[00:00:02]
WE'RE GOING TO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE TAKE YOUR PLACES.
MAKE SURE ALL HANDS AND ARTICLES ARE SAFELY PUT IN THE GOOD RIGHT NOW.
SO I, OUR FEARLESS CHAIRMAN IS NOT ABLE TO BE HERE TODAY, SO I AM GOING TO DO MY BEST TO TO SIT IN.
AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, OUR ELECTED LEADERS ARE WRAPPING UP THEIR REGULAR SESSION OF THE 88TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE WITH A FEW BILLS AFFECTING OUR INDUSTRY POISED TO BECOME LAW.
WE'LL HEAR AN UPDATE ON THE SESSION AT TODAY'S MEETING.
FINALLY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS MORNING, WE HONOR OUR AGENCY'S GREATEST RESOURCE, OUR EMPLOYEES.
SO THAT'S A TYPO. THAT WASN'T ME, JUST LET YOU KNOW.
IN CLOSING, I'D ALSO LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO MARK THE UPCOMING MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY.
IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT FREEDOM IS NOT FREE, AND THIS HOLIDAY IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO HONOR AND REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE OUR FREEDOM TODAY.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MY COMMISSIONERS FOR ANY REMARKS.
THANK YOU. HEY, I'M BEING SAID.
GREAT. OPEN RECORDING IN PROGRESS.
I'VE GOT TO DO IT AGAIN. CHECK.
ALL RIGHT. SO WE'VE CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 10:32.
AND NOW IF WE COULD ALL STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
ALL RIGHT. NOW WE MOVE OVER TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
SO I SO MOVE. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MACK.
OKAY. THE MINUTES HAVE BEEN APPROVED AS WRITTEN.
[2. Recognitions]
SECOND IS OUR RECOGNITIONS.FLETCHER HERE? THERE YOU ARE. YOU JUST PROMOTED ME, THOUGH? OH. OH, I DID.
SORRY. I THINK I NEED BETTER GLASSES.
GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. FOR THE RECORD, I'M AMANDA FLETCHER, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES.
AND TODAY I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF INTRODUCING THE HONOREES FOR THE HALL OF HONOR.
SO I'LL ASK RON TO JOIN ME INSTEAD OF.
[00:05:01]
YOU'RE THE NEXT ONE. OH, OKAY.PERFECT. I'M SORRY. WE REHEARSED.
OH, WE HAD HALL OF HONOR ON DECK FIRST, SO I APOLOGIZE.
COME BACK, JOSH? DOCTOR, IN A WAY.
OKAY, SO WE'VE REHEARSED ALL ON HER FIRST, SO MY APOLOGIES.
WE RECOGNIZE THEIR THEIR MILESTONE WITH US.
FOR THOSE WITH 30 OR MORE YEARS OF SERVICE.
WE DO GIVE THEM AN ENGRAVED PLAQUE AND THEN A COIN AND A LAPEL PIN SPECIFIC TO THEIR SERVICE YEAR.
THOSE WITH 5 TO 25 YEARS GET A CERTIFICATE SIGNED BY THE CHAIRMAN AND OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
WE'VE RECENTLY MADE SOME CHANGES.
WE USED TO HOLD THEM ALL OFF UNTIL SEPTEMBER AND RECOGNIZE THEM ALL ONCE A YEAR.
NOW WE'RE TRYING TO RECOGNIZE THEM CLOSER TO THEIR ANNIVERSARY DATE.
AND SO WE'RE IDENTIFYING THE COMMISSION MEETING CLOSEST TO THESE INDIVIDUALS ANNIVERSARY DATE.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE RECOGNIZING NOW INSTEAD OF SEPTEMBER.
SO FOR TODAY, WE'LL BE RECOGNIZING FOUR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SERVED 25 YEARS WITH TABC.
FIRST, I'LL ASK DIRECTOR ALEXANDER TO JOIN ME AND MISS JUDITH HOUSE.
SHE BEGAN HER CAREER WITH TABC IN APRIL OF 1979 IN THE AUDIT DIVISION.
WHILE WORKING WITH TABC, SHE HELD SUPERVISORY POSITIONS IN MCALLEN AND SAN ANTONIO.
JUDY, RETIRED FROM THE COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS IN DECEMBER OF 2008.
JUDY JOINED THE MARKETING INVESTIGATION UNIT IN JUNE OF 2014 AND SHE SERVES AS A KEY MEMBER OF THAT TEAM CONDUCTING HIGH LEVEL THREE TIER INVESTIGATIONS AND TAX AUDITS ON OUR STATE WINERIES THAT DIRECT SHIP TO TEXAS CONSUMERS.
JUDY IS A RESULT ORIENTED INDIVIDUAL.
SHE PAYS CLOSE ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND IS A VALUABLE ASSET TO THE AUDIT DEPARTMENT AND TAC.
FOR DEDICATION TO THE COMMISSION AND THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS IS A TRIBUTE TO TAC.
[APPLAUSE] COME DOWN AND GET A PICTURE WITH YOU.
THANK YOU. NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO.
WE'VE GOT TO GET A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO EACH OTHER.
OKAY, JUDY OR JOSH, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING? SURE. I WILL SHARE A FEW WORDS.
I THINK OF JUDY AS A SWISS ARMY KNIFE FOR THE DIVISION.
SHE COMES TO US WITH A WEALTH OF DIFFERENT KNOWLEDGE ON CONDUCTING VARIOUS AUDITS.
AND AS YOU HEARD, WHEN SHE CAME BACK TO US, SHE CONDUCTED FIELDWORK ASSIGNMENTS, ROUTINE AUDITS.
AND SO SHE'S JUST KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE HER WITH HER SKILL SET.
AND WE CERTAINLY WANT TO CONGRATULATE HER ON 25 YEARS.
ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING WITH THE AGENCY.
I'VE ENJOYED WORKING WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE THROUGH THE YEARS.
AND THEN IT'S BEEN SOME TOUGH TIMES, TOO, AS JOSH KNOWS.
SO THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] HAVE CHIEF NORRIS AND CAPTAIN CAVAZOS.
BEING ABLE TO STAY IN THE GALLERY ANYWAYS.
ALL RIGHT. CAPTAIN JOE CAVAZOS IS A 1988 GRADUATE OF PORT ISABEL HIGH SCHOOL.
[00:10:03]
AFTER GRADUATION, JOE ATTENDED HARDIN-SIMMONS UNIVERSITY IN ABILENE, TEXAS.WHILE AT HARDIN-SIMMONS UNIVERSITY, HE'D BEEN A MEMBER OF THE ARMY ROTC PROGRAM, AND UPON GRADUATION, HE WAS COMMISSIONED AS A LIEUTENANT ASSIGNED TO THE SIGNAL CORPS BRANCH OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.
JOE COMPLETED HIS MILITARY OBLIGATION AS A UNITED STATES ARMY RESERVES CORPS MEMBER.
1998, JOE WAS HIRED BY TAC AND ASSIGNED TO THE DALLAS REGIONAL OFFICE.
JOE WAS PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT IN 2014 AND TRANSFERRED TO THE HOUSTON OFFICE.
IN NOVEMBER OF 2019 HE RETURNED TO MCALLEN IN THE DISTRICT AS A LIEUTENANT, AND IN AUGUST 22ND HE WAS PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN OF THE SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS BUREAU.
JOE HAS BEEN MARRIED TO HIS WIFE, DINA, FOR 25 YEARS.
CONGRATULATIONS. [APPLAUSE] WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING OR WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR WIFE TO JOIN YOU? YEAH, SHE NEEDS TO COME UP HERE.
HE'S RECENTLY PROMOTED WITHIN THE PAST YEAR.
SO THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT IN THIS AGENCY THAT JOE CAVAZOS IN SOME WAY HASN'T TOUCHED OR IMPACTED.
AND SO TO YOU, I SAY A VERY SINCERE THANK YOU TO DINA I SAY A VERY..
NO ONE'S COUNTING. OH, THAT WAS A TITLE.
WELL, HOPEFULLY IT'LL SLOW DOWN SOON, BUT I.
SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
IT'LL BALANCE OUT IF I GO ON THIS SIDE.
AWESOME. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU.
OH, MAN. I TOTALLY FORGOT. WILLING TO GET OUT.
ALL RIGHT. SO 25 YEARS WENT LIKE THAT.
I REMEMBER IT WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, RIGHT? THE BACKGROUND OVER HERE, JUST SOME OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE WENT THROUGH.
BEST JOB IN THE STATE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.
AND YEAH, EIGHT MOVES, EIGHT MOVES THROUGHOUT THROUGHOUT THE TIME.
SO YEAH, WE PUT PUT SOME TIME DRIVE IN IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO BUT I'M TRULY APPRECIATIVE FOR EVERYTHING THE AGENCY HAS DONE FOR ME AND DEFINITELY PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE AND JUST PROVIDED SOMETHING THAT I CAN LOOK BACK AND BE PROUD OF.
OKAY. LET'S RAUL SALINAS BEGAN HIS CAREER WITH THE TABC AS AN ENFORCEMENT AGENT IN JANUARY 1998.
HIS FIRST DUTY STATION WITH TABC WAS THE MCALLEN OFFICE.
HE LATER TRANSFERRED TO THE CAMERON COUNTY OFFICE.
LIEUTENANT SALINAS WAS PROMOTED TO SERGEANT IN 2005 AND REMAINED IN THE CAMERON COUNTY OFFICE IN 2012, WHERE HE WAS PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT AND ASSIGNED TO THE SAN ANTONIO REGIONAL OFFICE, WHERE HE REMAINS TODAY.
[APPLAUSE] WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR GUEST TO JOIN YOU? SURE. BRING THEM ON.
YEAH, BECAUSE DEALING WITH NOSEBLEEDS.
[00:15:09]
SO AGAIN, IF I CAN TAKE REAL QUICK, AGAIN, A VERY SINCERE THANK YOU AND APPRECIATION THAT, YOU KNOW, THE WAY WE'RE ORGANIZED IS A LIEUTENANT, LIEUTENANT SALINAS HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE FIRST LINE AND WHAT THEY GO OUT AND THEY DO EVERY SINGLE DAY WHICH THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE IN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY KNOWS THAT IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST, IF NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT POSITION IN AN ORGANIZATION, BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE YOU'RE DEVELOPING OUR FUTURE LEADERS.THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE TRULY IMPRINTING THE AGENCY.
AND YOU GO IN EVERY DAY, YOU DO IT, YOU DO IT WELL.
AND SO THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE.
THANK YOU. THANKS. FAMILY FIRST.
OKAY. NOW I HAVE TO BE TOLD WHERE TO STAND FOR.
WHATEVER DIRECTION I CAN TAKE.
YES, THIS IS. YOU TRY TO SCOOT UP JUST A LITTLE BIT LIKE WE'RE ON RIGHT HERE? YES. GOOD.
I KNOW. NORMALLY I LIKE TO PREPARE FOR STUFF LIKE THIS, BUT AGAIN, I'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE, VERY BLESSED TO HAVE WORKED WITH SOME GREAT PEOPLE AND FOR SOME GREAT PEOPLE.
I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE FOR EVERYTHING THIS AGENCY HAS PROVIDED TO ME AND MY FAMILY.
IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY AND WE MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE DO THOSE BACKGROUNDS AND WE TALK TO THE NEW APPLICANTS AND WE EXPLAIN TO THEM, HEY, THIS AGENCY ISN'T GREAT TO US, AND AND HOPEFULLY THEY CAN MAKE THE SAME DECISION AND ADD TO THIS AGENCY LIKE CAPTAIN CAVAZOS WAS MYSELF AND AND NICK HAVE DONE OVER THE YEARS.
THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] ALL RIGHT.
AND FINALLY, WE HAVE AGENT NICOLE HAMILTON.
SHE'S UNABLE TO JOIN US TODAY, BUT SHE IS ONLINE.
SHE HAS BEEN MARRIED TO CHRIS HAMILTON FOR 22 YEARS.
SO BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO NICOLE, WHO'S ON THE LINE.
YES, IT'S A PRIVILEGE WORKING FOR THE AGENCY AND I HAVE HAD THE ABILITY TO WORK AROUND AND FOR A NUMBER OF WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND WORKING IN THE BEST REGION IN THE STATE REGION, TOO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, THAT CONCLUDES OUR SERVICE AWARDS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? EXCELLENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I DO LIKE THE FACT THAT WE'RE NOT HOLDING IT OFF TO THE END.
I THINK THE CLOSER TO THE ANNIVERSARY DATE, THE BETTER.
IT GIVES US MORE TIME TO SPEND WITH EVERYBODY.
WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE HALL OF HONOR.
SEE, I FIGURED WE WERE HONORING EVERYBODY, AND SO ALL OF IT WAS HONORED TOGETHER.
LET ME LET ME REWIND A LITTLE BIT.
ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO GO TO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS THE HALL OF HONOR.
SO GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS.
AGAIN, FOR THE RECORD, AMANDA FLETCHER, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES.
TODAY I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF INTRODUCING OUR NEXT HONOREE TO THE TABC HALL OF HONOR.
[00:20:04]
AND NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.FIRST, THEY EITHER EPITOMIZE THE TABC ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES, SUCH AS OUR FOUR CORNERSTONES SERVICE, COURTESY, INTEGRITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, OR SECOND, THEY'RE RECOGNIZED AS BEING TRAILBLAZERS WITH EXTRAORDINARY POSITIVE LASTING IMPACT.
SO THIS YEAR WE HAD NINE NOMINATIONS TO CONSIDER.
AGAIN, THE NEXT CALL FOR NOMINATIONS WILL GO OUT IN JULY.
WE'LL ACCEPT NOMINATIONS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH.
AND THIS YEAR WE DECIDED THAT PEOPLE WOULD NEED TO BE RESUBMITTED FOR THEIR NOMINATION.
SO BIG THANK YOU TO INDUSTRY AND EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE BEEN NOMINATING THESE INDIVIDUALS.
SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, THANK YOU, DEPUTY CHIEF RON SWENSON FOR JOINING ME.
AND NOW I'LL ASK LIEUTENANT NICK GUTIERREZ TO JOIN US AS WELL.
WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE RETIRED LIEUTENANT NICK GUTIERREZ JOIN US TODAY.
HE'S BEEN A MEMBER OF THE TABC FAMILY FROM SEPTEMBER 1ST, 1989, TO FEBRUARY 28TH, 2017.
NICK FILLED MANY ROLES THROUGHOUT HIS TENURE AT TABC, SERVING AS THE AGENCY LIAISON TO THE US DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY'S HIGH INTENSITY DRUG TRAFFICKING AREA UNIT, SERVING ON THE FBI'S JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE AND SUPERVISING TABC'S SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT, CIU.
FOLLOWING HIS RETIREMENT, NICK REMAINS INTEGRAL TO THE ABC FAMILY.
CONGRATULATIONS. [APPLAUSE] OKAY, I'M GOING TO SAY SOMETHING.
EVEN THOUGH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GRAHAM TOLD ME TO KEEP IT SHORT AND NOT GET INTO ANY WAR STORIES.
AND THERE'S PLENTY OF WAR STORIES THAT I COULD TALK ABOUT.
BUT WHEN WE STARTED SIU, THIS IS ALMOST OUR TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
WE HAD EIGHT AGENTS TO COVER THE ENTIRE STATE.
AND I DON'T THINK WE WOULD BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS WE ARE TODAY IF NICK HADN'T HELPED US.
WE KIND OF LAID THE FOUNDATION.
BUT NICK CAME IN AND HE REALLY WAS THAT CORNERSTONE.
HE PROVIDED A LEVEL OF INTEGRITY, A LEVEL OF MATURITY, A LEVEL OF JUST PROFESSIONALISM WITH HIS BACKGROUND AND INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE THAT REALLY HELPED US GROW THE UNIT. HE DID FANTASTIC WORK.
I NEVER CONSIDERED MYSELF A SUPERVISOR.
I THINK I LEARNED MORE FROM HIM THAN THAN ANYTHING.
AND I JUST NOTHING BUT THANKS TO THIS GENTLEMAN, HE'S A GREAT HUMAN BEING, A GREAT LEADER.
AND IF I CAN EVER DO ANYTHING FOR HIM, I PLAN TO DO IT.
[APPLAUSE] WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME OUT? YEAH. TAKE A PHOTO. NO.
SO WE'VE GOT HIS WIFE, MICHELLE GUTIERREZ.
GRANDDAUGHTER. CALLIE GUTIERREZ.
AND ANOTHER BROTHER, REINALDO GUTIERREZ.
[00:25:03]
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.MY CAREER WITH TABC WAS GREAT.
HAD MANY MENTORS ALONG THE WAY.
WITHIN ABC AND WITH THE AGENCIES THAT I GOT TO WORK WITH, CITY, STATE, FEDERAL WAS GIVEN A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES, TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AND WAS ABLE TO BRING THAT KNOWLEDGE BACK AND GOT TO SHARE IT WITH.
MY COWORKERS. I COULDN'T ASK FOR ANYTHING BETTER.
I APPRECIATE IT. THIS IS REALLY AN HONOR.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [APPLAUSE] ALL RIGHT. UNLESS YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
WE'RE DONE WITH ALL THE RECOGNITIONS NOW.
OKAY, NOW OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM.
[3. Reports]
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, DIRECTOR MORLOCK AND DIRECTOR STAPLES, PLEASE GIVE US AN UPDATE.MY NAME IS JARED STAPLES AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.
AND I'M MARIANNE MORLOCK, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS.
WE'VE CONTINUED TO ATTEND COMMITTEE HEARINGS AND PROVIDE RESOURCE TESTIMONY AS NEEDED.
WE'VE ALSO CONTINUED TO ASSIST VARIOUS LEGISLATIVE OFFICES AS ISSUES HAVE ARISEN.
AND THE ONLY ACTION LEFT TO THE LEGISLATURE REALLY IS TO APPROVE OR REJECT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORTS, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE PROCESS FOR THE LEGISLATURE TO RECONCILE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE HOUSE VERSION AND SENATE VERSIONS OF VARIOUS BILLS.
THE AGENCY'S ENGAGEMENT ON THE STATE BUDGET OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS HAS BEEN WE'VE CONTINUED TO MONITOR STATE BUDGET HEARINGS AS THEY'VE HAPPENED. WE'VE SPOKEN WITH VARIOUS APPROPRIATORS ABOUT TABC FISCAL NEEDS, AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN TALKING WITH MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE ABOUT LEGISLATION THAT COULD CREATE ADDITIONAL COSTS FOR THE AGENCY AS THEY'RE IMPLEMENTED.
AND WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM ON WAYS TO MINIMIZE OR COMPLETELY ELIMINATE SOME OF THOSE COSTS.
AND JUST LAST WEEK, THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR HOUSE BILL ONE AGREED ON HOW THEY'RE GOING TO SETTLE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO VERSIONS BETWEEN THE TWO CHAMBERS AND SO HOW THIS IMPACTS TABC'S BUDGET.
OUR EMPLOYEES ARE STILL ON TRACK TO GET A 10% RAISE OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS, AS WAS INITIALLY PROPOSED IN BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE VERSION, BUT VERSIONS OF THE BILL.
BUT ALSO TAC IS ON TRACK TO RECEIVE 14.7 MILLION OF THE EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS THAT WE HAVE REQUESTED.
AND THIS IS NEW MONEY ON TOP OF THE AGENCY'S BASE BUDGET.
SO THIS 14.7 MILLION WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR RAISES FOR OUR REGULATORY STAFF, WHICH GETS THEM CLOSER TO THE STATE AUDITOR'S RECOMMENDED MIDPOINT FOR THESE POSITION TYPES.
[00:30:02]
TO HIRE, TRAIN AND RETAIN KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF TO IMPLEMENT COMPLICATED ALCOHOL LAWS.ALSO, THIS FUND, THIS FUNDING WILL ALLOW THE AGENCY TO COMPLETE ITS PLANNED IT TRANSFORMATION AND OUR USE OF UNSUPPORTED LEGACY SYSTEMS AND WILL ALLOW US TO MORE CLOSELY ADHERE TO THE STATE'S STRATEGIC GOALS FOR MODERNIZATION AND SECURITY.
SO WITH THAT, THIS WILL CREATE EFFICIENCIES FOR THE AGENCY AND ALSO ALLOW US TO BETTER SECURE BUSINESSES SENSITIVE INFORMATION THAT THE AGENCY IS CHARGED WITH MAINTAINING.
SO WITH ALL OF THAT SAID ABOUT OUR BUDGET MOST SUCCESSFUL SESSION FOR EXCEPTIONAL ITEM FUNDING IN RECENT HISTORY, BY RECEIVING MORE THAN 60% OF THE EXCEPTIONAL FUNDS THAT WE'VE REQUESTED.
SO THIS IS JUST A QUICK NOTE ON TAC'S BUDGET RIDERS.
BUDGET RIDERS, THEY DIRECT THE AGENCY.
HOW WE'RE ABLE TO SPEND SOME OF OUR APPROPRIATED FUNDS.
AND WITH THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE'S DECISION, THEY'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH AN ITEM THAT WAS IN THE HOUSE BUDGET, WHICH IS CREATING A NEW RIDER, DIRECTING THE AGENCY TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON WINE PERMITS.
THE BILL PROPOSES GIVING TABC STAFF A 5% RAISE OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, AND IT ALSO PROPOSES GIVING TABC ABOUT 2.7 MILLION TO MODERNIZE ITS AGING FLEET OF STATE VEHICLES.
AND I WILL CORRECT THE LAST BULLET ON THIS SLIDE.
WE JUST FOUND OUT THIS MORNING.
BUT IT'S, I GUESS, UP NOW TO FINALIZATION ON THE HOUSE AND SENATE FLOORS.
SO THIS SUMS UP WHERE WE'RE AT WITH OUR BUDGET.
THE AGENCY IS GREATLY APPRECIATIVE TO THE LEGISLATURE FOR ENTRUSTING US WITH THIS FUNDING, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO USING THIS MONEY WISELY TO BETTER SERVE BUSINESSES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THANK YOU. SO WE TRACK ABOUT 300 BILLS AS THEY GO THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS.
WE ATTEND HEARINGS FOR THE HOUSE LICENSING AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES COMMITTEE AND SENATE STATE AFFAIRS AND ARE THERE TO BE A RESOURCE TO PROVIDE TESTIMONY WHEN CALLED UPON. BUT WE ALSO MONITOR OTHER HEARINGS WITH BILLS IMPACTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND PROCUREMENT AND TECHNOLOGY AND PEACE OFFICERS.
SINCE THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING.
SO AT THE END OF MARCH, THE ATTORNEYS AND DIRECTORS WHO ARE THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS GOT INTO A REALLY GOOD RHYTHM OF ANALYZING THOSE 300 BILLS AT EVERY STAGE OF THE PROCESS.
BUT IF WE LOOKED AT IT AND DETERMINED THAT IF THEY CHANGED A WORD OR TWO OR CHANGED IT IN SOME WAY, BUT STILL MET THE INTENT THAT IT WOULD REDUCE THE FISCAL IMPACT BUT GET THE AUTHOR WHAT THEY WANTED, WE WOULD SHARE THAT AND THEN THEY COULD TAKE THAT INFORMATION AND MAKE WHATEVER CHANGES THEY CHOOSE TO MAKE.
SO AGAIN, TWO MONTHS AGO WE WERE TRACKING 300 BILLS.
STARTING MAY 9TH, THERE WAS A DEADLINE PRACTICALLY EVERY DAY AND STILL IS.
IN THE LEGISLATURE THAT CALLS THE BILLS THAT ARE ON THAT TRACKING LIST.
AND SO ACTUALLY, WE'RE DOWN TO ABOUT LESS THAN 100 WHEN THIS WAS PRINTED NINE DAYS AGO.
AND OF THOSE 100, ABOUT HALF ARE RELATED TO ALL STATE AGENCIES.
SO PROCUREMENT TECHNOLOGY BENEFITS, ABOUT A QUARTER OF THEM FOR PEACE OFFICERS AND DIFFERENT OFFENSES, AND THEN ABOUT 11 DIRECTLY IMPACTING THAT, IMPACTING THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CODE. THERE WAS A BIG DEADLINE AT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT.
SO WHEN I LOOK THIS MORNING AND RECALCULATED, WE'RE DOWN TO 41 BILLS THAT ARE IMPACTING THE AGENCY.
[00:35:01]
ALL HAVE BEEN SENT WITH TWO EXCEPTIONS HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE FOR SIGNATURE OR HAVE ALREADY BEEN SIGNED.THE TWO EXCEPTIONS ARE UNDER THE PACKAGE STORES BULLET ABOUT COUPONS AND EXCESSIVE DISCOUNTS.
THOSE DIDN'T MAKE IT THROUGH THE PROCESS.
EXCUSE ME. SO THERE WILL BE MORE DETAILS ON EXACTLY HOW THESE BILLS IMPACT THE AGENCY.
IF IT INVOLVES RULEMAKING AND POLICIES AND FORMS AND DEADLINES AND OUR TIMELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING THOSE CHANGES, ALL THAT WILL BE PROVIDED TO FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS, PROBABLY LESS THAN THAT.
BUT WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE VETO PERIOD TO PASS FOR COMMISSIONERS.
THIS TIME I'LL INCLUDE EVERYTHING ALL 41 OR LESS.
SO THAT SUMMARIZES SORT OF WHAT HAPPENED TO THE INDUSTRY THIS SESSION.
CAN I ASK A QUICK. OH, ABSOLUTELY.
IT JUST DIDN'T MEET ONE OF THE TIME RESTRICTION THRESHOLDS.
OKAY. YES, SIR. SO IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT WE'LL PROBABLY COME BACK NEXT SESSION.
I THINK THAT'S QUITE POSSIBLE.
OKAY. AND THEN I HAVE SOME BUDGET QUESTIONS.
SURE. SO WHEN I LOOKED AT THE BASE BUDGET AND THEN THE SUPPLEMENTAL ON [INAUDIBLE] IS IT SAFE TO ASSUME THAT IF BOTH OF THOSE PASS IN CURRENT FORM, EACH EMPLOYEE WOULD RECEIVE THOSE TWO AMOUNTS COMBINED BECAUSE SB 30 WAS $250 PER EMPLOYEE AND THEN HOUSE BILL ONE WAS 6000, IT SAID PER EMPLOYEE.
BUT I THINK YOU GUYS SAID IN YOUR TESTIMONY THAT'S JUST FOR REGULATORY STAFF.
SO FOR SENATE BILL 30 IS THE SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET BILL, THERE'D BE A 5% RAISE THAT FOLKS WOULD START TO, I GUESS WOULD IMPACT THEIR SALARY FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.
SO IT WOULD AFFECT THEIR JULY AND AUGUST.
SO THEY DON'T GET AN ADDITIONAL BUMP, BUT IT'S A CONTINUATION OF THE 5%.
SO THAT'S THAT'S WHEN YOU FEEL THE EFFECT OF THE FULL 10%.
GOT IT. BUT FOR THE EXCEPTIONAL ITEM THAT WE WE RECEIVED, THAT IS ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ALLOCATE TO OUR REGULATORY STAFF. SO THEY ARE GETTING EFFECTIVELY THEY WILL SEE MORE THAN A 5% RAISE WHEN IT AFTER SEPTEMBER 1ST WHEN THE HOUSE BILL ONE KICKS IN.
SO THAT IS RESTRICTED TO REGULATORY ONLY.
AND THEN CAN YOU JUST GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THE THE THE AMES SUBSCRIPTION BEING PARTIALLY FUNDED AND HOW AND IF ANY, IMPACT TO THE AMES PROCESS THAT WOULD HAVE WITH A PARTIAL FUNDING? SURE. SO WE RECEIVED PART OF THAT FUNDING, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT WE ALSO RECEIVED A CAPITAL BUDGET AUTHORITY TO DO, I GUESS, BASICALLY SPEND THE REST OF WHAT WE NEED TO GET TO THE 2.4 TO COVER THOSE COSTS.
SO THERE'S A THERE'S A METHOD IN WHICH WE CAN GET TO WHAT WE ASK FOR IN OTHER LINE ITEMS IN OUR BUDGET TO THE EXTENT THERE IS A SURPLUS. IS THAT WHERE WE'RE AS FAR AS MY UNDERSTANDING AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO CONTINUE ITS PRACTICE OF PULLING FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE TO FILL THIS HOLE.
SO OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE AGENCY HAS BEEN COVERING IT OUT OF OUT OF EXISTING FUNDS.
AND SOMETIMES WHETHER THAT'S LIKE MOST OF OUR OUR BUDGET IS SALARIES.
SO IT'S UNFORTUNATELY SOMETIMES HAVING TO LEAVE OPEN POSITIONS TO TO PAY FOR THAT.
SO BUT TO THE EXTENT WE CAN AVOID THAT, WE WILL.
AND THEY GAVE US PART OF IT THIS SUMMER.
YES. SO WE'RE NOT TAKING IT ALL OUT OF POCKET ANYMORE.
AND THEN THEY GAVE US THE OPTION OF WHERE WE PULL IT FROM.
WE HAVE A BIGGER, BIGGER OPPORTUNITY AND OPTIONS WITHIN OUR BUDGET TO MOVE THE MONEY OVER.
SO BUT WE ARE STILL GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE HALF OF IT OVER.
SO THEY COVERED HALF OF IT, OF COURSE.
SO WITH THE EXTRA FLEXIBILITY TO MOVE, IS IT YOUR OPINION THAT WE CAN GET TO THE AMOUNT THAT WE ASKED OF 2.4? WE HAVE TO COVER THAT COST.
I UNDERSTAND, BUT I DON'T KNOW.
[00:40:03]
I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT DID WE GET ENOUGH FLEXIBILITY IN YOUR BELIEF TO BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW IN PAST FISCAL YEARS, WOULD WE BE ABLE TO SOLVE FOR THAT DELTA BY MAKING TRANSFERS FROM OTHER AREAS IN THE AMOUNT OF WHAT IS THAT, 800,000? YEAH, ABOUT $800,000.ALL RIGHT, GOOD. COMMISSIONERS, DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FOR.
JUST CONGRATULATIONS ON A GREAT SESSION.
THANK YOU. COULD WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THANKS? SURE. OKAY. SO FIRST OF ALL, TO THE COMMISSION.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY, TOO.
SO WE WANT TO THANK THE THE ATTORNEYS AND THE DIRECTORS AS THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS.
THEY WERE ANALYZING THOSE BILLS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS, EVERY TWO YEARS IS THIS CRAZY TIME WHERE THEY ARE ASKED TO TO DO EVEN MORE AND SOMETIMES IN A WITHIN A MATTER OF HOURS. SO IT'S NOT EASY.
SO WE APPRECIATE IT AND NOT QUITE DONE WITH THEM.
SO AND THEN TO DIRECTOR SWANN AND HIS CREW AND BSD OF ALL THINGS BUDGET AND EXPLAINING THE BUDGET TO SOME OF US AND KEEPING US ON TRACK AND AND A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT FOR ME TO TIFFANY FORSTER FOR HER HELP WITH FISCAL NOTE ADMINISTRATION AND THEN TO LEADERSHIP TO MY RIGHT.
AND IT ALL STARTED BEFORE SESSION WITH A VERY THOUGHTFUL BUDGET, VERY FOCUSED BUDGET REQUEST.
AND IT CAME ACROSS IN THOSE MEETINGS, IT WAS EVIDENT.
SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
ALL RIGHT. OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS OUR BUDGET UPDATE.
FOR THE RECORD, I AM CONRAD SWAN, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.
I BROUGHT SOMEONE WITH ME TODAY, JAY KOLTERMAN.
HE JOINED US IN MARCH, END OF MARCH.
HE CAME TO US FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
HE SPENT 18 YEARS IN THEIR ACCOUNTING SHOP, A DECADE OF THAT AS A DEPUTY ACCOUNTING DIRECTOR.
LUIS IS HAPPY THAT WE HAVE HIM.
AND SO I'M HAPPY THAT HE'S JOINING ME AT THE TABLE.
WHAT HE DOESN'T KNOW IS, IS IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, HE'LL BE ANSWERING.
ALL RIGHT. SO THIS PRESENTATION WILL BE OF OUR BUDGET AT A SNAPSHOT IN TIME OF APRIL 30TH.
I'LL POINT OUT SOME HIGHLIGHTS AGAIN, LIKE WE DID LAST TIME, SHOWING YOU FIRST THE BUDGET JUST AS A BIAS STRATEGY TYPE, IF YOU'LL AGAIN HIGHLIGHTS LOOK AT THAT BOTTOM LINE THERE.
THAT CURRENT BUDGET IS NOW SITTING AT $53.9 MILLION, I'M ROUNDING UP THERE.
THE LAST TIME YOU SAW THIS, IT WAS SITTING AT AROUND 53.7.
SO WE GREW OUR BUDGET BY AROUND $200,000 NET.
WHAT THAT WAS WAS WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE UNEXPENDED BALANCES FROM 2022 THAT WENT UNSPENT FOR OUR AIMS PROJECT, AND WE USED UNEXPENDED BALANCE FORWARD INTO 23 FOR OUR CAPITAL PROJECT FOR AIMS THAT WAS ABOUT $300,000.
SO THEY ESTIMATED HOW MUCH WE NEEDED.
WE'VE ACTUALIZED IT AND WE'VE SENT SOME BACK.
SO THAT'S YOUR NET $200,000 MOVE TO OUR BUDGET FROM THE LAST TIME YOU SAW THIS REPORT.
ANOTHER AREA WE'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS THAT REMAINING BALANCE WE TALKED ABOUT LAST TIME, HOW THIS IS WHERE THINGS THAT HAVEN'T REACHED AN ENCUMBRANCE, HAVEN'T REACHED AN EXPENDITURE YET.
THAT'S WHERE THAT TOTAL IS COMING FROM.
SO WE'VE GOT ABOUT $2.8 MILLION IN THAT NUMBER.
THE LAST TIME YOU SAW IT, IT WAS 5 MILLION.
AND YOU MAY RECALL I GO, IT WON'T STAY 5 MILLION.
I EXPECT THAT IT'LL BE WALKED DOWN.
AND SO HERE'S SOME EVIDENCE THAT THAT'S HAPPENED.
I'D SAY THAT AGAIN, I DON'T EXPECT THIS NUMBER TO BE 2.7 MILLION WHEN WE REACH 831.
I EXPECT THAT IT WILL COME DOWN.
WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE IT WILL LAND.
IT WON'T BE ZERO, IT WON'T BE 2.7.
BUT WE'LL SEE WHAT THAT NUMBER ENDS UP BEING HERE AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
[00:45:02]
IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE OUR OPERATING BUDGET, SAME NUMBERS, BUT JUST PRESENTED BY OBJECTS OF EXPENSE WE TALKED ABOUT LAST TIME.THESE ARE THE LVB'S WAY OF LOOKING AT YOUR YOUR BUDGET.
SO THOSE CATEGORIES 1001 ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 5000, THOSE ARE THEIR CATEGORIES.
BUT THIS IS A NICE PRESENTATION TO SEE A BREAKOUT OF YOUR BUDGET.
AND SO I WOULD HIGHLIGHT JUST THAT $2.7 MILLION WE WERE TALKING ABOUT AS A REMAINING BUDGET.
YOU CAN NOW SEE THAT IT'S PRIMARILY MADE UP OF MAYBE 3 TO 4 SPOTS OF OUR BUDGET.
SO WHEN YOU COMBINE THAT, YOU CAN SEE WE'VE GOT OVER $800,000 IN SALARIES IN THAT 2.7.
ANOTHER TWO ITEMS I WOULD POINT AT TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY SORT OF GO HAND IN HAND IS YOUR FUEL AND LUBRICATION, $170,000, YOUR TRAVEL 380, THOSE KIND OF GO TOGETHER. THAT'S ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR 2.6.
AND AS WE TALKED ABOUT LAST TIME, THOSE ARE THINGS WE DON'T COVER.
SO THEY'LL ALWAYS BE IN THAT NUMBER THERE UNTIL THEY'RE SPENT.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M TELLING YOU.
I THINK WE'LL KEEP WALKING DOWN AS WE SEE TRAVEL AND FUEL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN.
AND THEN THERE'S ONE BIG NUMBER THERE, THAT MILLION DOLLARS IN OTHER OPERATING.
THAT ONE IS NOT JUST A CONDENSED STATEMENT OF THAT SALARIES, THAT'S FUEL.
RIGHT. OTHER OPERATING IS A BIG CATCHALL BUCKET.
IT'S GOT LOTS OF THINGS IN IT.
YOU'VE GOT TRAINING COSTS, YOU'VE GOT SOFTWARE, YOU'VE GOT EQUIPMENT.
SO THERE'S A HODGEPODGE OF TOTALS IN THAT NUMBER.
AND THAT'S WHERE I EXPECT WE WON'T SEE A LOT OF WALK DOWN.
WE'LL GET SOME, BUT THAT'S GOING TO CONTRIBUTE TO WHAT'S SITTING AT 831.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT PIE GRAPH, YOU CAN SEE THAT BIGGEST SHAPE IS THE MOUTH OF IT IS STARTING TO OPEN WIDE, RIGHT? THAT'S WHERE WE STOP SITTING AT A PERFECT 80%.
WE START COMING DOWN TO 75% OR WHEREVER WE LAND.
BECAUSE AS JARED WAS SPEAKING TO EARLIER, TO YOUR QUESTION, WHEN WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO TAKE WHAT WAS A BUDGET FOR SALARIES, BUT BECAUSE OF VACANCIES WON'T GET SPENT, WE CAN TAKE THAT ONE TIME SAVINGS BECAUSE IT WASN'T FILLED AS A POSITION AND REDEDICATE IT TO SOMETHING ELSE IN THE BUDGET.
AND WHEN WE DO THAT, IT STOPS APPEARING IN THAT SALARIES PIE AND IT APPEARS IN THE OTHER SMALLER SLICES, RIGHT? AND SO IF I CAN GO BACK I KNOW YOU ASKED JARED, BUT I SAW YOU.
YOU SAW I WANTED I WANTED TO JUMP IN THERE.
THAT'S HOW WE WILL BE IN FINE SHAPE.
SO IN A SENSE, OUR BASE ALREADY HAS MONEY TO DO IT.
THEY MADE US WHOLE SO THAT WE CAN SPEND AT LEAST 1.6 ON OTHER THINGS THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO.
AGAIN, A HIGHLIGHT FROM WHERE WE WERE LAST TIME YOU SAW THIS REPORT TO WHERE WE ARE NOW.
OUR CURRENT BUDGET IS SITTING AT 5.7 MILLION.
THAT'S ABOUT A $600,000 INCREASE TO THESE TYPES OF BUDGETS SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU SAW THEM.
THAT'S THAT $300,000 THAT WE PUT IN AMES.
AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE DID A LITTLE MOVEMENT.
THOSE BUBBLES THAT YOU SEE IN THE GRAPHIC, THE ONE THAT MOVED AND GREW BIGGEST WAS THE AMES BUDGET.
WE PULLED A LEVER TO DO THAT HERE, WHICH IS HOW YOU SEE YOUR CAPITAL BUDGETS GREW JUST A LITTLE BIT.
ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT OF THIS BUDGET IS THE REMAINING BALANCE.
SIMILAR CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT 5.7.
VERY LIKELY IT MAY END UP BEING ZERO AT THE END OF THE YEAR BECAUSE THIS SNAPSHOT IS AS OF APRIL.
SO I ALREADY KNOW THIS NUMBER IS COMING DOWN AND I EXPECT IT TO GO FURTHER.
AND WITH THAT, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE WOULD BE GLAD TO ANSWER THEM.
COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU ALL HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON THE BUDGET OR ANY QUESTIONS?
[00:50:02]
THAT'S GREAT INFORMATION.THANK YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU ALL.
OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS ALCOHOL SAFETY EDUCATION UPDATE FROM DIRECTOR PORTER.
CONGRATULATIONS, DIRECTOR PORTER.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS. FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS CHRIS PORTER.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR TABC.
SO THIS MORNING, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT AN UPDATE FOR ALCOHOL SAFETY EDUCATION.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF EFFORTS THAT ARE IN PLAY RIGHT NOW.
JUST BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, A LITTLE BIT OF DATA.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT NUMBER WAS ABOUT 1300.
CALIFORNIA AND FLORIDA CAME IN A DISTANT SECOND BEHIND TEXAS.
WE ARE NOT IN FIRST PLACE WHEN IT COMES TO PER CAPITA DRIVING FATALITIES.
AND THE GOOD NEWS IS WE ARE REDUCING THAT NUMBER.
AND SOME OF THE WAYS WE USE THAT MONEY ARE THROUGH INCREASING THE NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS THAT OUR ENFORCEMENT AGENTS DO AT SOME OF THE BUSINESSES WE LICENSE ACROSS THE STATE, MORE THAN 60,000 NOW, ADDITIONALLY, OUR RCO'S AT THE PORTS OF ENTRY ALSO CONDUCT ADDITIONAL COMPLIANCE EFFORTS TO INTERDICT ANY ALCOHOL THAT IS BROUGHT INTO THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY.
AND FINALLY, WHAT THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT HANDLES MORE DIRECTLY IS INCREASING EDUCATION EFFORTS FOR OUR RETAIL PARTNERS, AS WELL AS OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS ACROSS THE STATE. AND JUST BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, THIS GRANT CYCLE, BEGINNING LAST OCTOBER, WE RECEIVED JUST UNDER HALF $1 MILLION, AND THAT'S GOING TOWARD THOSE THREE BUCKETS THAT I OUTLINED THERE. NEXT SLIDE.
THAT'S BOTH IN-PERSON TRAINING COURSES THAT WE CONDUCT AS WELL AS DIGITAL AND PRINTED MATERIALS.
SOME OF THEM INCLUDE THINGS LIKE VIDEO COURSES THAT WE PROVIDE AS WELL AS PAMPHLETS, NOTEBOOKS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE TO REALLY HELP THEM IMPLEMENT BEST PRACTICES AT THEIR FACILITIES, HELP EMPOWER STAFF TO DECLINE TYPES OF SALES, THAT COULD BE RISKY.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID WITH THIS GRANT MONEY IS WE WORKED WITH TXDOT TO BOTH IDENTIFY A NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES AND COUNTIES ACROSS THE STATE WHERE THERE ARE HIGHER NUMBERS OF ALCOHOL RELATED FATALITIES THAN ELSEWHERE.
AND OF THAT NUMBER THAT WE REACHED OUT TO LAST DECEMBER, ABOUT 12,300 ACCEPTED.
THAT'S ABOUT A 23% ACCEPTANCE RATE.
ADDITIONALLY, WE ALSO REACHED OUT TO A NUMBER OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES THAT WE PARTNERED WITH ACROSS THE STATE TO OFFER THEM TRAINING, PARTICULARLY RELATED TO THE TRACE UNIT AND THE RESOURCES THAT PROVIDES TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN TERMS OF INVESTIGATING ALCOHOL RELATED FATALITIES.
OF THE 67 THAT WERE REACHED OUT TO, SEVEN HAVE ACCEPTED.
SO THAT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE A HIGH NUMBER.
AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IT'S A PRACTICE OF OUR ENFORCEMENT AGENTS TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THEIR LOCAL PARTNERS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND AT THE COUNTY LEVEL TO MAKE SURE THEY CAN MAINTAIN THAT GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THAT TAKES ME TO MY NEXT TOPIC.
AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED, WE HAVE RECENTLY UPGRADED THE FORMER TOO YOUNG TO DRINK.COM WEBSITE.
THAT WAS THE SITE THAT WE USED TO HOST THE MAJORITY OF OUR EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS, BOTH VIDEO COURSES AS WELL AS SOME OF THE PRINT MATERIALS THAT THEY COULD ORDER THROUGH OUR FOLKS DOWN AT THE WAREHOUSE.
SO BECAUSE TOO YOUNG TO DRINK, IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE.
AND SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE LAUNCHED A NEW WEB PAGE WITH A NEW ESHOP FUNCTION THROUGH SHOPIFY TO HELP US UPGRADE THAT AND GIVE PEOPLE MORE OPTIONS AND MORE ABILITY TO ORDER THOSE MATERIALS.
[00:55:02]
ADDITIONALLY, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ALSO CONDUCTED A LIGHT REBRAND OF TOO YOUNG TO DRINK.SO THOSE MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE BOTH DIGITALLY AND PRINT.
AND THEN ONCE EVERYTHING IS BUILT OUT, IT'S GOING TO BE PROVIDED ON THE TABC PREVENTION WEBSITE, BOTH AGAIN, DIGITALLY FOR PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD THEMSELVES AT THEIR HOME OR AT THEIR PLACE OF WORK. AND ADDITIONALLY THEY CAN ALSO ORDER THEM THROUGH THE WEBSITE AND WE'LL HAVE THAT DELIVERED TO THEM VIA FEDEX.
ALL RIGHT, NEXT SLIDE. WITH THAT, HAPPY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
IS THIS AN ANNUAL? HOW LONG IS THIS PROGRAM GOING? SO THERE'S THREE KIND OF AREAS OF FOCUS.
SO MY QUESTION IS GOING TO BE, DO YOU HAVE A METRICS THAT YOU'RE FOLLOWING IN ORDER TO DEFINE SUCCESS AFTER THIS CAMPAIGN IS OVER? IN THOSE THREE SPECIFIC AREAS? WE DO. WE ARE KEEPING TRACK OF WHO WE PROVIDE TRAINING TO AND HOW MANY HOURS AND HOW MANY DIFFERENT PIECES OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL THAT WE PROVIDE TO THESE FOLKS.
AND IS THE CAMPAIGN A 12 MONTH CAMPAIGN OR IS IT IT'S 12 MONTH PER GRANT CYCLE? WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE APPLYING FOR THE GRANT IN THE ENSUING YEARS AND FINDING WAYS TO USE THAT MONEY BOTH ON THE ENFORCEMENT SIDE AND THE PORTS OF ENTRY SIDE, AS WELL AS THE EDUCATIONAL AND PREVENTIONAL SIDE.
OKAY. AND IS THAT A CALENDAR YEAR OR IS IT A FISCAL YEAR? IT'S THE GRANT CYCLE RUNS FROM SEPTEMBER TO OCTOBER OF EVERY YEAR.
OCTOBER. OKAY. SO OCTOBER, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET SOME DATA BACK? THIS YEAR OVER THE LAST YEAR'S EFFORTS, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET SOME DATA THIS YEAR.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER? COMMISSIONERS ON THIS? NO. ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR PORTER.
OKAY. OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMENT.
GENERAL COUNSEL DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP FOR.
WE HAVE ONE PERSON SIGNED UP, MR. ENGLE. HE'S NOT.
OKAY. WELL, WE ALL GET CHANCE.
ALL RIGHT. SO WITH NO PUBLIC COMMENT.
[5. Orders on Proposals for Decision]
OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS FOR CONSIDERATION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ON ORDER, ON PROPOSAL FOR DECISION REGARDING.OH, MY GOSH. REALLY? I HAVE TO SAY THIS.
RENE'S CLUB. SO WE'VE GOT SENIOR COUNSEL CHERRY TO GIVE THIS PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS MATTHEW CHERRY, SENIOR COUNSEL FOR TABC.
THIS AGENDA ITEM PERTAINS TO [INAUDIBLE] DOCKET NUMBER 458-22-2668.
RESPONDENT MA DE MENDIOLA DOING BUSINESS AS REINAS CLUB CURRENTLY HOLDS A MIXED BEVERAGE PERMIT.
A RETAILER, LATE HOURS CERTIFICATE AND A FOOD AND BEVERAGE CERTIFICATE AGENCY STAFF ALLEGED THAT ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS, RESPONDENT OR RESPONDENT'S AGENT, SERVANT OR EMPLOYEE SOLICITED SOLICITED A PERSON TO BUY DRINKS FOR CONSUMPTION BY RESPONDENT OR ONE OF RESPONDENT'S EMPLOYEES.
AFTER HEARING EVIDENCE PRESENTED BY BOTH PARTIES, AN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE DETERMINED THAT AGENCY STAFF MET ITS BURDEN OF PROOF TO PROVE UP THE AFOREMENTIONED VIOLATIONS AND ISSUED A PROPOSAL FOR DECISION RECOMMENDING THAT RESPONDENT'S MIXED BEVERAGE PERMIT, ALONG WITH ITS TWO SUBORDINATE CERTIFICATES, BE CANCELED.
ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? NO. THANK YOU.
OKAY. I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW CONTAINED IN THE PROPOSAL FOR DECISION AND THAT WE AUTHORIZE MYSELF TO SIGN THE ORDER ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THIS MOTION? SECOND. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MACK.
I HAVE A SECOND. WE WILL NOW VOTE.
[01:00:16]
ALL HAVE VOTED. OKAY.[6. Rules]
PERSON. HERE'S.THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS. FOR THE RECORD, JAMES PERSON, TABC'S, GENERAL COUNSEL.
THOSE RULES COVER SELLER SERVER AND DELIVERY DRIVER TRAINING.
THE SPECIFIC RULES AT ISSUE ARE SECTIONS 50.4, 0.15, 0.17, .19, .20, .23 AND 0.31.
THE PROPOSED CHANGES ARE SIMPLY A CLEANUP.
THEY FIX SOME GRAMMATICAL ERRORS AND CORRECT THE TITLE OF ONE RULE, AND THAT'S IT.
AS EXPECTED, WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSAL, SO STAFF IS NOW ASKING THAT YOU VOTE TO ADOPT THE AMENDMENTS, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. COMMISSIONERS.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OKAY. I MOVE TO APPROVE ADOPTION ON COMPLETION OF REVIEW OF CHAPTER 50 AS RECOMMENDED BY STAFF.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THIS MOTION? SECOND. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER.
I HAVE A SECOND. WE WILL NOW VOTE.
OUR VOTES HAVE BEEN RECORDED AND MOTION IS NOW APPROVED.
THE NEXT ITEM IS EXECUTIVE SESSION.
OH, SORRY. SORRY, SORRY, SORRY.
THE NEXT ITEM. LET ME GET THIS RIGHT.
WELL, NO, WAIT. DO I HAVE THE RIGHT THING? ADMINISTRATIVE RULES. 6.2.
THE FIRST ONE WAS AMENDMENTS TO SEVERAL OF THE SECTIONS, AND THIS ONE WAS ACTUALLY THE RULE REVIEW.
GENERAL COUNSEL, FLOOR'S ALL YOURS.
SO ALSO AT THE MARCH MEETING, YOU VOTED TO INITIATE THE STATUTORILY MANDATED FOUR YEAR REVIEW OF THE FOLLOWING RULES IN CHAPTER 50 SECTIONS 50.1, .3, .4, .5, .8 0.12 THRU 0.20, 50.23 AND 50.26 THROUGH 50.33. STAFF REVIEWED THESE RULES AND CONCLUDED THAT THE REASONS FOR INITIALLY ADOPTING THESE RULES CONTINUE TO EXIST AND THAT THEY SHOULD BE READOPTED.
OKAY, COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. THEN I MOVE TO APPROVE ADOPTION ON COMPLETION ON REVIEW OF CHAPTER 50, AS RECOMMENDED BY STAFF.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THIS MOTION? SECOND. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER.
I HAVE A SECOND. WE WILL NOW VOTE.
OUR VOTES HAVE BEEN RECORDED AND MOTION IS APPROVED.
[7. Executive Session]
NOW WE GET TO GO TO OUR NEXT ITEM EXECUTIVE SESSION.THE COMMISSION WILL NOW GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION UNDER GOVERNMENT CODE 551.074, 551.071 AND 551.089.
THE DATE IS THURSDAY, MAY 25TH, 2023, AND THE TIME IS 11:47 A.M..
[8. Closing Items]
THE NEXT IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE NEXT MEETING DATE.THE NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING DATE IS PLANNED FOR TUESDAY, JULY THE 5TH, 2020.
[01:05:05]
JULY 25TH.SORRY, I'M ALREADY GRABBING MY PHONE BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO WORK.
COMMISSIONERS. DO YOU WANT TO DISCUSS THAT DATE? DO WE HAVE ANY ISSUES OR CONFLICTS? I'M GOING TO BE OUT THAT WHOLE WEEK.
ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE US TO IF IT'S POSSIBLE.
SO LIKE, I'M TRAVELING THE WEEK BEFORE THOSE DATES AND THE WEEK AFTER.
AND SO ANYWAY, I JUST WANT US TO.
YES. IN ANTICIPATION THAT WE WOULD BE HAVING A MEETING THAT'S THAT WEEK 25TH.
SO ANYWAY, JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT.
HAPPY? I CAN'T QUITE FIT, BUT THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE ELSE.
OKAY, WE'LL BE OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
OKAY. WELL, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE ZOOM, YOU KNOW, TEN HOURS AHEAD.
I'M JUST KIDDING. COMMISSIONER BOATWRIGHT.
IT'S JUST GOING TO BE A BUSY SEASON.
BUT WE'LL WORK ON EVERYBODY'S CALENDAR AND WE'LL JUST DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN.
THANK YOU, EVERYBODY, FOR BEING HERE AND BEARING WITH.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER BOATWRIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.