Governor Rick Perry has appointed two new regents to the University Of Texas System Board Of Regents and reappointed a current member of the Board. The new members are Ernest Aliseda of McAllen and Jeff Hildebrand of Houston. They replace Vice Chairman James D. Dannenbaum and Regent Printice L. Gary, whose terms expired earlier this month. Current regent Vice Chairman Paul Foster of El Paso was reappointed. All will serve terms to expire Feb. 1, 2019. All must be confirmed by the Texas Senate.
Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and Speaker Joe Straus have created the Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency. The committee will be co-chaired by Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas) and Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo), the chairs of the higher education committees in the Texas House and Senate.
Governor Rick Perry’s Chief of Staff Ann Bishop is returning to the Employees Retirement System. Bishop will be replaced by Brandy Marty, who is currently Perry’s deputy chief of staff. Marty was formerly Perry’s director of budget, planning and policy. Mike Morrisey will serve as deputy chief of staff and senior advisor.
Bill filing continues at a steady pace in the Texas Capitol but the numbers are still well below last session. By the end of the day, over 2800 bills will have been filed. With 7 more filing days left, it will be a stretch to reach the 5796 bills filed last session.
We take our pie seriously here in Texas. Senate Concurrent Resolution 12 and House Concurrent Resolution 53 would designate the pecan pie as the official State Pie of Texas. If House Concurrent Resolution 36 passes, you will be able to celebrate your favorite type of pie next year on February 16, Texas Homemade Pie Day.