Engineering Ethics Seminar - June 24, 2009

TSPE Legislative Update

Speaking of political maneuvering, HB 300 died last night on the House floor.  It was one of the numerous victims of the clock running out at midnight.  The House also was not able to pass the Sunset safety net bill which reauthorizes agencies whose Sunset bills did not make it through the process.  The safety net bill will have to be addressed either by suspension of the rules in the House today, or through a special session called by the Governor.  No action would result in many agencies being shut down in the next year, including TDI and TxDOT.  The closing of these agencies is certainly not a viable option. 

If TxDOT is reauthorized in the safety net bill, the Sunset issues regarding agency restructuring and finance will most likely be addressed next session - essentially we will do it all over again, unless the Governor wants to make it a specific issue for a special session (most think this is highly unlikely).  At this point, it is in the Governor's hands. 

If you have any questions, please contact me at schulle@tspe.org or Jennifer McEwan at jennifer@tspe.org.  You can also call us at (512) 472-9286.

Sincerely,

Gerhardt Schulle, Jr.
Legislative & Governmental Affairs Director