TSEU Broadcast

TEXAS STATE EMPLOYEES UNION EMAIL BROADCAST UPDATE TO MEMBERS
July 13, 2006

Human Services call center plan/ Accenture contract
60 LEGISLATORS SIGN LETTER: CANCEL THE CONTRACT, REBUILD HHSC
* 30 others sign letter supporting Accenture contract
* all signers listed in this broadcast
* see TSEU's website (www.cwa-tseu.org at High Tech Boondoggle) for copies of the letters
* See also Press Releases and Press Clippings on TSEU's web site for more

On July 12 State Rep. Pat Haggerty ( R El Paso) released a letter to HHSC Executive Chairman Albert Hawkins that calls on the commissioner to cancel the contract with Accenture, commit resources to rebuild the HHSC community-based eligibility system, and to demand a refund from Accenture. TSEU worked closely with Rep. Haggerty's staff on the project, contacting dozens of legislators to explain the issues and ask for their support. The letter was signed by a bi-partisan group of 60 state representatives. The letter applauds Commissioner Hawkins' decision to delay the rollout of theAccenture/call center plan and to rescind the layoff notices for HHSC employees. It goes on to note that Texas faces a severe funding crunch, and that the state should not throw good moneyafter bad by continuing to fund the call center plan or the Accenture contract. The letter continues: "In light of all these issues, we ask you to consider the following proposal to rebuild a community-based system that works and does not waste tax dollars on broken contractual promises. We ask you to cancel the contract with Accenture for non-performance and commit the remaining resources to rebuild the human services eligibility system that, as little as two years ago, was among the best in the country. In addition, we ask you to consider demanding thatAccenture return some of the payments for which Texas has not received the products and/or services as promised."

The legislators who signed the letter (in order as they appear on the letter):

Rep. Pat Haggerty (R) El Paso
Rep.Elliott Naishtat (D) Austin
Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D) Austin
Rep. Rick Hardcastle ( R) Vernon;
Rep. Charlie Geren (R) Fort Worth
Rep. Tony Goolsby ( R) Dallas
Rep. Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton ( R) Mauriceville
Rep. Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles (D) Alice
Rep. Jim Dunnam (D) Waco
Rep. Brian McCall ( R) Plano
Rep. Toby Goodman ( R) Arlington
Rep. Bryan Hughes ( R) Marshall
Rep. Joe Pickett (D) El Paso
Rep. Delwin Jones ( R) Lubbock
Rep. Robert Puente (D) San Antonio
Rep. Tracy King (D) Eagle Pass
Rep. Bob Griggs ( R) North Richland Hills
Rep. Pete Gallego (D) Alpine
Rep. Rafael Anchia (D) Dallas
Rep. Carter Casteel (R) New Braunfels
Rep. David Farabee (D) Wichita Falls
Rep. Hubert Vo (D) Houston
Rep. Garnet Coleman (D) Houston
Rep. Chuck Hopson (D) Jacksonville
Rep. Craig Eiland (D) Galveston
Rep. Bob Hunter ( R) Abilene
Rep. Allan Ritter (D) Nederland
Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D) Dallas
Rep. Mark Homer (D) Paris
Rep. Donna Howard (D) Austin
Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D) San Antonio
Rep. Juan Escobar (D) KIngsville
Rep. Richard Raymond (D) Laredo
Rep. Marc Veasey (D) Fort Worth
Rep. Rick Noriega (D) Houston
Rep. Stephen Frost (D) Atlanta
Rep. Jim McReynolds (D) Lufkin
Rep. Armando Martinez (D) Weslaco
Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D) Houston
Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D) Austin
Rep. Lon Burnam (D) Fort Worth
Rep. Dora Olivo (D) Houston
Rep. David Leibowitz (D) San Antonio
Rep. Scott Hochberg (D) Houston
Rep. Norma Chavez (D) El Paso
Rep. Ana Hernandez (D) Houston
Rep. Ryan Guillen (D) San Diego
Rep. Alma Allen (D) Houston
Rep. Jessica Farrar (D) Houston
Rep. Mike Villarreall (D) San Antonio
Rep. Yvonne Davis (D) Dallas
Rep. Abel Herrero (D) Corpus Christi
Rep. Aaron Pe a (D) Edinburg
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D) San Antonio
Rep. Terry Hodge (D) Dallas
Rep. Jose Menendez (D) San Antonio
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D) San Antonio
Rep. Paul Moreno (D) El Paso
Rep. Joe Deshotel (D) Port Arthur
Rep. Chente Quintanilla (D) El Paso

30 LEGISLATORS SIGN TO SUPPORT ACCENTURE & CALL CENTER PLAN

After the release of the letter initiated by Rep. Haggerty, Rep. John Davis ( R Houston)pulled together 30 legislators, all Republicans, to sign a letter supporting the discredited callcenter plan and the contract with Bermuda-based Accenture. The letter claims that the call center system "provides Texans with new channels ofaccess," and that it "has handled more than 2.8 million phone calls" and "processed more than 6.8 million documents and mailed more than 1.5 million pieces of correspondence." The letter does not address the plummeting number of Texans who successfully navigate the system and begin to receive benefits or the 12,000-case backlog that has been transferred from the callcenters to state employees. It does concede that "the new system has experienced challenges." (Experienced challenges? Wow, is that what they tell clients in their area that call their office for help in navigating the system? "oh, I'm sorry Jane Doe- I realize you have no money to feed your kids, you must understand that the new system is simply 'experiencing challenges' and unfortunately, you will just have to wait until these problems are worked out-school will be starting soon, and your kids can at least get two meals there!"

Signers of the letter supporting the Accenture contract:
John Davis ( R -Houston)
Jim Pitts ( R -Waxahachie)
Suzanna Gratia Hupp ( R -Lampassas)
Warren Chissum ( R -Pampa)
David Swinford ( R -Amarillo)
Beverly Wooley ( R -Houston)
Dan Gattis ( R -Georgetown)
Robert Talton ( R -Pasadena)
Ruben Hope Jr. ( R -Conroe)
Fred Brown ( R -Bryan)
Bill Callegari ( R -Houston)
Bill Keffer ( R -Dallas)
Joe Nixon ( R -Houston)
Jerry Madden ( R -Plano)
Buddy West ( R -Odessa)
Ken Paxton ( R -McKinney)
Rob Eisler ( R -The Woodlands)
Jim Jackson ( R -Carrollton)
Betty Brown ( R -Athens)
Bill Zedler ( R -Arlington)
Larry Taylor ( R -League City)
Leo Berman ( R -Tyler)
Corbin Van Arsdale ( R -Houston)
Debbie Riddle ( R -Houston)
Linda Harper-Brown ( R -Irving)
Mary Denny ( R -Flower Mound)
Glenda Dawson ( R -Pearland)
Jodie Laudenberg ( R -Rockwall)
Joe Driver ( R -Garland)
Valerie Corte ( R -San Antonio, temporary for Frank Corte)

**Blogger's Note: I encourage everyone to call or write your local representative and Thank them for their support (if they signed the letter) and if they signed the letter supporting Accenture, I encourage you to ask your representative to explain why they continue to support a failing system that hurts the poor in the State of Texas and is going to cost the taxpayers of Texas far more than necessary.