On Thursday December 16, Members of the Sunset Advisory Commission postponed the adoption of recommendations regarding the Texas Forest Service for the final Sunset meeting in January, but adopted recommendations related to the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR), the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), the State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, the State Committee of Examiners in the Fitting and Dispensing of Hearing Instruments, and the Texas Water Development Board. The Commission approved recommendations that would restructure the DIR and hand over to the State Comptroller’s Office its cooperative purchasing program for technology equipment. It also adopted recommendations regarding the weight of certain criterion in TDHCA’s Housing Tax Credit Program scoring system, including a recommendation that would remove state legislator letters from the point system altogether. The recommendations adopted relative to the State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and the State Committee of Examiners in the Fitting and Dispensing of Hearing Instruments would extend the agencies for six more years under standard across-the-board Sunset requirements.
The Commission approved recommendations regarding the Texas Water Development Board that would exempt communities lacking in advanced reporting capabilities from gallons per capita daily reporting requirements, reverse staff recommendation 2.1 and instead require each regional water planning group to include a voting representative from each groundwater management area from the groundwater conservation district that overlaps with a regional planning group, and require public hearing only on desired future conditions (DFCs) relevant to a specific groundwater conservation district. Additionally, the Commission adopted a modified version of staff recommendation 3.2 regarding the transfer of the process to petition the reasonableness of DFCs from the Board to TCEQ. The approved recommendation would repeal the petition on reasonableness, leave the TCEQ process in place, define affected persons who may file an appeal in the groundwater district’s district court, and create an annual DFC planning conference to review management plans and adopt DFCs with the ability to convene non-voting advisory committees to increase stakeholder input.
The commission also heard staff presentations and public testimony regarding the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, the Texas Youth Commission, the Texas Racing Commission, the Equine Research Account Advisory Committee, and the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation.
On Wednesday December 15, the Commission heard staff presentations, agency and public testimony regarding the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Texas On-site Wastewater Treatment Research Council, Railroad Commission of Texas, and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
Deirdre Delisi, Chair of Texas Transportation Commission, testified as to recent changes at agency which include transparency, efficiency, modernization, improved pavement scores, a strict code of ethics, reduction in costs, and increased public involvement. She noted the TxDOT restructure council presentation was rescheduled and would be heard by the Transportation Commissioners at a later meeting in January.
The Commissioners with the TCEQ agreed with the two dozen recommendations made by the Sunset commission’s staff. There were over 100 witness affirmations for TCEQ.
Much of the testimony discussion on the Railroad Commission centered around the election of Commissioners. Sunset staff proposed replacing the Commission with a new agency called the “Texas Oil and Gas Commission.” The new agency would have five part-time commissioners appointed by the governor, rather than three full-time elected commissioners.
Staff reports and hearing material can be found by visiting: http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/82.htm
A copy of the Sunset Reports is available for HillCo Clients and can be found on the HillCo website under the “log in” link.