Texas House State Affairs Committee Chairman Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, sent a letter to Governor Abbott on Tuesday morning asking for “clarification as to the expectations of the Office of the Governor as expressed by the June 22, 2018 letter” and to convey “concerns shared by some lawmakers and state agencies regarding the purpose of the letter and the practicality of its execution.”
He was reacting to a directive from Abbott’s office to state agencies earlier this year requesting proposed rules from agencies to be submitted to the governor’s office prior to posting in the Texas Register.
“It is important to underscore that nothing in our state’s constitution or statutes gives the Office of the Governor the power to veto or delay the proposal of a rule, whether by act or omission,” Chairman Cook wrote.
Cook further stated, “Under the Texas Government Code § 2001.032 the legislature already acted to provide for oversight of rule proposals, as this provision requires state agencies to submit rule proposals to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Office of the Speaker of the House before publication in the Texas Register.”
“Although historically the governor’s office has assisted in discussions for major rule proposals, it is an informal conference of experts or interested persons that is advisory only, as provided for by Texas Government Code § 2001.031,” Cook wrote. Then Cook clarified the role he saw for the Texas Legislature to make reforms by adding to his comments that, “While there may be opportunities to improve this system by amending Chapter 2001, such reforms can be accomplished only through an act of the Texas Legislature.”
It has been reported that Saenz agreed to send a written response regarding Cook’s concerns.Cook letter
