The Governor As required by Texas Civil Statutes, Article 6252-13a, sec.6, the Texas Register publishes executive orders issued by the Governor of Texas. are published in Chronological order. Additional information on documents submitted for publication by the Governor's Office can be obtained by calling (512) 463- 1828. Executive Orders AWR 93-6 ESTABLISHING THE TEXAS SUSTAINABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL WHEREAS, Texas has historically relied almost exclusively upon non-renewable fossil fuel resources as its primary energy supply; and WHEREAS, Texas faces an era of competitiveness in the coming century that will require development of diverse renewable and non-renewwable energy sources that are clean, affordable, and efficient; and WHEREAS, Texas has abundant, largely untapped supplies of renewable and efficiency resources for providing energy to fuel its economic growth; and WHEREAS, exploration of the feasibility, efficacy, and power of renewable energy resources will help Texas prepare for future energy challenges in a manner that optimizes the protection of our environment while maintaining energy self-sufficiency and enhancing competitiveness; and WHEREAS, the formation of a new sustainable energy industry in Texas will place our State in the forefront of energy innovation nationwide and will provide a lasting legacy for our States's residents; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ann W. Richards, Governor of the State of Texas, by virtue of the power vested in me, do hereby establish the Texas Sustainable Energy Development Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council. I. Organization A. The Council is to be composed of representatives of the Governor's Office, Texas Air Control Board or its successor agency, Comptroller's Office, Department of Commerce, General Land Office, Public Utilities Commission, Railroad Commission, Water Development Board, businesses, utitlites, educators, consumer advocates, and environmental groups. B. The Governor shall designate two co-chairpersons, who shall serve at the direction of the Governor. C. The Council will meet at the call of the co-chairpersons. II. Purpose The Council will develop a strategic plan to ensure the optimum utilization of Texas' renewable and efficiency resource base. In developing such a plan, the Council will: A. Conduct resource studies of the renewable and efficiency resource base; B. Model how these resources interact with each other and with the existing energy production and consumption infrastructure; C. Assess renewable energy technologies and their costs; D. Apply these costs in cost/benefit analyses; E. Integrate these models, assessments, and analyses into a strategic plan so that realistic goals and timetables for the utilization of these resources can be established; F. Coordinate demonstration projects and other sustainable energy activities on public lands; and G. Develop the structure and strategy necessary to secure federal funds for sustainable energy development. This executive order shall be effective immediately and shall remain in full force and effect until modified, amended, or rescinded by me. Issued in Austin, Texas, on March 14, 1993. TRD-9320327 Ann W. Richards Governor of Texas AWR 93-9 ESTABLISHING THE GOVERNOR'S TASK FORCE ON EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS WHEREAS, the increasingly competitive and interdependent global economy is placing in jeopardy our nation's and our state's status as high wage economies; WHEREAS, the survival and growth of our industries will depend upon their ability improve productivity continually through the use of new technology and improved forms of work organization; WHEREAS, these improvements in productivity depend upon new and greater levels of workplace knowledge and skill from the workers; WHEREAS, the quality of the workforce in Texas is of paramount importance in the decisions of businesses on whether or not to locate or expand in Texas; WHEREAS, job training and adult education are an integral part of assuring the quality of the workforce in Texas; WHEREAS, Texas in the past has received low marks for how well it is investing in educating all of its people; WHEREAS, current efforts in this area are divided among several agencies of the state with little coordination among them; WHEREAS, we must maximize the use of our limited work force development resources; and WHEREAS, Title VI, sec.701, of the Job Training Partnership Act, 29 United States Code, sec.1501 et seq., authorizes the creation of Human Resource Investment Councils to coordinate the use of funds and the provision of services for the following federal programs: Job Training Partnership Act Carl Perkins Federal Vocational Education Act, National and Community Service Act, Wagner- Peyser Act, Food Stamp Employment and Training Act, Jobs Opportunity and Basic Skills (JOBS) program, and the Adult Education Act; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ann W. Richards, Governor of Texas, by the authority vested in me, do hereby establish the Governor's Task Force on Education and Economic Competitiveness (Task Force) to plan for the establishment of a human resources investment council to coordinate the use of funds and the provision of services for the above mentioned programs. The Task Force shall review various current studies to improve the work force development programs in Texas and advise the Governor and the Legislature on the creation and organization of a council to achieve the goals of improving coordination in the use of funds and provision of services; the development and implementation of state and local measures of performance; identifying organizational and functional changes for meeting human investment needs in the state; recommending methods for the development of the state's human resource system; and preparing a strategic plan to accomplish human resource goals. The Task Force shall report to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House of Representatives not later than April 1, 1993. The Task Force shall be composed of the following members: The Honorable John Sharp, Comptroller of Public Accounts The Honorable Rodney Ellis, Texas Senate; The Honorable Elizabeth Linebarger, Texas House of Representatives; The Chair of the Texas Literacy Council; The Chair of the Texas Employment Commission; The Chair of the State Board of Education; The Chair of the Department of Human Services Board; The Chair of the State Job Training Coordinating Council; The Chair of the Higher Education Coordinating Board; The Chair of the Texas Department of Commerce Board; The Chair of the Texas Council on Vocational Education; The Executive Director of the Texas Department of Commerce; The Commissioner of Higher Education; The Commissioner of Education; The Administrator of the Texas Employment Commission; The Commissioner of Health and Human Services; Ms. Martha Hinojosa Nadler, private sector member of the Texas Council on Vocational Education; Mr. Paul Ellis, private sector member of the Texas Council on Vocational Education; Issued in Austin, Texas, on March 9, 1993. TRD-9320138 Ann W. Richards Governor of Texas AWR 93-4 CREATING THE INTERAGENCY ABANDONED RAIL COORIDOR COMMITTEE WHEREAS, cooridors and right-of-way containing railroad trackage are an important part of the transportation infrastructure in Texas; and WHEREAS, many miles of active railroad line are abandoned and revert to private, non-railroad use in Texas each year; and WHEREAS, once abandoned, these painstakingly assembled rights-of-way are fragmented and lost to public use; and WHEREAS, public uses of abandoned rail cooridors include: recreation trails, utility cooridors, roadways, light rail, wildlife habitat and other uses; and WHEREAS, the railbanking provision of the National Trails System Act Amendment of 1983 provides a legal means of preserving these important cooridors; and WHEREAS, no mechanism exists to ensure that the needs and concerns of all parties affected by railroad abandonments are heard and considered; and WHEREAS, no central clearinghouse exists for the purposes of maintaining and providing information on the status of rail cooridors, alternate uses, funding sources and legal procedures; and WHEREAS, no mechanism currently exists for the resolution of use conflicts arising from rail cooridor abandonments; and WHEREAS, a strong need exists for timely notification of all affected parties upon commencement of abandonment procedures; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ann W. Richards, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me, do hereby create the Interagency Abandoned Rail Cooridor Committee. The Committee is composed for designated staff from the following agencies: General Land Office, Office of the Attorney General, Public Utility Commission, Railroad Commission of Texas, Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Department of Commerce, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Historical Commission, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Governor's Office. The Committee shall meet quarterly or the call of the co-chairs. The goals of the Committee are: 1. To preserve abandoned rights-of-way intact, at least long enough to give interested parties time to determine if the cooridors have value for other uses. 2. To improve the notification process informing state agencies, local officials, and citizens of upcoming abandonments, their on-going status, and proposals for future uses. 3. To develop a process to evaluate abandoned cooridors for various uses, including railbanking for future rail service. 4. To support rural communities in their efforts to enhance their economies and consider the interests of communities and adjacent landowners in determining future uses of abandoned corridors. 5. To identify possible sources of funding for acquiring, developing, managing, and operating cooridors. 6. To develop appropriate management strategies for railbanked cooridors that have been identified for needed current and future public uses. The Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are authorized, on the recommendation of the Committee, to jointly file with the Interstate Commerce Commission for Interim Trail Use/Railbanking and Public Use Condition on behalf of and in the name of the State of Texas on each cooridor proposed for abandonment, thus providing a 180-day study period, and shall make sure affected parties are notified and full public input is assured. The Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shall provide staff persons to co-chair the Committee. The participating agencies shall absorb the costs of the Committee activities within their respective agencies. Issued in Austin, Texas, on March 8, 1993. TRD-9320138 Ann W. Richards Governor of Texas AWR 93-5 CREATING THE TEXAS MOST WANTED FUGITIVE TEAM WHEREAS, in the interest of public safety and to remove violent parole violators from the streets, immediate measures are required to apprehend them; and WHEREAS, such a major effort requires nothing less than statewide cooperation among agencies of the Texas criminal justice system; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ann W. Richards, Governor of Texas, do hereby create the Texas Most Wanted Fugitive Team, hereinafter referred to as the Team, to assist in efforts to return such offenders to prison: I. Organization A. The Team is to be composed of: (1) one or more peace officer from the Texas Rangers; (2) one crime analyst from the Texas Department of Public Safety; and (3) two or more peace officer from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. B. Working in cooperation with the Team will be: (1) the chiefs of police of Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, El Paso, San Antonio, and Austin, representing the six largest urban police departments in Texas; and (2) the Parole Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, to provide identification of most wanted fugitives. C. Federal law enforcement agencies will be invited to work in cooperation with the team. D. Texas Crime Stoppers will support the efforts of the Team by coordinating the Most Wanted list and managing a system of rewards for assistance in apprehension of most wanted fugitives. E. Direction and general support for the Team will be the responsibility of the Criminal Justice Division, Office of the Governor. F. A member of the Team is entitled to reimbursement for travel and incidental expenses incurred in performing duties of the Team, as provided for member of state boards and commissions in the General Appropriations Act. Expenses shall be paid by the Governor's Office, the Department of Public Safety, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. II. Duties The Team shall coordinate statewide cooperative efforts to identify, locate, arrest, and return to custody paroled offenders convicted of violent offenses who have violated the terms of their parole. This executive order shall be effective immediately and shall remain in full effect and force until August 31, 1993. Issued in Austin, Texas, on March 9, 1993. TRD-9320138 Ann W. Richards Governor of Texas AWR 93-2 WHEREAS, the Secretary of State, Chief Election Officer of Texas, has been contacted by the Presidential Designee under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, 42 United States Code 1973ff, concerning the short period of time to mail ballots to overseas voters in the May 1, 1993 Special Election to fill the vacancy in the U.S. Senate; and WHEREAS, the Presidential Designee has suggested that voters under that Act vote by special Federal write-in absentee ballot procedures; and WHEREAS, the Secretary of State has informed me that the special Federal write-in absentee ballot procedures will allow overseas voters to cast ballots in a timely fashion in the May 1, 1993 Special Election; NOW THEREFORE, I, Ann W. Richards, Governor of the State of Texas, by virtue of the power vested in me, do hereby order the Secretary of State to cooperate with the Presidential Designee to ensure that overseas citizens of Texas who are currently living or stationed overseas are able to vote in the May 1, 1993 Special Election. The Secretary of State is hereby directed to notify the appropriate county officials and to prescribe such rules, regulations, or directives as necessary to ensure the proper acceptance of ballots of citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act for the May 1, 1993 Special Election and any subsequent runoff election. This executive order shall be effective immediately and shall remain in full force and effect until modified, amended, or rescinded by me.