[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6252052,"mediaKeyId","3191425-59f723b47b3912ed56b13d19a99d941d","parentId",3191425,"title","OPUC nominee says extra funds needed to retain attorneys, cover expert witnesses","audioSeconds",184,"startMs",3336520,"endMs",3521140,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3191425-59f723b47b3912ed56b13d19a99d941d&start=3336&end=3521","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3191425-59f723b47b3912ed56b13d19a99d941d/thumbnail_3336520.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6252052/Texas/OPUC-nominee-says-extra-funds-needed-to-retain-attorneys-cover-expert-witnesses","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252052-3fcd25bbf1ca130c9b0b4ae03174079e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447571&Signature=Mhb0Ffef31xRvSNgcA7zvkGuD7Vy3Hdbsjf2jj3RqFWzy6f1wkUQRUq1bqc2O6bqKzwgBYW10lB4mkzPsU8mW~yp24g8NdtQTsBK5Pf3IsQVDJCMH3-kWjTxRBC~w~s9Bk5-GMv8jreOHe8eLRU9~D7RXJowRq8f8HHz5xZLUl1ysWp-Rxn31vUAbpKIh-ysUe4tEJkBZiueDw~v~hLXkUyQE-~ng5p4P~vIngEw90v-TtCOHX7W85YTNxo-L33f4d5ukIEiGWR2q1QqVfhivmnO-gTLG9l1LciBsgNSS~WmRM2s7Pu4k3FroKeiS8SIE1MKWQYuYr5037tgs3GZpQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Texas Legislature","date","2025-05-05T00:00:00Z","article","Benjamin Barkley, the governor's appointee to lead the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC), testified April 14 that his agency needs additional funding to recruit and retain attorneys and to pay expert witnesses used in contested utility proceedings.

OPUC represents residential and small-commercial consumers in Public Utility Commission (PUC) proceedings and holds the statutorily designated seat for residential consumers on ERCOT's board, Barkley said. He told senators OPUC is currently involved in roughly 73 contested cases and that the office\u0000\u0000saved Texans about $2.2 billion in utility-rate reductions in fiscal year 2024, a figure Barkley presented as part of the agency\u0000\u0000\u0000track record.

Barkley explained a budgetary trade-off the office faces: funds that would otherwise pay staff salaries are earmarked as encumbrances to ensure there is money for expert witnesses when needed. That dynamic, he said, reduces the office's ability to offer competitive salaries and contributes to turnover. \"Our greatest need is just additional funds so that we can recruit and retain excellent attorneys to be able to litigate our cases and have expert witnesses,\" Barkley told the committee. He described some recent turnover as steep in certain years.

Barkley said the agency's Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) asks for more funds for expert witnesses and higher pay to reduce salary compression among senior attorneys; he said he expects that additional funding would put the office on a stronger footing to litigate on behalf of consumers.

Disposition: The committee heard Barkley\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000and left the nomination pending; senators praised OPUC's willingness to meet with district offices and constituents about utility issues.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Committee on Nominations May 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Benjamin Barkley, nominated as chief executive and public counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel, told the Senate committee he needs additional funding to recruit and retain attorneys and to secure expert witnesses for utility rate proceedings.","taxTitle","Committee on Nominations, Senate, Legislative, Texas","taxId",16928,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6252054,"TSU regent nominee emphasizes student outcomes, says she will study graduation and bar-pass data",65,2703230,2768875,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3191425-59f723b47b3912ed56b13d19a99d941d&start=2703&end=2768","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3191425-59f723b47b3912ed56b13d19a99d941d/thumbnail_2703230.jpg","/articles/6252054/Texas/TSU-regent-nominee-emphasizes-student-outcomes-says-she-will-study-graduation-and-bar-pass-data","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252054-2e6856b856ffe93c2878f63b18f9f14b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447571&Signature=eS4MKoGpIdWGy6DSUt3yjI0C8CXssUvzCQ8v1OKtt7crKOqvR9BG2F0LTeh8~woM64LfoB~ewCiCHN4TjT6m59IYNCFiwWGQQ4EUhFZE8yu0~wppJuVyE-l1VCOQh~OPfZ5KfNzvk0OLbCxNp~2lG-4epTPQIkvcGSHSVQZ62YWMNfnBrpJ416dXrOwWJA4gsdGFnhaKETFaL~XMJ3w5iRsTAAXl6OBFNUP2mGstB6qCim2mZ5AMsYz7uTkG05iHbXtYjZqtCL2JxI5MvB6XIFts1WoYCnXoOwFhYzPMm3s-Uul4-IFlP~eFf1CTHyCjgvSJJHvCySKFcRuzCZnZDg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Alethea Sullivan, nominated by Gov. Greg Abbott to serve on the Board of Regents for Texas Southern University, told the Senate Committee on Nominations April 14 that her top priority if confirmed would be to ensure students receive credentials that improve their life outcomes.

Sullivan, a Harvard-educated attorney who spent an academic year in Germany and has worked at several law firms in Texas, said she grew up valuing education and that she would focus on measurable student outcomes. \"Their money, their time, their hard work, it must be channeled into an education and credentials that make their lives demonstrably better,\" she said.

Committee members asked about indicators Sullivan had reviewed. She said she had concentrated on objective numbers and identified concern areas including law school bar-passage rates and four- and six-year graduation rates. Sullivan told senators she had not yet made firm judgments and would need to consult university leadership and students to understand causes and remedies before proposing any changes.

Senators also asked about the role of public historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as the state modifies policies on diversity, equity and inclusion. Sullivan said public officials and regents \"are charged with following the law, first and foremost,\" and that TSU has a \"unique history\" serving diverse students. She told the committee she would study the institution\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000but said her primary objective is to improve student outcomes and ensure efficient use of taxpayer funds.

Disposition: The nomination was heard and the committee left the nomination pending for full-Senate consideration.","Alethea Sullivan, nominated to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents, told the Senate Committee she will prioritize ensuring students and taxpayers get value from degrees and will study lagging graduation and law school bar-pass metrics.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6252060,"Senate Committee reports nominees to full Senate; Douglas McCregan severed for separate vote",132,136860,269045,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3191425-59f723b47b3912ed56b13d19a99d941d&start=136&end=269","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3191425-59f723b47b3912ed56b13d19a99d941d/thumbnail_136860.jpg","/articles/6252060/Texas/Senate-Committee-reports-nominees-to-full-Senate-Douglas-McCregan-severed-for-separate-vote","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252060-46f1b0e5fb6672ec6f39fca763e8ec2c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447571&Signature=j4Y2-OG6eI-JHCkIPWqlZVZFFcmahmNNTW95JKV6IXVT77CTXMokG3XFLKHeu2gpcEtkhargqrmEOCv~KtxYppUGQb-kFRqjN7LlVuWJmKla0GmAMATrdrcspiV6rRmmbLxqb4yjdWodEezPL7fhkOWyI3dKUo90yOl5qb32uvPEmZt7rCtAACf1s2Ml-5ks4r7yjP1A1UzYss3AkHgw9igGXr~Gt8InYpZVrq-7O7C1StMMz3dYAze2-kHOhhV~Fe1bJPgcaJuxUK3zyT8KiHgjkz3RtUND1xfv0YPAz4EhSbos-LKhtHY~NXTbnF5Em2n1grNMjmTap4DSzCoRgw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Nominations took recorded votes April 14 to send several gubernatorial nominees to the full Senate and held one nomination for separate consideration.

Senator Carol Alvarado moved to sever the nomination of Douglas McCregan from the posted list; the committee proceeded to vote on the remaining nominees and the clerk called the roll. Committee members recorded \"ayes\" during the roll call and the clerk announced, \"There being 7 ayes and 0 nays, the Senate Committee on Nomination recommends that the full Senate confirm the non severed nominees.\" The committee then voted separately on Douglas McCregan. The clerk announced, \"There being 5 ayes and 2 nays,\" and the committee recommended that the full Senate confirm the severed nominee.

The committee did not record a committee rationale for severing McCregan on the public record during the hearing; one senator asked for the rationale but was told to discuss the matter privately.

What the committee did:
- Motion to sever nominee Douglas McCregan from the April 14 posted list (moved by Senator Alvarado).
- Motion to report the remaining nominees to the full Senate (moved by Vice Chair Hagenboom); committee reported those nominees to the full Senate by roll-call vote (committee announced 7 ayes, 0 nays).
- Motion to report the severed nominee Douglas McCregan to the full Senate; committee announced 5 ayes, 2 nays and recommended confirmation.

Disposition: The committee recommended that the full Senate consider the reported nominees. All committee actions were recorded as recommendations to the full Senate; final confirmation rests with the full Senate.","The Committee on Nominations voted April 14 to report a slate of nominees to the full Senate, with one nominee, Douglas McCregan, severed for separate consideration. The committee recommended the full Senate confirm the non-severed slate and later recommended confirmation for the severed nominee by recorded tally.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6252066,"Senate committee grills TCEQ nominees on rulemaking, MUDs, batch-plant permits",2780,59871,2839990,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3191425-59f723b47b3912ed56b13d19a99d941d&start=59&end=2839","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3191425-59f723b47b3912ed56b13d19a99d941d/thumbnail_59871.jpg","/articles/6252066/Texas/Senate-committee-grills-TCEQ-nominees-on-rulemaking-MUDs-batch-plant-permits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252066-df9c18bd0f558729d70cf2b80fb5f20a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447571&Signature=DbxUA1Ab~gj06v62ERJqHYewRcklfm55bB78r8F~YE0SVB4S8Wj9mmtSSBYedj0A3K2iwiWFyFq6GbgF-DwPPgvSvffoUwoyEgXNtIhp2zSXHmpG0ZuzkKQ-HKWqLgaxr7FbRGANvGTCEMTXHfX6KxhEPxTE6J9ZR9tXXyAvhArOIJc20m0ZZxQyi1zu6ZB4iQ0pZd7O0a1wCFHthUaAOQFyJzaGh1YnNQ5qP6i4bGEYj2qNuiHDr38dSRjnpvMNxLt9QEH7bjboX5X9m4pi-3~~V3qQ6JJAU19wcOFKftiwHf-CTFiTLVKMzHATtFH3s1SodRTkR70vp6Y1iiaAqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Nominations heard testimony April 14 from Brooke Popp, the governor’s nominee to continue as chairwoman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and Katarina Gonzales, a commissioner appointed last year, with senators pressing the pair on rulemaking, MUD creation authority and permitting enforcement.

Why it matters: TCEQ enforces state and federal air and water laws for communities across Texas. Committee members said growth and new development are creating friction between environmental permitting and local impacts — including roads, schools and water supplies — and asked how the agency ensures it remains within the law while carrying out reviews and issuing permits.

Brooke Popp, introduced to the committee as the former chair of the Texas Water Development Board, described her background overseeing the agency\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000loan portfolio and major projects and said she would not use the commission to make policy. \"I do not legislate,\" Popp told senators. \"The law is my North Star.\" She said TCEQ\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000has a multi-step legal review: rules go to the commission\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000general counsel (who advises the commission, not the agency), then to senior legal advisors, and are scrubbed before reaching the commissioners.

Senators pressed Popp and Commissioner Gonzales on ex parte restrictions for decisionmakers and on the agency\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000process for avoiding rules that conflict with statutes. Popp said she had been briefed on prior instances where rules were found to contravene law and promised, \"That will not happen on my watch.\" Gonzales said she had returned two proposed rules since being a commissioner because she believed they did not comply with the enabling legislation.

Municipal utility districts (MUDs) drew sustained questioning from senators worried about second- and third-order effects such as school capacity, road wear and county budgets. Several senators noted that TCEQ can create MUDs when the Legislature is not in session and that those districts acquire taxing powers. Popp responded: \"If that is the will of the legislature, then that is the will of the legislature. ... We will absolutely abide by it.\" She said the agency follows existing statutory authority when it approves MUDs and that road powers and certain local approvals come from counties or other entities rather than TCEQ.

Concrete batch plants and local air impacts were also a focus. Senator Carol Alvarado told the committee Harris County has “156” batch-plant permits and said residents complain about dust, noise and truck traffic adjacent to homes and schools. Popp said siting, traffic and some local impacts are outside TCEQ\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000authority but defended the agency\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000air staff and said the agency will not issue a permit that is not \"protective of public health.\" She told the committee she supports Senate Bill 763, which would mandate a six-year protectiveness review of standard permits, and said staff told the committee that a six-year cycle would not be unduly burdensome.

On enforcement and transparency, both nominees cited work since the Sunset review to overhaul public-facing systems: updated web forms, a new permit-search portal, and expanded public-participation tools. Popp said TCEQ increased its maximum civil penalty as part of Sunset recommendations to as much as $40,000 per violation per day and said the agency has broadened outreach through its 16 regional offices. Gonzales said she has visited all 16 regional offices since taking office to learn staff responsibilities and day-to-day challenges.

Water availability and attestations for MUDs drew direct concern. Senators asked how TCEQ verifies that a developer\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000attesting to \"firm water\" has sufficient measured supplies for 20\u0000to 25 years. Popp said attestations are signed under oath but acknowledged she wanted stronger verification and said she would ask staff to review current practices.

Committee disposition: The committee did not take a final confirmation vote on the TCEQ nominees during this hearing; the nominations remained pending.

The committee heard repeated requests from senators for TCEQ to clarify the limits of its authority for the public, and both nominees emphasized their intent to follow statutes and to expand transparency and outreach.","Reappointments to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality drew questions on how the agency ensures rules match state law, how it approves municipal utility districts, and how it enforces permits for concrete batch plants and water availability.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

OPUC nominee says extra funds needed to retain attorneys, cover expert witnesses

TSU regent nominee emphasizes student outcomes, says she will study graduation and bar-pass data

Senate Committee reports nominees to full Senate; Douglas McCregan severed for separate vote

Senate committee grills TCEQ nominees on rulemaking, MUDs, batch-plant permits