46 a.m. Senator Ellis moved that
the Committee stand recessed until 8:00 a.m., Thursday, February 1, 2001.
Without objection, it was so ordered.
______________________
Senator Rodney Ellis,
______________________
Myra J. Schmitt, Clerk