Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HR3646 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	H.R. No. 3646
	1	+	By: Price H.R. No. 3646
2	2
3	3
4	4		R E S O L U T I O N
5	5		WHEREAS, The staff of the Sunset Advisory Commission provided
6	6		vital assistance to the 84th Texas Legislature during the 2014-2015
7	7		Sunset review cycle; and
8	8		WHEREAS, Between September 2013 and January 2015, the Sunset
9	9		Advisory Commission worked to develop recommendations regarding
10	10		the 20 agencies under Sunset review, including the Administrative
11	11		Hearings Tax Division, the State Office of Administrative Hearings,
12	12		the Department of Aging and Disability Services, the Department of
13	13		Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, the Interagency Task Force
14	14		for Children with Special Needs, the Texas Council for
15	15		Developmental Disabilities, the Texas Education Agency, the Texas
16	16		Facilities Commission, the Department of Family and Protective
17	17		Services, the Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas
18	18		Health Care Information Council, the Texas Health Services
19	19		Authority, the Department of State Health Services, the Governor's
20	20		Committee on People with Disabilities, the Texas Council on
21	21		Purchasing from People with Disabilities, Entry Criteria for
22		-	Self-Directed Semi-Independent Agencies, the State Soil and Water
	22	+	Self-
	23	+	Directed Semi-Independent Agencies, the State Soil and Water
23	24		Conservation Board, the University Interscholastic League, the
24	25		Texas Workforce Commission, and the Texas Workforce Investment
25	26		Council; and
26		-	WHEREAS, T
27		-	he Sunset Advisory Commission's recommendations to
	27	+	WHEREAS, the Sunset Advisory Commission's recommendations to
28	28		the 84th Legislature are intended to streamline government and best
29	29		meet the needs of Texans; they include abolishing 13 agencies and
30	30		related boards, commissions, and councils, eliminating 45
31	31		statutory advisory committees, and discontinuing nine regulatory
32	32		programs and four other programs, producing an estimated positive
33	33		fiscal impact to the state of $66.5 million over the upcoming
34	34		2016-2017 biennium; and
35	35		WHEREAS, To develop the recommendations, the Sunset Advisory
36	36		Commission, with the professional assistance of the Sunset staff
37	37		held numerous hearings, including two days of hearings that lasted
38	38		over 27 hours from June 24 to June 25, 2014; commission members
39	39		heard from Sunset staff, agency officials, and more than 240
40	40		individuals who offered valuable public testimony; commission
41	41		members also had the opportunity to ask many salient questions
42	42		during the hearings; and
43	43		WHEREAS, Since the inception of the Sunset Advisory
44	44		Commission in 1977, the process has significantly streamlined and
45	45		improved state government; among the 79 agencies that have been
46	46		eliminated, 37 were completely abolished and 42 were abolished with
47	47		certain functions transferred to existing or newly created
48	48		agencies; in addition, the legislature has enacted a large majority
49	49		of the Sunset Commission's recommendations; for example, of the
50	50		agencies reviewed by Sunset for the 83rd Legislature in 2013, the
51	51		legislature adopted 75 percent of the commission's
52	52		recommendations; and
53	53		WHEREAS, The fiscal impact of Sunset recommendations over
54	54		time has been estimated through fiscal notes that accompany Sunset
55	55		legislation; estimates from reviews conducted between 1982 and 2013
56	56		indicate a 31-year positive fiscal impact of approximately $945.6
57	57		million, compared with expenditures of $37.2 million for the Sunset
58	58		Commission; based on these figures, every dollar spent on the
59	59		Sunset process has earned the state approximately $25 in return;
60	60		and
61	61		WHEREAS, The Sunset staff was named the 2012 winner of the
62	62		National Conference of State Legislatures Excellence in Evaluation
63	63		Award, and NCSL cited the commission's quality analytical methods
64	64		and superior written and verbal communication as reasons for its
65	65		selection; and
66	66		WHEREAS, Under the leadership of the Sunset Advisory
67	67		Commission agency director Ken Levine, the staff team members for
68	68		the 2014-2015 review cycle include: Jennifer Jones, Ginny McKay,
69	69		Joe Walraven, Steven Ogle, Karen Latta, Karl Spock, Amy Trost, Faye
70	70		Rencher, Katharine Teleki, Sarah Kirkle, Anne Allensworth, Eric
71	71		Beverly, Erick Fajardo, Kay Hricik, Emily Johnson, Carissa Nash,
72	72		Danielle Nasr, Sean Shurtleff, Amy Tripp, Skylar Wilk, Cee Hartley,
73	73		Cindy Womack, Dawn Roberson, Janet Wood, and Brittany Calame; and
74	74		WHEREAS, These noteworthy public servants have demonstrated
75	75		extraordinary dedication and the utmost professionalism in
76	76		furthering the vital mission of the Sunset Advisory Commission, and
77	77		their endeavors have contributed immeasurably to the efficiency and
78	78		accountability of state government; now, therefore, be it
79	79		RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
80	80		Legislature hereby commend the members of the 2014-2015 Sunset
81	81		Advisory Commission review cycle team for their outstanding work
82	82		and extend to them sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it
83	83		further
84	84		RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
85	85		prepared for the commission as an expression of high regard by the
86	86		Texas House of Representatives.
87		-	Price
88		-	______________________________
89		-	Speaker of the House
90		-	I certify that H.R. No. 3646 was adopted by the House on June
91		-	1, 2015, by a non-record vote.
92		-	______________________________
93		-	Chief Clerk of the House