In the legislative process, committees play a critical role. Because five to six thousand bills are filed each legislative session, it is impossible for every legislator to carefully study each bill. Therefore, the legislators in both the Texas House and Senate depend upon committees to do that work. No bill proceeds through the legislative process unless the committee to which it is initially referred reports favorably on the bill. Each session, most bills die in committee. Some never even get a hearing.
The person who determines if a bill gets a hearing is the committee chair. Chairs set the agendas for each committee meeting, and have absolute discretion on the bills that appear on that agenda. Therefore, the chair is by far the most important person on each committee.
There are always certain committees that are key to success for APNs, and if your legislators are on any of those committees, then that makes you exceptionally important in our APN grassroots efforts. Traditionally, the committees to which health care bills are assigned are the House Public Health Committee, and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Please take careful note if one of the following members is your legislator or lives close to your home or work. For committee schedules, video archives of committee hearings, and more information on each committee member, click on the hyperlink provided.
House Committee on Public Health
Chair, Dianne White Delisi (R- HD #55, Temple)
Vice Chair, Jodie Laubenberg (R- HD #89, Rockwall)
Members: Jim Jackson (R- HD #115, Carrolton)
Ellen Cohen (D – HD #134, Houston)
Garnet Coleman (D – HD #147, Houston)
Veronica Gonzales (D – HD #41, McAllen)
Susan King (R – HD #71, Abilene)
Dora Olivo (D – HD #27, Rosenberg)
Vicki Truitt (R – HD #98, Keller)
Senate Health & Human Services Committee
Chair, Jane Nelson (R – SD #12, Lewisville)
Vice Chair, Robert Deuell (R – SD #2, Greenville)
Members: Kyle Janek (R – SD #17, Houston)
Robert Nichols (R – SD #3, Jacksonville)
Dan Patrick (R – SD #7, Houston)
Eliot Shapleigh (D – SD #29, El Paso)
Carlos Uresti (D – SD #19, San Antonio)
Royce West (D – SD #23, Dallas)
Judith Zaffirini (D – SD #21, Laredo)
In addition, every session there are health care insurance bills that go to the House Insurance Committee chaired by Representative John Smithee (R – HD #86, Amarillo) and the Senate Business and Commerce Committee chaired by Senator Troy Fraser (R – SD #24, Marble Falls). The Senate Business and Commerce Committee also considers most bills related to Workers’ Compensation Insurance. In the House, most Workers’ Compensation bills are referred to the House Business and Industry Committee chaired by Representative Helen Giddings (D – HD #109, DeSoto).
Some bills of interest to APNs will also be referred to education committees. Bills that specifically impact the health of school children and health services provided by school districts are referred to the House Public Education Committee. This committee has a new chair this session, Representative Rob Eissler (R – HD #15, The Woodlands). Similar bills in the Senate, go to the Senate Education Committee chaired by Senator Florence Shapiro (R – SD #8, Plano).
The Senate Education Committee has a standing Subcommittee on Higher Education. This subcommittee may consider bills related to the health science centers and colleges and universities in which RNs and APNs are educated. This subcommittee is chaired by Senator Judith Zaffirini (D– SD #21, Laredo). In the House, these bills are most frequently considered by the House Higher Education Committee chaired by Representative Geanie Morrison (R – HD #30, Victoria).
One of the Governor’s proposals to put all health licensing agencies under one umbrella agency is likely to be considered by the House Government Reform Committee. This committee is chaired by Representative Bill Callegari (R – HD #132, Houston). In the Senate, this bill is likely to be referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee chaired by Senator Robert Duncan (R – SD # 28, Lubbock) or Senate Government Organization Committee chaired by Senator Rodney Ellis (D – SD #13, Houston). The Governor’s proposal will be discussed in detail in an upcoming update after the bill is filed and we have time to examine the details.
Every legislative session, some of the most important and powerful committees are the ones that control the bills that go to the House Floor for a vote. Those committees are the House Calendars Committee chaired by Representative Beverly Woolley (R – HD #136, Houston) and the Local and Consent Calendars Committee. There are two committees because certain bills that are uncontested (i.e. pass the committee unanimously) and those affecting only local jurisdictions (e.g. affecting a particular city or county) may be recommended by the substantive committee that considered the bill to go on the Local and Consent Calendar. The committee that sets that Calendar is the House Local and Consent Calendars Committee and the chair is Representative Charlie Howard (R – HD #26, Sugar Land). In either of these committees, a negative vote will prevent a bill from being considered on the Floor.
The Senate also has a process that sends local and non-controversial bills to the Local and Uncontested Calendar. The committee that sets bills on that calendar is the Senate Administration Committee. The chair is Senator Kim Brimer (R – SD #10, Ft. Worth). There is no equivalent of the House Calendars Committee in the Senate. The Lieutenant Governor controls the bills that are brought to the Senate Floor by recognizing the Senator who is authoring or sponsoring the bill.
Without a doubt, the top of the committee power structure is occupied by two committees that control the purse strings. The House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees write the Appropriations Bill. Even if a bill passes, if implementing that bill requires state dollars, implementation will not happen unless the bill is funded in the Appropriations Bill. This year Representative Warren Chisum (R – HD#88, Pampa) is chair of the Appropriations Committee and Senator Steve Ogden (R – SD #5, Bryan) remains chair of the Senate Finance Committee. While APNs do not have any issues directly related to appropriations this year, we always support appropriations for nursing education and raises for faculty to address the nursing shortage.
For information on following bills through the legislative process, go to http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/resources/FAQ.aspx#5. The legislative process is explained in detail at http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/gtli/legproc/process_role.html. Finally, a diagram of the legislative process is available at http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/gtli/legproc/diagram.html. As always, call or email lynda@cnaptexas.org if you have a question.
3/2007
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