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Introduction

Chapter 1: Education Issues (ED)

Introduction

1. Waive Tuition and Fees for Children of Experienced Teachers
2. Provide a Thirteenth Annuity Check for TRS Retirees
3. Improve Financial Information on Texas Public Schools
4. Encourage Cost-Recovery Accounting of School District Support Activities
5. Purchase School District Insurance Through Cooperative Agreements
6. Use the Internet to Update Textbooks
7. Discontinue the State Auditor's Savings Profile Report
8. Implement an Option Writing Strategy
9. Require the Permanent School Fund to Purchase Dividend-Paying Stocks
10. Reevaluate Management of Permanent School Fund Investments
11. Eliminate Funding for Excessive Undergraduate Credit Hours
12. Require Minimum Faculty Teaching Loads
13. Develop a Common College Admissions Applications
14. Develop an Academic Performance System
15. Develop a Community College Information System
16. Increase Funding for Tuition Equalization Grants
17. Provide State Matching Funds to the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Scholarship Program
18. Evaluate the Effectiveness of Developmental Education
19. Study Graduate Medical Education Funding
20. Make Higher Education Appropriations in Installments

Chapter 2: Health and Human Services Issues (HHS)

Introduction

1. Increase the Number of Texas Children Covered by Health Insurance
2. Establish the Texas Child Care Fund
3. Increase Immunization of Texans
4. Reduce Tobacco Use by Texas Youths
5. Improve Consumer Information on Child Care Centers
6. Children's Substitute Care
7. Ensure that Children Receive the Best Available Substitute Care
8. Purchase the Most Cost-Effective Substitute Care
9. Increase the Use of Assessment Centers
10. Improve the Legal Process for Child Protective Services
11. Connect Colonia Residences to Water Utilities
12. Increase Community Center Funding in Texas Colonias
13. Increase Diabetes Prevention
14. Reimburse Providers for Telemedicine
15. Combine Drug Reimbursement for Kidney Health Care and Chronically Ill and Disabled Children's Services with the Vendor Drug Program
16. Reduce Drug Reimbursement Costs
17. Improve Client Services Purchasing
18. Pay Rehabilitation Service Vendors on a Performance Basis
19. Enact Mental Health and Mental Retardation Savings
20. Reduce Duplication in Contract Monitoring of Community Mental Health and Mental Retardation Centers
21. Increase Access to Information and Referral Services
22. Automate Technical Assistance to Service Providers
23. Improve Health Agencies' Subrogation Collection Efforts
24. Establish a State Consumer Guide for Senior Services
25. Serve More Older Texans
26. Ensure Appropriate Nursing Home Reimbursement and Quality
27. Expand Community Options for Medicaid Long-Term Clients
28. Provide Case Management for Medicaid Medical Nutrition Services
29. Incorporate Caseload and Cost Projections in Appropriations for Health and Human Services
30. Reform State and Local Health Care Purchasing
31. Increase Local Control of Health and Human Services Spending
32. Increase Federal Health and Human Services Funding to Local Governments
33. Maximize Federal Revenues for Health and Human Services
34. Increase Disproportionate Share Funds
35. Improve Health Care Planning and Policy Development
36. Use Selective Contracting for Some Medicaid Services

Chapter 3: Public Safety and Corrections Issues (PSC)

Introduction

1. Reduce Recidivism of Adults Leaving the Texas Correctional System
2. Require Prisoners to Pay for Some Health Care Services
3. Maximize Return on Prison Land
4. Test Texas Prison Inmates for Drugs
5. Eliminate Dual Supervision of Offenders
6. Convert an Empty State Jail to a Juvenile Facility
7. Limit Stays in Juvenile Detention
8. Enact Stricter Drinking and Driving Laws

Chapter 4: General Government Issues (GG)

Introduction

1. Create Partnership Texas for Economic Development
2. Simplify and Ease Business Regulatory Processes
3. Streamline State Grocery Store Regulation
4. Standardize Applications for State Loan Programs
5. Increase the Use of Negotiated Rulemaking
6. Consolidate Telecommunications Services into a Non-Profit Corporation
7. Build Public/Private Partnerships in Transportation
8. Expand and Improve the Electronic Benefit Transfer System
9. Reduce Election Costs
10. Simplify the State Court Fee System
11. Simplify County Classifications
12. Test Streamlined Local Court Processing
13. Open Child Support Enforcement Functions to Competition
14. Strengthen Child Support Enforcement
15. Increase Child-Support Collections by Expanding the "Most Wanted" Program
16. Improve Procedures for Filing Child-Support Liens
17. Offer Extended Driver's Licenses
18. Merchandise Texas
19. Ensure Adequate 911 Oversight
20. Make the Texas Poison Center Network a National Resource
21. Consolidate Administrative Functions of Occupational Licensing Agencies
22. Enact TPR Recommendations at the Texas Commission on Fire Protection
23. Raise Private Capital for Community Development under the Community Reinvestment Act
24. Improve Access to Homeownership with Consumer Education
25. Maximize Tenant-Service Funds

Chapter 5: Workforce Issues (WF)

Introduction

1. Clearly Communicate Local Workforce Performance Expectations
2. Improve Training and Technical Assistance for Local Workforce Boards
3. Maximize Adult Literacy Education Funds
4. Improve the State Tax Refund for Businesses Employing Recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children
5. Establish a Texans Work Program
6. Establish Child-Care Training Centers for Recipients of Public Assistance
7. Increase Supported Employment at State Agencies

Chapter 6: Fraud Issues (FR)

Introduction

1. Improve Medicaid and Welfare Enforcement
2. Ensure Appropriate Use of Medicaid-Funded Services and Equipment
3. Reduce Medicaid Overpayments
4. Tighten Provider Enrollment Processes
5. Measure Fraud
6. Improve Medicaid Fraud Referral Procedures
7. Strengthen State Fraud Laws
8. Enact a Qui Tam Statute
9. Prevent Fraud and Abuse in Medicaid Managed Care
10. Increase Penalties Against Medicaid Providers That Harm Children
11. Enact False Claims Legislation
12. Use Technology to Fight Fraud and Abuse in State Programs
13. Improve Electronic Benefit Transfer Enforcement Efforts
14. Enhance State Tax Collections
15. Prevent Fraud and Abuse Within the State's Prison System
16. Improve the Recovery of Erroneously Paid Public Assistance Benefits

Chapter 7: Employee Issues (EI)

Introduction

1. Eliminate Vacant State Positions
2. Streamline State Agencies
3. Establish a Human Resource Task Force
4. Adopt "Family-Friendly" Policies for State Employees
5. Improve Access to Employee Information
6. Adopt an Early Retirement Incentive for State Employees
7. Improve the Procedures for Purchasing Creditable Service
8. Use Managed Medicare Plans
9. Improve Funding for the Texas Incentive and Productivity Commission
10. Improve Collection of State Employee Debt

Chapter 8: Cross Government Issues (CG)

Introduction

1. Franchise State Agency Support Functions
2. Improve State Facilities Management
3. Improve State Facilities Use
4. Maximize Use of Facilities through Co-location and Increased Density
5. Improve Access to ATMs in State Facilities
6. Plan for Efficient Telecommunications in State Offices
7. Improve Catalogue Purchasing
8. Increase Delegated Purchasing Authority
9. Require the Use of EFT for all State Payments to Vendors
10. Authorize Electronic Travel Vouchers
11. Use Digital "Signatures" in Electronic Transactions
12. Reduce the State's Utility Expenditures
13. Review Federal Policy Initiatives
14. Improve Alternative Dispute Resolution
15. Improve Access to Public Information
16. Electronic Mail Addresses for All State Agencies
17. Make State Agency Video Production and Distribution More Efficient
18. Increase Recovery of State Housing Costs
19. Simplify the Natural Gas Severance Tax
20. Report Oil Severance Tax at the Lease Level
21. Reduce Publicity Costs for Unclaimed Property
22. Reduce the Cost of State Travel
23. Improve Collection of State Receivables

Volume 1