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