The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
February 27, 2010
After the surprise announcement by the Governor that he wants to suspend the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG), a task force was formed to determine the best way to respond and to act on it. This task force is made up of members of the HGS, Texas Association of Professional Geologists (TAPG), AEG, AAPG, AAPG DPG, AAPG EMD, SIPES, and former members of the TBPG. There are also two surveyors who have been giving us insights into their experiences with the same problem, since they are also on the Governor’s list. The task force will also coordinate their efforts with other Texas geological organizations.
The task force has determined that the best plan of action is to attend as many of the House and Senate budgetary committee meetings as possible and try to assure that the TBPG has their requested biannual budget approved. In addition, the task force is pursuing a change in the TBPG’s status to a self-determining, semi-independent (SDSI) agency. This will remove the TBPG from the list of expenses to the State and place them into the revenue-producing list, thus fulfilling one of the wishes of the Governor. It should also relieve the TBPG from having to fight for a budget every 2 years.
Representative Chisum’s office is unable to sponsor a bill at this time. Representative Chisum's office also recieved several questions as to whether the PG licensing was really needed or if it was just a way to keep people out of the profession. Representative Chisum reassured them that that was not the case and that licensing was necessary. He also suggested merging with another agency as a possibility, and that there was the feeling that the House was inclined to follow the Governor’s request concerning agency consolidations and eliminations. The task force decided to investigate other Representatives and Senators to see if what Representative Chisum said was correct and to find a sponsor for a SDSI bill. This was done when members of the task force attended the Senate Finance Committee meeting on February 24, 2011. In the meantime, the task force will watch for any possible bills that might negatively affect the TBPG. All bills must be submitted to the Legislature by March 11, 2011 or they will not be considered this session.
Those who attended the Senate Finance committee hearing were:
- John Tubb – Houston Geological Society (HGS) – presented a letter of support from the HGS
- Kevin Coleman – AEG and Dallas Geological Society (DGS) – presented letters of support from the AEG and DGS, and provided testimony
- David Langenkamp, himself, Geophysicist
- Lynn Clark – TBPG – provided testimony on behalf of the TBPG
- Glenn Lowenstein – TBPG– provided testimony on behalf of the TBPG
- Barbara Roeling – TBPG
- Ronald Kitchens – TBPG
- Matthew R. Cowan - TAPG - presented a letter of support from the TAPG, Fort Worth Geological, Society, and National Association of Consulting Soil Scientists, and provided testimony
- Charles Horton – TBPG
- Mike Hess – TBPG – provided testimony
Chairman Ogden said that he could not understand why an agency that brings in more money than it is budgeted would be slated for suspension since that would actually cost the State money.
After the meeting, Glenn Lowenstein, Matthew Cowan and Kevin Coleman visited three representatives and one senator:
- Representative Geren’s Office. The purpose was to glean information on SDSI. He has introduced HB 1680, which moves the Texas Real Estate Commission to SDSI status. No one was available to take our questions at Representative Geren’s office, but the task force did determine who to contact for more information.
- Representative Riddle’s Office. The task force met with Scott Riling, Legislative Director. Mr. Riling mentioned that it appears that the House Appropriations Committee was going to grant the TBPG’s budget and he saw no issues with that. He also suggested that the task force meet with Representative Dan Darby for more information.
- Representative Darby’s Office. The task force met with Representative Darby for a good 30 minutes or more. He understands the need for the licensure and saw no reason not to fund the TBPG as is. He realizes that the TBPG brings in more money than it is allocated and saw no other reasons that it would be slated for suspension. The idea of merging with another agency was discussed but he understands and agrees that a merger with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) makes no sense and that there is no other agency that would be similar enough to manage the TBPG functions. He did mention the SDSI option and saw no reason it could not occur. He authored the bill last session that put four financial services agencies into that status. He asked that the task force contact him the next day to see what the full Appropriation Committee was thinking in regards to the funding of the TBPG.
- Senator Wentworth’s office. The task force spoke with Kelly Ogden, who was unaware of any move to eliminate or merge the TBPG. She was very receptive to the SDSI option. Senator Wentworth could be a possible sponsor but could not commit at that moment. It was learned from Senator Wentworth’s Aid that the previous Friday was the last day to get a bill guaranteed to be reviewed by the Legislative Council. Even with that said it is not impossible to get the SDSI option done this legislative session.
On February 25, 2011, Matthew Cowan contacted Represen