April

Serving a Dynamic Region

How do you quantify the results of environmental programs? Join us for the next Environmental Awareness Roundtable to learn inputs and outputs that are commonly used in educational and environmental projects.
 
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
10:00am - 12:00pm
H-GAC Conference Room A
3555 Timmons Lane, Houston, TX 77027

Scott Jones from the Galveston Bay Estuary Program and Kristina Hardwick, Public Outreach Specialist at H-GAC, will outline the tools and measurements that can be very important when you apply for grant funds. More than counting the number of brochures distributed and the number of people who attended a meeting, these results will show meaningful performance standards and set you apart from other grant applicants.  Please come prepared to share your past experiences and current projects.

The quarterly Environmental Awareness Roundtable is designed to facilitate idea-sharing between city staff, county staff, and community organizations to create effective environmental awareness campaigns. 

Please RSVP by April 17, 2008. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Christy Corse at 832-681-2564 or email christy.corse@h-gac.com.

On January 28, 2008, President Bush signed into law H.R. 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2008 (NDAA). Among other things, section 585 of the NDAA amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to permit a "spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin" to take up to 26 workweeks of leave to care for a "member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list, for a serious injury or illness." 

Additionally, the bill added a new qualifying reason for leave under the act. The new qualifying reason allows eligible employees up to 12 weeks of leave because of "any qualifying exigency" arising out of the fact that the spouse, son, daughter, or parent of the employee is on active duty, or has been notified of an impending call to active duty status, in support of a contingency operation. By the terms of the statute, this provision requires the Secretary of Labor to issue regulations defining "any qualifying exigency." In the interim, employers are encouraged to provide this type of leave to qualifying employees.

Covered employers must comply with the new law immediately, including adding a poster informing employees of the new leave right. See FMLA Poster Insert for Military Family Leave Amendments (PDF). An employer covered by FMLA is any person engaged in commerce or in any industry or activity affecting commerce, who employs 50 or more employees for each working day during each of 20 or more calendar
workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year. More information is available on the Department of Labor's web site: www.dol.gov/.

The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown Metropolitan Statistical Area's job growth for 2007 was 103,400 jobs, the best annual increase since 1998 when 103,000 jobs were added.  "When you think of the weatherman saying we've had a chamber of commerce day, well, what we've had recently is a chamber of commerce year," said Joel Wagher with The WorkSource.

But it seems the best news is the more recent job data, released for February of this year. The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown MSA, which accounts for over ninety-five percent of the employment in the 13-county H-GAC service area, added 86,000 jobs in February. This increase of jobs was not only the largest increase of any other metro area in the nation but the increase was more than any state, other than our home state of Texas.  Texas added 237,000 jobs since February 2006, over 49% of the total national job growth.

For more labor market news, visit The WorkSource web site, or contact Joel Wagher, joel.wagher@theworksource.org or 713-499-6690.

H-GAC Past President H. Frank Simpson and his family were honored by the Texas City Independent School District recently when the TCISD Administration Building was renamed the Simpson Administration Building.  Not only did Simpson serve on the TCISD Board for 4 years and as Director of Physical Services for the district for 19 years, but his wife Gloria Simpson, worked for a total of 24 years in the district.  Simpson's mother was hired as the first female married teacher in the district in 1943 and taught until 1965.  Simpson's son, Michael G. Simpson served for 13 years on the TCISD Board.  Simpson's daughters-in-law, Kitty Simpson and Shelley Simpson, have a combined 41 years of teaching experience, and are still counting.  "The Simpson family has devoted more than six decades of service to Texas City ISD," said Superintendent Richard Ettredge.

Simpson served on the H-GAC Board of Directors representing the City of Texas City from May 1992 until April 2000, and served as H-GAC's President in 1998.

H-GAC's Cooperative Purchasing program recently awarded new contracts for a number of products.  These products include ambulances, EMS and other special service vehicles, and video surveillance, access control and security fencing systems.  For more information on how to participate in the Cooperative Purchasing program, visit the HGACBuy web site.  If you are already a participant with HGACBuy, you will be able to log in on the web site to view these and other products of interest to you.

H-GAC Regional Recycling and Conservation Guide

The Houston-Galveston Area Council will unveil the 2008 Regional Recycling and Conservation Guide on Sunday, April 20 inside the Houston Chronicle.  The 24-page English and Spanish pullout guide is an informational resource on recycling and conservation practices for H-GAC's 13-county region. If you would like to reserve copies for your organization please email swinformation@h-gac.com.

Since 1994, the Regional Recycling and Conservation Guide has educated the public on ways they can help save our natural resources and reduce waste in landfills.  The guide outlines proper disposal procedures for common recyclables and household waste products.

This year's guide also highlights a free resource:  www.Earth911.com or  phone 1-800-CleanUp (1-800-253-2687).  These services provide a source for local recycling and product stewardship information.

Outdoor burning of solid waste is a complex issue that city and county local governments face on a day-to-day basis.  The Outdoor Burning Rule, Title 30, Texas Administrative Code Section 111 is the regulation that prohibits outdoor burning in Texas but also allows exceptions for specific situations.  These exceptions generate much confusion among citizens, environmental enforcement officers, elected officials and fire fighting staff. H-GAC and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have worked together to simplify these exceptions in the form of the Outdoor Burning Guide for the general public for the counties in the H-GAC region. To view the English and Spanish versions of the Outdoor Burning Guide please visit: ftp://ftp.h-gac.com/Pub/CE/Solid%20Waste/Burn%20Guides/ 

To order copies free of charge, please contact Amy Boyers, Sr. Environmental Planner, at 713-993-2441 or amy.boyers@h-gac.com.

The Houston-Galveston Area Council is hosting Emissions Round-Up: 2008 Advancing the Choice, a one-day conference on Wednesday, June 18 at the Stafford Centre.  The purpose of the conference is to further educate professionals within the public and private sectors about the newest clean fuel and vehicle technology available. 

This year's conference will provide a forum for participants to receive information on the latest technologies, fuels, policies and funding assistance programs related to heavy and light duty fleets. H-GAC counts on local governments, school districts, businesses and elected officials to help implement cutting edge clean fuel and engine technologies in public and private fleets in order to combat our region's air quality issues.

League of American Bicyclists
Road I Course for Transportation Engineers and Planners
Friday, May 9, 2008
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.
H-GAC Conference Room A
3555 Timmons Lane, Houston, TX  77027

The Road I Course is being offered for transportation engineers and planners as a method for professionals to learn the needs of bicyclists and how design impacts the function and flow of bicyclist operations and movements in traffic. The Road I Course gives cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. Participants are encouraged to dress casually, bring their bicycles, helmet and water bottle.

This course will be taught by H-GAC Technical Advisory Committee member Regina Garcia and Dan Raine, H-GAC's Pedestrian-Bicyclist Coordinator. This course is free to our region's engineers and planners. To register, please contact:  Dan Raine, AICP, H-GAC Pedestrian-Bicyclist Coordinator, dan.raine@h-gac.com or call 832-681-2525.