pia ~D~1. ! ~.I COMMISSIONERS' COURT AGENDA REQUEST PLEASE FURNISH ONE ORIGINAL AND TEN (10) COPIES OF THIS REQUEST AND DOCUMENTS TO BE REVIEWED BY THE COURT MADE BY: Roy Walston OFFICE: Kerr County Extension Office MEETING DATE: July 28, 2008 TIME PREFERRED: Early Morning SUBJECT: Extension Office Report EXECUTIVE SESSION REQUESTED: (PLEASE STATE REASON) NAME OF PERSON ADDRESSING THE COURT: Roy Walston ESTIMATED LENGTH OF PRESENTATION: 15 minutes IF PERSONNEL MATTER -NAME OF EMPLOYEE: Time for submitting this request for Court to assure that the matter is posted in accordance with Title 5, Chapter 551 and 552, Government Code, is as follows: Meeting scheduled for Mondays: THIS REQUEST RECEIVED BY: THIS RQUEST RECEIVED ON: 5:00 PM previous Tuesday @ .M. All Agenda Requests will be screened by the County Judge's Office to determine if adequate information has been prepared for the Court's formal consideration and action at time of Court Meetings. Your cooperation will be appreciated and contribute towards your request being addressed at the earliest opportunity. See Agenda Request Rules Adopted by Commissioners' Court. die xonora6le LO~l7 ZVOOLLE2r Governor of 2e.~as 4-~f Congress bequest your presence at the governor's private Legislative reception Sunday, ,duly 13, 2008 9:00 p. m. 1~resiclent s Suite 1~oom 1601, 16th Floor SFiearatonAustin ,~foteC 4-H LEGISLATIVE SENATE CALENDAR S-5 409 •. William Shands • Gasoline Tax In Agricultural Use 352 Ariel Bracken Horse Processing Legalization 384 Krystal Peterson Registered Voting Citizenship Proof Requirement 391 Brittany Weinheimer Increase Border Security 452 King Ivey New Life 342 Kelsey Johnson Excused Absences 309 Taylor Edwards Home School UIL Participation 419 Ryan Hoelscher No Sealed Records For Sex Offenders ~ 418 Stephen Hoelscher No M.I.P. Charges Dropped 322 Matthew Hamilton Better Public Schools In Texas 382 Aaron Michalewicz Property Rights Act 2008 357 Samantha Richardson Drilling For Oil Off The Gulf Coast 372 Marcela Leano Voting Day Text Message Notification ~ 390 Kyle Longoria Seatbelts in School Buses Act 320 Kelsey Johnson Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination 439 Abbie Laird Proof Of Citizenship Before Receiving Medical Benefits '~ 356 Landen Gulick Firework Restriction 428 Brice McDonald Prisonei s Rights 351 Marcy Thorn Environmental Recycling of Food Oil for Alternate Energy Use 314 Katie Williams Laptop For Every Student 426 Stephen Hoelscher Penalties To Identify Fraud 316 Mollie Lastovica Driver Education For All High School Students 437 Abbie Laird Minimal Welfare 387 Everleigh Hayes Alternative Fuels Research And Production 400 Jana Kubecka Exemption Of Property With Regard To Eminent Domain 425 Ryan Hoelscher Sanctuary City Illegality 353 Jessica Jacob Privatization Of Public Wildlife 458 Lance Bauer Sleeping Sound 450 Kyle Howard Violent Canine Owner 447 Tyler Behrens NUNWA- No Urinalysis, No Welfare 376 Boone Herring Repeal Of Bussiness Margins Excise Tax 427 Ryan Hoelscher Required Parent and Juvenile Counseling Sessions a r ~ The Fruits of Our Labor by Brody Smith and Whitney Taylor At 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Con- gress adjourned for the final time with Lt. Governor Benavi- dez and Speaker Moore closing debate for the last time. All of the delegates assembled in the House for the Governor's clos- ing address. Everyone wanted to know the bill count and find out whether or not their debating led to the signing of their target bills into law. At 3:30 p.m., the Governor entered the chamber to a standing ovation. Her speech consisted of her appreciation of the delegates working diligently to pass numerous bills. Among the bills that got passed were: (H.B.152/S.B.352) Horse Processing Legalization (H.B.209/S.B.409) Gasoline Tax in Agricultural Use (H.B.142/S.B.342) Excused Absences (H.B.200/S.B.400) Exemption of Property with Regard to Eminent Domain (H.B.239/S.B.439) Proof of Citizenship before Receiving Medical Benefits (H.B.219/S.B.419) No Sealed Records for Sex Offenders The Governor applauded the delegates for passing so many bills in the House and Senate that would be beneficial to the state of Texas. With the business concluded, Governor Woolley asked that the del- egates to reflect on the fact that they had participated in the Texas 4-H Centennial Congress and that their actions would be referenced for years to come in order to bring in the new century of 4-H in Texas. With this said, the delegates departed for the hotel after two hard days of debates that could change the face of Texas in many ways. Bauer Loses Power by Dani Wilkins Due to the chaos occurring in the House of Representative chambers, we missed Floor Leader Lance Bauer's expulsion from the Senate. As they recessed, we caught him for a quick word to explain what had occurred. When asked what bill had made him respond so dra- matically, he answered, House Bill 122, Senate Bill 322, also known as the "Better Public Schools in Texas." He added that doing away with TAKS will not change anything in the school system, as teach- ing for the `End-of-Course' exam will only make teachers "teach down." The incident began as a negative response to Mollie Last- ovica's affirmative debate, but when Mr. Bauer got up to her desk and started yelling, he was asked to leave. And as far as any other bills that he felt robustly about, he called behind his shoulder as he walked away, Senate Bill 309! A bill that is most definitely on ev- eryone's minds! How Did It Get So Late So Soon? by Dani Wilkins As the last 4-H Centennial event began, touches of green, white, and black adorned the Sheraton ballroom as delegates and adults alike dressed in their cocktail attire sparkling from head to toe. The evening started with pledges and the prayer. Then everyone began to eat an exceptional dinner of steak, twice baked potatoes, and green beans followed by creamy cheesecake. The guest speaker of the evening was Senator Glen Hegaz, the youngest member of the State Senate but one of the most successful. He represents nineteen counties across Texas and his area covers 16,000 square miles including 750,000 people. Senator Hegar says he is "just a regular guy" but we beg to differ. Someone with that great of a reputation and believes heavily in faith, family, and freedom is way more than just a regular guy. He is definitely an extraordinary man that 4-H'ers alike can look up to. His youthful approach is another one of his great qualities as he is energetic, vigorous, and willing to work hard. April Johnson, Public Relations Officer, thanked special guests for making Congress such a great success and the crowd responded in a long standing ovation. Dr. Lepley made a few requests such as encouraging the younger mem- bers in the local 4-H clubs to see the impact and benefit that 4-H can have on life. Logan Moore brought laughter to the evening, and then tears as the 2008 Centennial Council began to remove their jackets for the last time, and pass out their white roses to anyone, absolutely anyone, including strangers as they simply extended a `thank you.' Mr. Moore revealed a quote this evening by Dr. Seuss himself that represents a lot in 4-H, such as Congress, friendships, and 4-H careers themselves. "How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's after- noon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flown. How did it get so late so soon?" Remember this al- ways, and always val- ue the time you have, because it gets so late so soon. Logan Moore removes his green jacket for the last time as Ms. Gayle Zooks on. "Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper:" Robert Frost Yage 1 Wednesday, July 16, 2008 i~olume 1, Number 4 x'008 Te.~as 4-H Congress Volume 1, Number 4 You're Egcused...Finally by Brody Smith As Tuesday morning got kicked off to a good start, one of the bills that got discussed in the Senate was SB 342 "Excused Absences Act". This bill was approved by Governor Woolley to be passed due to its positive affect that it would have on Texas 4-Hers. However, not everyone in the Senate saw it as a bill ripe for passing. Senator Kate Cavender helped lead the debate on the floor for the passing of the bill, stressing that "this bill would allow 4-Hers to do all of their extracurricular activities and take on responsibilities in order to com- plete their missed school work." On the other hand, Senator Kather- ine Albus led the opposition to the bill saying that, "It is not specific enough and needs to allow for a set number of days that we can be absent. The bill also does not define what anon-curricular activity is." With the debate ranging back and forth, it finally came down to the vote where the bill passed 18 to 13. Talk about a close one. A Child or a Choice? by Tanessa Cowan Who decides when it's alright to take a life? When can you decide to end it? Is a baby really alive when it is in the mother's womb? On the Senate floor Tuesday morning the Senators tried to answer these ques- tions when debating H.B 252/S.B 452 on redefining when a women can have an abortion, restricting it to medical reasons. Even though this bill did not pass in the senate, there were a lot of people who felt passionately about this issue in a close defeat of 15 for and 16 against the bill. Some Senators voiced their opinions by saying, "Your body is your own private property. You should be able to do what you want to with it " While others wanted to, "Give babies a chance. Life is precious:' Senator Troy Tarpley stated that he felt a baby is not alive until, "...it takes a breath, not when it is conceived." Another Senator believed, "A person is not born until they have a birth certificate." Whereas Kate Cavender disagreed, "They have records of a baby cry- ing, while still in its mother's womb, when they put salt water in the womb to burn the baby to death." Senator Tarpley was set in his viewpoint and asked, "What constitutes a life? Thai is not for us to decide. It is up to the Supreme Court. They decided life was in the first breath of life." In closing, Senator Cavender pointed out, "Every ten seconds 39 babies are aborted." How many names will never be known because of abortion? Woolley Pulled Wool over Eyes by Press Corp "Somewhere ages and ages hence: two roads diverged into a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the differ- ence." -Notorious homeschooler, Robert Frost Time seemed to stand still in the House of Representatives until Jor- dan Greene, Dallas Co. District 4, approached the microphone. As he began the introduction to his bill, one could tell that the passing of HB 109 would not be an easy feat. Greene began his speech by asking "Will all of the people in the room who pursue their education through any way other than Texas public high school please stand up?", as an increasing number of Representatives stood to their feet, the room fell to complete silence. Greene went on to say that "the fa- cilities and resources that homeschool organizations must pay to use, are inadequate and non-comparable to UIL facilities, which might I remind you are paid for by the tax dollars of homeschool students." Giving negative debate, Representative Cooper, Wharton Co. District 11 said, "It's not fair, we really don't want homeschooled students on our teams." The debate carried on, with each Representative fighting for the moment to voice their opinion. Towards the end of the dispute over this controversial bill, Representative Colt Helmer, of District 7, was recognized by Speaker of the House Logan Moore, to offer affir- mative debate. What Representative Helmer was about to say would keep Congress participants talking into the night. Helmer shocked the House floor and gallery with his statements. We managed to get an interview with Hehner and when asked if he was homeschooled, he readily replied "No, I am not homeschooled, but I've dated girls who are homeschooled, I'm currently dating a girl who is homeschooled, I have friends who aze homeschooled, and I show sheep with people who are homeschooled." He went on to say that he doesn't "have a problem with people expressing their opinions, but if you're going to do it, be like the lobbyist from yesterday who came down out of his seat and expressed his words out loud...". Helmer disclosed that he was debating in his mind wether or not to stand up and argue HB 109 on the floor but as events transpired throughout the day, "I knew someone had to get up and speak out." When confronted with the accusation that statements made while on the house floor were "un- 4-H", Helmer responded by saying that he didn't believe the things he said were "un-4-H" and went on to say "lets face it, half of 4-H is homeschooled. You go to State Roundup and events like that and half the people there are homeschooled or come from a homeschooled community. They work hard, day and night to get there and they de- serve the same fair treatment and respect that public schooled and private schooled people get." At the end of the continuous debate Governor Woolley entered the house and gave a speech to the Repre- sentativesstating her disappointment in what she considered frivolous debate, "this bill has failed in the Senate. You are wasting my time..." Governor Wooltey went on to ask, "how are you going to regulate homeschoolers in the `no pass/no play' rule, when their parents are teaching them?" Representative Andre Janes, a homeschooled stu- dent from District 10, told the press "it [the Governors speech] sort of infuriated me. The Governor said we were wasting her time debating this bill? We were just about to vote. She wasted our time!" July 16, 2008 Page Z f Z'008 Te~"as 4-H Congress Volume 1, Number 4 A View from the Senate by Erin Reid and Rebecca Page "Bill 309." The words hung in the air after Lieutenant Governor, Jus- tin Benavidez, announced the next bill in the Senate. HB 109/SB 309 was a highly controversial bill and a very popular subject. The Senate was well prepared to argue both sides of the bill. SB 309, or better known as the, "Home School UIL Participation Act" had a hard time getting to the Senate floor; it was hounded on and pondered again in committee whether or not it should be passed. The first time the Senate discussed SB 309, it brought on a heated debate; that sadly, became an argument of home school versus public school students. The Senate wanted homeschoolers to get funding to do UIL-based activities without going through the public school system. One senator remarked, "homeschoolers should not want to be a part of it (UIL). There are so many rules and regulations that UIL has." The Senate was concerned with these rules and how they would apply to home-schooled students. One rule about regulating the practice time of home-schooled UIL participants especially interested the Senate. Senator Troy Tarpley from D6 argued in session, "Mommy and Daddy will give them an `A' so... they can spend all their time practicing." A senator from D4 did not have the opportunity to argue that statement, but later said, "Well, how do they regulate practice time in public school? They go to school, go to the practice, go home. How do they know the student won't practice more on his own at home?" Despite all of the negative and positive debates the bill failed with a 26-5 vote count. Because of the winning outcome in the House, Sena- tor Michael Schwind, a homeschooler and one of the main supporters of the bill, motioned to reopen the bill. "I brought it back up in the Senate, because since the House passed it, and it being the larger body, I thought some of the senators might rethink their position [on the bill] I also saw some hope in passing this bill because I really believe in it and I'm obviously going to fight for what I believe in." The vote to reopen the bill was lost 16 to 15. Senator Schwind was disappointed on the outcome of the bill in the Senate. "The House had two incred- ible speakers who really persuaded the Representatives. The. Repre- sentativeshad an open mind. They really considered the pros and cons before they shut down the bill." Senator Dustin Romike from D 11 gave a very different opinion, "The majority of the Senators, both opposing and supporting had great ar- guments. We did not take this bill lightly, but very seriously. It was very controversial." Although Senator Romike is a homeschooler he was against the bill from the very beginning. "The bill was really an attack on the Governor. The whole thing was a publicity stunt. Home- schoolers should have that experience in a home school environment." Even though he was against it, he did vote to reopen the bill in the Sen- ate because, "I like to keep an open mind and was respect- fully interested in the other Senators' opinions." Governor Woolley said in the joint session "the Senate closely viewed all aspects of the bill... but there was an exhaustive discussion." HB 109/SB 309 passed on the House Floor, but since it did not pass on the Senate Floor, the bill failed. Even though it failed, it made ho- meschoolers, along with the support of a few public school students, unite against the comments made against them. Famous Homeschool Students The journalists of the Congressional Pillar thought it would be inter- esting and eye-opening to include a list of homeschoolers who have become household icons: Will Smith (homeschool parent), Benjamin Franklin, George Wash- ington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Thomas Jefferson, Al- bert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Sandra Day O'Conner, Alexander Graham Bell, Joan of Arc, Frank Vandiver (former President of Texas A&M University), C.S. Lewis, and Mark Twain. Schwind Denounces the Lobbyists by Brody Smith On Tuesday morning, the Senate reconvened at 9:00 a.m. After the long and drawn out battle over the Senate Bill 391 "Increase Border Security Act," the Senate sat down for what would be a long and eventful day. One of the first bills that the Senate failed was Senate Bill 309 "Home School UIL Participation Act". The defense for the bill was led by Senator Michael Schwind and aided by Senator Kate Lavender. Despite Schwind and Lavender's best efforts, the major- ity led by Senators Katherine Albus and Troy Tarpley succeeded in silencing this bill through their argument of the bill needing more guidelines and information in order to be a more effective bill. With the Lobbyists in the Senate Gallery applauding the opposing majority, the bill sponsor, Senator Taylor Edwards, allowed Michael Schwind to make the summation speech before the vote. Senator Schwind is a shrewd politician and knew that there was a behind the scenes coordination between some of the Senators and Lobbyists. In his closing address, Schwind said, "I understand that some of you don't fully comprehend the potential of this bill, but some of you should make up your own minds instead of listening to the Lobbyists." This brought on a couple of offended looks and laughs from the Lobbyists and Senators, but that still didn't affect the outcome of the bill with 26 against and 5 for. I6, 2008 Page 1 2.008 Tekcrs 4-H Congress iTOlume 1, Number 4 Sew Unique By Jessica Epps and Amelia Tanner "` - Four and half months in the making, ~: T E_x n s a - H ~ the Texas 4-H Centennial quilt has ` < ° ` < ° ° ' ' ' traveled all across the state of Texas. The twelve ladies, many of whom belong to the First United Method- _ - ist Church of Childress, labored long and hard to bring Texas the 4-H Cen- _: tennial Quilt. This one-of-a-kind mas- `" _ terpiece is hand stitched with intricate "' r patterns designed by A&M graduate, ~. «.~~~ , ~ Coleena Burt. Burt has incorporated the 4-H pledge into the quilt. To an --- uninformed eye, the quilt may look like any other, but Burt's design is rich in meaning. Each circle surrounding the clover in the center of the quilt has its own unique symbolism. When read from the outside in, the quilt reveals the beginning of the 4-H pledge; "I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larg- er service, and my health to better living..." On the other hand, when you read it from the inside out, it represents the second half of the pledge; "...For my club, my community, my country, and my world." Made in Childress County, this unique quilt was created by a group of very talented people including, Mary Richardson, Sharece Prince, Sue Haile, Leslie Bruce, JoAnn Meyer, Ada Beth Garrison, Pam Fos- ter, Sharon Longbine, Yvonne Ellis, Martha Burrus, Ruth Lyles, and Louise Andrew We challenge everyone to take a closer look, and see the true meaning of our awesome Texas 4-H Centennial Quilt. What Is Your Favorite Memory From Congress? by Emily VanKirk Getting the dirt on people with Press Corp-Rebecca Page Running around the Capitol like crazy to get interviews-Erin Reid I enjoyed listening and debating committee bills-Keegan McCrady Walking to the Capitol-Brice McDonald Doing the Thriller for the 2nd time-Elizabeth Wood Starting anapplause- Joseph Jones The dances-Stephen Hoelscher The whole experience-Will Mahaffey Debating-Reuben Alvarez The dances-Alan Ruskey Crowd surfing- Patrick Jones Watching the hula dancers-Dakota Fleming Having full access-Alyssa Duff (Tech Team) The heated debate of House Bill 109-Matthew Liverman The battle of Bill 109 and nearly passing out on the dance floor- Kenton Miscoe The Gala-Ben Wishert Debating House Bill 109-Alexis Huckabee Hanging out with friends and having fun-Colt Helmer Hanging with friends and. learning-Oliver Brooks The Centennial Council-Andrew Ingram Being in the Capitol-Davis Lansford Voicing my opinion in the committee-Amy Petry My Year Has Been.... In the words of the 2008 Centennial 4-H Council: lifelong memories good times more than a memory charismatic it was about faith my new family more than I ever imagined empowering explosive spectacular transformational pizzazz absolutely unforgettable inspiring history in the making life altering memorable priceless indescribable simply extraordinary a gift breathtaking opportunities awe-inspiring awesome changing unexplainable an honor the time of our lives immeasurable magnificent nothing short of breath taking once in a lifetime We hope you can say the same of your experience at 2008 Texas 4-H Congress! Candid's From Texas 4-H Congress by Malory McKee & Gabriel Miller, Texas 4-H Congress Technol- ogy Operations To see more pictures and information about Congress, the Texas 4-H Technology Team has created a few websites. These websites might even have your picture featured on them. Go check it out! A link to Photobucket, MySpace and YouTube will be on both websites. These websites are: http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/events/txcongre ss/ www.myspace.com/texas4hcongress2008 See every edition of the Congressional Pillar, excited video feed, and photos from every event by visiting the Texas 4-H Congress website today! Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Page 4