Talking About the Sunset Process on TEXAS POLITICS TODAY
What’s the most important state agency or commission you’ve never heard of? It’s probably the Sunset Advisory Commission, which reviews how state agencies are doing their jobs and recommends whether they should continue in existence. Every two years, the commission staff does extensive analyses of a variety of agencies and then the commissioners (ten legislators and two public members) make recommendations. Sunset recommendations have enormous influence on the legislative process.
This cycle, some very important and controversial state agencies are being reviewed by the Sunset Commission, including the Texas Department of Transportation (home of the infamous Trans-Texas Corridor and run-amok toll roads), the Department of Public Safety, the Texas Youth Commission, the Department of Insurance and the Parks and Wildlife Department.
This week, TEXAS POLITICS TODAY talks about the Sunset process — how it works, who the players are, what we can expect from the most controversial reviews. Our guest will be Bee Moorhead, the executive director of Texas Impact. Texas Impact is a faith-based organization that’s worked on Sunset issues successfully in the past. This cycle, they have their sights trained on reforming Texas’ private health insurance market.
Texas Impact has published a report, “A New Diagnosis,” setting forth the need for private health insurance market reform and examining what other states are doing to make their markets more effective. The report can be downloaded here. More information is available here. Also, Bee has published an essay about reforming the provate health insurance market in Texas here in an online political newsletter called Texas Weekly.
Tune in to TEXAS POLITICS TODAY for an informative discussion of the Susnet process and the future of one agency that could make a big difference in your life. TEXAS POLITICS TODAY airs at 2:30 p.m. CDT every Wednesday on KOOP, FM 91.7 and on the web at www.koop.org.