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TAOG Executive Office Karen O'Briant 141 Idlewild Creek Road Sweetwater, Texas 79556 (325) 235-1959 FAX: (325) 235-4687 TOLL FREE (866) 935-1959 TAOG 
E-mail
© Copyright 2001 Texas Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists All Rights Reserved Photos by PhotoDisc |
| Legislative Updates |
Mignon Memo: This Week in Texas
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
Rep. Buddy West (R-Odessa) passed away this morning. West suffered a cardiac arrest in May and had been hospitalized. His funeral will be in Odessa and he will be buried at the Texas State Cemetery.
The preliminary figures on the new business tax are in. Texas Comptroller Susan Combs estimates that the controversial tax has raised $4.2 billion. So far, 133,000 payments have been received and 46,000 extensions have been requested. Although this figure is expected to increase as more people settle their bills, the preliminary figure is a bit lower than the $5.9 billion expected.
Are you planning ahead for the future or trying to entice older relatives to join you in the Lone Star State? Take a look at the Texas Department of Agriculture’s new website “Retire In Texas” at http://www.retireintexas.org. The goal of the enhanced website is to make Texas the number one retirement destination in the country.
Gubernatorial appointees in Texas serve at the pleasure of the governor, meaning the governor may replace those appointees at will. This week, Governor Perry chose to exercise that will by removing Dallas investor Frederick “Shad” Rowe as Chairman of the Pension Review Board and replacing him with Richard McElreath of Amarillo.
Mignon Memo: This Week in Texas
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
In Austin, all eyes have been on the Governor’s Mansion this week. Driving by, my eyes were drawn to the charred columns and sunken rooftop. The search continues for the person responsible for the damage and promises have been made to restore and rebuild the structure. Luckily, the invaluable furnishings are tucked away in a storage facility and Governor Perry and his family are safe in the temporary home they have resided in for almost a year. Pictures of the damage can be found on Governor Perry’s website at http://www.governor.state.tx.us.
Paul Hudson has announced that he will leave the Public Utility Commission in August. Hudson has served on the PUC for five years.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has appointed a new executive director. Mark Vickery, the agency's deputy executive director since May 1, 2004, will be the new executive director, effective June 17. He is succeeding Glenn Shankle, who is retiring from state government.
Albert Betts, the commissioner of workers’ compensation for the Texas Department of Insurance is retiring in August. No word yet on his replacement.
As Texans schedule appointments with their local appraisal districts to protest their property taxes, the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Property Appraisal and Revenue Caps will meet June 16th in Austin. The House Select Committee on Property Tax Relief and Appraisal Reform will meet in Austin the following day.
Texas Democrats convened in Austin last week for their annual convention and Texas Republicans will meet in Houston this weekend.
Mignon Memo: This Week in Texas
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
The Sunset Advisory Commission is making news this week. The 12 member Commission, made up of 10 legislators and two public members, conducts a regular assessment of the continuing need for particular state agencies to exist. The Commission is aided by a staff whose reports provide an assessment of an agency's programs, giving the Legislature the information needed to draw conclusions about program necessity and workability. Anywhere from 20 to 30 state agencies undergo sunset review each legislative session. The process begins during the Interim preceding a legislative session with agency self-evaluation reports, Sunset Commission staff reports and a report containing the final recommendations of the Commission. These final recommendations ultimately become a bill which then goes through the legislative process.
On Tuesday, the staff of the Sunset Commission issued their report on the Texas Department of Transportation. The report recommends replacing the current five member commission with a single appointed commissioner. Other recommendations include the creation of a Transportation Legislative Oversight Committee; increased transparency of the agency’s transportation planning and project development process; and increase the accountability of the agency’s contracting functions, particularly its comprehensive development agreements. In addition, the report recommends continuing the agency for four more years instead of the usual 12 year period between sunset reviews. These recommendations will be discussed at a meeting of the Sunset Advisory Commission on July 15th. The full report can be accessed on the Commission’s website at http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/81streports/txdot/txdot.pdf.
As expected, Gov. Rick Perry has announced a special election to fill the vacancy in Senate District 17 (formerly held by Sen. Kyle Janek) to be held on the next general election date, Nov. 4, 2008. This means House members considering a run for this Senate seat must resign their House seat in order to run since Texas law prohibits a person from being on the same ballot for two different races.
Members of the Texas Legislature as well as statewide elected officials are busy with fundraising receptions across the state as they try to build their campaign accounts in advance of the June 30, 2008 cutoff date prior to the July semiannual campaign finance report.
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has announced several staffing changes. Chris Kadas has been hired as her new Special Counsel for Tax Hearings. He replaces Ashley Harden, who was named Chief Deputy General Counsel. Combs also announced that Special Counsel Pete Slover will now serve as Special Counsel and Director of Criminal Investigations, and Senior Advisor Sarah Whitley is the newly appointed Chief of Staff.
Mignon Memo: This Week in Texas
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
Former Democratic Congressman and candidate for Governor Chris Bell announced that he is considering a run for Senate District 17, currently held by Sen. Kyle Janek (R-Houston). Two other Republicans are considering the race as well: Houston lawyer Grant Harpold, a precinct chairman, and Houston money manager Austen Furse. The district covers parts of six counties in the greater Houston area. Senator Janek is said to be working on his resignation letter as we speak to coincide with his previously announced June 2nd departure date.
In addition to attending political conventions this summer, state legislators will be attending summer legislative conferences to discuss key issues with their counterparts from other states. The Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) will meet in Oklahoma City from July 11th through July 15th. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) will hold its 2008 Legislative Summit in New Orleans from July 22th through July 26th. Finally, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will hold their annual meeting in Chicago July 30th through August 3rd. Each of these groups develops model legislation on certain topics that sometimes provides the base for legislation here in Texas.
Mignon Memo: This Week in Texas
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
As we slide into Memorial Day weekend, summer is right around the corner. Despite the sudden rise in temperatures, the level of activity at the Capitol shows no sign of waning. Senate and House committees are busy holding hearings in Austin and other cities around the state. State agencies are hard at work preparing their legislative appropriation requests (LAR). At this point, the issues that seem to be headed for the center stage when the Texas Legislature reconvenes in January of 2009 include the franchise tax, transportation, health care and the development and regulation of energy.
Rep. Nathan Macias (R-Bulverde) has withdrawn his lawsuit challenging the results of the March primary vote. Macias lost to Doug Miller by 17 votes. Miller will now face Democrat Daniel Boone in the November election for House District 73.
Rep. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) was sworn in on May 14th as the new representative for House District 119. Since Gutierrez was the only candidate who filed for the special election to finish out the term of former Rep. Robert Puente, the election was cancelled and Gutierrez declared the winner. Gutierrez will run unopposed on the November ballot for a full term in the District 119 seat.
Click Here for the Mignon McGarry Website for Updates
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TAOG LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE:
Feel free to contact any of these members if you have interest in helping with TAOG legislative affairs during the upcoming sessions, including appearances at hearings or meeting with your legislators. They are also available to hear your concerns on pending legislative issues during the session:
Albert Gros, MD
George Wendel, MD
John Jennings, MD
Peter Norton, MD
Robert Crumb, MD
Ralph Anderson, MD
Mignon McGarry, Legislative Consultant