Legislative update for TDCJ employees from the executive director
By Brad Livingston
Budget
The House and Senate versions of the General Appropriations Bill were filed on January 15, 2013. These bills will provide the starting point for the deliberations on budget matters impacting the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) as well as other state agencies. While it’s common for the House and Senate budget proposals to differ, the bills as filed are identical in regards to appropriations for TDCJ.
Unlike two years ago, when the appropriations bill as introduced proposed substantial reductions in funding that would have negatively impacted agency operations, the preliminary budget bills filed in the House and Senate generally maintain current funding for the agency. There are some slight increases or decreases in funding for the basic supervision of probationers and parolees based on anticipated changes in offender caseloads, but these budget adjustments are intended to maintain the current level of services. One notable exception is the absence of continued funding for the repair and rehabilitation of existing correctional facilities, but appropriations for major repairs of our existing physical plant are generally treated as an “exceptional item” in the budget process and will be discussed during future committee meetings.
Most of the agency’s requests for increased funding above the “baseline” were not included in the bill as filed, but that comes as no surprise. Additional funding for offender health care, diversion and treatment programs, reentry and basic operational items like vehicles and computers will be the subject of deliberations later in the legislative session.
There are no pay raises for state employees included in the bills as introduced, but they do appropriate an additional $503 million to provide funding for anticipated growth in the group insurance benefits program for state employees, retirees and their dependents. Employee pay raises, like the exceptional items previously mentioned, are typically not included in the bill as filed, and are instead set aside for consideration later in the session.
Although these bills are just the starting point for legislative deliberations over the next five months, TDCJ begins this year’s process in a substantially better position than in 2011. Through the agency website and the Connections newsletter we will keep you informed regarding future developments related to the TDCJ budget for fiscal years 2014 and 2015. Remember that final decisions regarding the budget will be made no earlier than May 2013.
Sunset
As of January 31 the TDCJ Sunset bill has yet to be filed. The introduced version will contain the recommendations adopted by the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission on September 5, 2012, to include continuing the agency for another eight years. In addition to periodic budget updates, we will keep you apprised of the progress of the TDCJ Sunset legislation.
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2012 State Employee Charitable Campaign results
Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) staff donated a total of $914,014 to the 2012 State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) fundraising drive, with $361,952 raised in cash donations and $552,062 through payroll deductions. This year’s total donation fell just short of 2011’s record-setting figure.
When asked about the 2012 fundraising campaign, TDCJ SECC Coordinator Carie Beaty noted, “Once again, TDCJ employees proved to be extremely generous, working to support another successful statewide fund-raising campaign.”
This year’s notable contributions included $8,300 raised through a “bailout” fundraiser at the Connally Unit, $7,800 raised by Austin Parole Headquarters, and $3,600 raised by Manufacturing and Logistics’ barbecue and silent auction.
The SECC marked its 19th year of service in 2012.
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Mendoza selected to lead the Administrative Review and Risk Management Division
In December, Oscar Mendoza was named the new Director of the Administrative Review and Risk Management (ARRM) Division for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). Mendoza has more than 32 years of experience with the agency, having started his career as a correctional officer at the Eastham Unit in Lovelady. He has served in several agency security positions, including senior warden, regional director and, most recently, deputy director of management operations for the Correctional Institutions Division.
As ARRM director, Mr. Mendoza oversees operations governing Access to Courts, Offender Grievance, Ombudsman services, Monitoring and Standards, Risk Management and Use of Force review.
TDCJ Executive Director Brad Livingston congratulated Mr. Mendoza on his promotion saying, “His strong leadership experience and wealth of knowledge will continue to serve the agency well.”
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Upshaw named CID Management Operations deputy director
In February, Michael Upshaw was selected as deputy director of Management Operations for the Correctional Institutions Division (CID). He began his 29-year TDCJ career as a correctional officer and rose through the ranks before promoting to warden. Most recently, Upshaw served as CID Region I director, overseeing the operation of 13 facilities.
As deputy director of Management Operations, Upshaw’s responsibilities include oversight of Correctional Training and Staff Development, Plans and Operations, the Fusion Center, the Security Threat Group Management Office and the Safe Prisons Program.
Announcing the selection, CID Director Rick Thaler commented, “(Mr. Upshaw’s) leadership and effective communications skills will serve the agency well as we face future challenges and pursue new opportunities.”
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Scholarship Opportunity for TDCJ Employees
Sam Houston State University’s (SHSU) College of Criminal Justice, in partnership with the Correctional Management Institute of Texas (CMIT), will award scholarships to two Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) employees nominated by the agency and accepted into the SHSU Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management weekend program.
The scholarships will cover tuition to SHSU’s degree program. Scholarship recipients will be responsible for books, fees and any other expenses.
SHSU admission requirements and TDCJ criteria for nomination are on the agency website at Scholarship Opportunity for TDCJ Employees. Details about the SHSU Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management Weekend Program can be found at www.cjcenter.org.
Scholarship paperwork must be submitted to Jan Thornton, Human Resources Director, 2 Financial Plaza, Suite 600, Huntsville, Texas 77340 no later than, or postmarked by, 5:00 p.m. Monday, April 1, 2013.
Interested scholarship applicants must also ensure they have completed the admissions process through the SHSU Office of Graduate Studies, PO Box 2478, Huntsville, Texas 77341-2478 no later than May 1, 2013.
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Chairman’s Fitness Challenge 2013: first-quarter results
The first quarter of the fiscal year 2013 Chairman’s Fitness Challenge was a tremendous success. Participating employees collectively accumulated more than 15 million points. That is twice the number of points accrued during the prior quarter, and already exceeds the agency’s goal to achieve 13 million by the end of the 2013 challenge.
Congratulations to all our participants. Below are the first, second and third place winners within each division.
| FIRST | SECOND | THIRD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division 1: 19 or fewer employees |
Internal Audit Division | Texas Board of Criminal Justice and Austin Executive Administration | Management Operations - Correctional Institutions Division (CID) |
| Division 2: 20 to 39 employees |
Office of the General Counsel | Business and Finance Division | TCOOMMI - Reentry and Integration Division |
| Division 3: 40 to 99 employees |
Houston VII Office - Parole Division |
Administrative Review and Risk Management Division | Board of Pardons and Paroles |
| Division 4: 100 to 199 employees |
Correctional Training Administration - CID | Sayle Unit - CID | Information Technology Division |
| Division 5: 200 to 299 employees |
Cole State Jail - CID | Travis County State Jail - CID | Boyd Unit - CID |
| Division 6: 300 plus employees |
Michael Unit - CID | Manufacturing and Logistics Division | Huntsville Unit - CID |
| Division 7: Windham School District (WSD) | WSD West Texas Region | WSD North Texas Region | WSD Administration |
Special Platinum Challenge
During the first quarter, 78 individuals successfully completed the Special Platinum Challenge by achieving 2,500 points for each week of the quarter. These individuals collectively accumulated almost 1.3 million points.
Listed below are the quarter’s successful Silver Platinum Challengers. Congratulations to you all! Keep up the outstanding work!
| Department/Unit of Assignment | Name |
|---|---|
Administrative Review and Risk Management Division |
Heydn, Debbie Standley, Brandon |
Business and Finance Division |
Ball, Royce |
Correctional Institutions Division (CID) Region III Director's Office |
Paukner, Dave |
CID Security Operations |
Beightol, Amy |
CID Correctional Training |
Avila, Bryan Brunet, David Gross, Matt Harris, Sean Kempt, Pennie Lyon, William Marshall, Ralston Moore, Todd Morales, Paul Willcox, Danielle |
CID Clements Unit |
King, C. Mendoza, S. Mosser, B. Vargas, M. |
CID Cole Unit |
Howery, Travis |
CID Dominguez Unit |
Carranza, Mario |
CID Eastham Unit |
Jacks, Brandon Rose, Darrell |
CID Ferguson Unit |
Bickham, Phillip |
CID Fort Stockton Unit |
Hardee, Joey Rocker, Philip Sanchez, Delma Vela, Ricardo |
CID Gist Unit |
Childs, Jeffery |
CID Goree Unit |
Shair, Jacquelyn |
CID Gurney Unit |
Newman, Nikki |
CID Havins Unit |
Garman, Sonny Grace, Leslie Knight, John Lancaster, Cindy McCarty, Melissa Patterson, Edna |
CID Holliday Unit |
Bickford, Steve |
CID Hughes Unit |
Holland, Jonathan Kubiak, Dawn Lackey, Sherri |
CID Huntsville Unit |
Driver, Constance Ponder, Robert Proctor, Michael Reed, Bethany Vellon, Jonathan Wilburn, Matrice |
CID Johnston Unit |
Dean, Shari |
CID LeBlanc Unit |
Dionne, Thad James, Alphonso Wolfe-Mahfood, Valerie |
CID Lopez Unit |
Cavazos, Hector Rodriguez, Carlos |
CID Lychner/Kegans Units |
Fontenot, Lillie |
CID Lynaugh Unit |
Grimes, Joe |
CID Marlin Unit |
Brown, Carolyn |
CID Middleton Unit |
King, Jessie |
CID Moore Unit |
Dean, Kenneth Latham, Harold Walley, Eddy |
CID Telford Unit |
Sartin, Derek |
CID Terrell Unit |
Garcia, Merrisa |
CID Travis Unit |
Black, Nancy Cantu, Joshua Chupp, Raquel Hill, LaToya Ritz, Robert |
CID Young Unit |
Craft, Retisslyn Gutierrez, Jessica |
Human Resources Headquarters |
Drew, David |
Manufacturing and Logistics Division |
Carter, Terry Pavlock, Christie Sevedge, David Smith, Ben |
Office of the General Counsel |
Warren, Thomas |
Parole Division Central Headquarters |
Wolf, Melanie |
State Counsel for Offenders |
Depp, Kathy |
Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments (TCOOMMI) |
Jackson, Rosalie |
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