INSIDE Legislative Quiz | Messages from the Outgoing and Incoming Presidents

TheAdministrator

Texas State Agency Business Administrators’ Association • Volume 29, Number 3 • August 2011

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Takeaways From the 42nd Annual Summer Conference

The coursework and camaraderie at the Commons spelled success in a triple-word score at the 42nd Annual TSABAA Summer Conference at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus from July 28–29. Experts inspired and updated state agency financial

professionals in a welcoming location. A photo essay featuring the work of Leon Whitley is now available.

Several speakers advised choosing at least one thing from the conference to put into practice. Here are a few takeaways for your consideration, along with links for more information.

ERS Update (Catherine Terrell)• Current benefits were secured during the legislative session, but plan year 2013 changes such as a medical

deductible for health insurance are possible.

• What would you do to raise revenue? See the budget tool on the ERS website.

• Keep up with ERS. You can now like ERS on Facebook.

Life is Like a Google Map (Anne Pritchard Grady of Acclivity Performance)

• Think about making changes out of inspiration rather than desperation. Write down progressive predetermined goals and focus on high pay-off activities.

Remarks from Suzy Whittenton2011 Administrator of the Year

It was such an honor to be nominated for Administrator of the Year by Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, and then to be given the award by the TSABAA Executive Committee.

TSABAA has always been a part of my experience in state government. My first government job was with the Governor’s Office, and I had come from the private sector where my employer always provided my CPE. I asked the Director of Accounting Mike Reagan (a former Administrator of the Year recipient) how to handle obtaining CPE. He pointed out we didn’t have much of a budget for training, but told me I needed to go to the TSABAA meetings for the CPE. He took me to the next meeting where I soon met others in jobs similar to mine.

Those connections proved to be invaluable in my career. I got a lot more out of TSABAA than just CPE. There were many times that I called on

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President Cecilia Whitley with Suzy Whittenton and Deputy Comptroller Martin Hubert, who presented the award.

2 The Administrator | Volume 29, Number 3 | August 2011

Takeaways From the 42nd Annual Summer Conference continued from page 1

• If you eat a frog first thing in the morning, nothing else will seem that bad. Get your frog done first, and save the energy spent procrastinating.

• Don’t set a goal with “I want” — set it with “I will.” Visualize your outcome, and your brain starts filling in the blanks.

• It’s the subtle slight changes you make consistently over a period of time that make a big difference, not the big changes made once.

Business Writing Mistakes (Bryan Perrotta of Solutions Training Group)

• Err on the formal side. “Very respectfully” is a great way to end an email rather than “Thanks boss.”

• Don’t create a word salad. Keep it simple and succinct. There’s a reason

Nike’s tagline is “Just do it.”

• When in doubt, put the word or phrase in Google to check the meaning. Nothing can ruin a message quicker than using the incorrect word.

Update on CAPPS (Sandra Woodruff).• The Financials module for the new Centralized

Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System (CAPPS) goes live at two agencies on Sept. 1.

• Find out all the latest on the new state Enterprise Resource Planning effort on the Texas ProjectONE website.

LifeWorks (Brett Barnes)• Barnes rousingly greeted the group singing

“Hey TSABAA” to the tune of “Hey Big Spender.” He profiled how LifeWorks provides a continuum of services to youth and families, addressing critical needs to achieve lasting, positive change.

• Conference attendees passed the hat and donated $500 to help achieve Lifeworks’ goals. Read the thank you letter to TSABAA.

GASB 54 (Tracey Guidry and Irene Lee)• Guidry from Deloitte recapped the important

concepts introduced in Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 54, Fund Balance Reporting and Governmental Fund Type Definitions.

• Lee from the Financial Reporting section in Comptroller’s office covered GASB 54 implementation for fiscal 2011 annual financial reports as outlined FPP G.008. See also the 2011 Annual Financial Report Update Webinar.

Introduction to Social Media (Maura Thomas of RegainYourTime.com)

• In a recent survey, a slight majority of people said they now use social media but not email. We are going to have to adapt as email goes away. You don’t have to jump in right away, but know enough to know when to jump in.

• Social media for introverts: Think of it like a cool stream on a hot day — dive in and swim around, then get out. You will never touch every drop of water.

• Social media for extroverts: Think of it as a really cool party you can go anytime where there are always interesting people talking about interesting things. But you would never expect to follow every conversation.

• It’s all about control. Just because the phone is ringing doesn’t mean you have to answer it. Filter information for what’s useful. Only check messages when you choose to. Recognize when you need to focus and when you need to respond quickly.

Procurement Myths and Legends (Ron M. Pigott)

• Texas state government runs really thin. Saving money on goods and services can stretch budgets and enable you to provide more services to the public.

• If you work with procurement, you will find they have excellent ideas on how to save money and they will help you find what you need.

August 2011 | Volume 29, Number 3 | The Administrator 3

• Price is not an exception for not buying a TIBH product. Exceptions include TIBH does not have the quantity or quality needed or cannot meet delivery time requirements. We understand your frustrations, but the program does work wonders.

• TPASS is not the procurement police. We are not even regulatory and actually are in a good position to help. Please contact one of the State Purchasing Help Desks.

Legislative Update (Andy Homer and Jan Thomas)

• The Texas Public Employees Association (TPEA) worked closely with legislative leaders to lower costs and increase funding for the ERS Group Benefit Plan, preserving affordable state health benefits.

• TPEA also worked with legislative leaders to increase the state retirement contribution to 6.5 percent for fiscal 2013 to help maintain a strong ERS retirement fund.

• Bills successfully defeated would have eliminated longevity pay, imposed unpaid furloughs, forced salary reductions and imposed hiring freezes.

Cloud Technology (Guy Haddleton of Anaplan)

• Analysts chase data every week, but Excel offers no enterprise analytics. No one can respond in the moment. Cloud technology is changing the game forever.

• Technology shifts faster than you think. Windows now accounts for less than 50 percent of systems connecting to the Internet. The iPad is most rapidly adopted new technology ever. RIP Flash.

• Say goodbye to the configuration army. The cloud means no hardware or software to

maintain, collaborative model building across organizations and simple models built in days, not months.

• With the cost of ownership lower, there will be massive productivity gains. A single cloud technology connecting all agencies is compelling.

Building a Powerful Personal Brand (Marny Lifshen, author of Some Assembly Required)

• Perception is reality — the sum total of how others perceive you. It’s not the other person’s problem.

• In order for a brand to work, it must be authentic, distinct and consistent. You can’t become someone else.

• Think of yourself as your own company. You are continuously building your brand. The company you keep is part of your brand.

• Identify where you want to go and who can help you get there. Embrace your mistakes and address your weaknesses. What can you do starting tomorrow?

Business Continuity Plans/Disaster Recovery (Rick Torres, Ed Schaefer and Charles Walts)

• Torres of the State Office of Risk Management warns against the dangers of disgruntled employees when there is a layoff. They may know where you are vulnerable.

• Review and revise your business continuity plan as your resource requirements change. Key processes should include more than person.

• Schaefer of the Capital Area Council of Governments points out that if your disaster recovery plan doesn’t fit on both sides of a laminated 8.5 x 11 paper, it’s too long. You won’t have time. Prioritize response actions.

• Day-to-day job training is the basis for recovery training. Safety is always, always the priority.

• Walts of the Republic Preparedness Group brought home that we live in a dangerous world. We are not safe. We need to have a plan. Disasters are real, and they are personal. What would you do if your organization experienced a disaster? Ready - fire - aim is a response that happens a lot more often than you would think.

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4 The Administrator | Volume 29, Number 3 | August 2011

people in other agencies for advice and guidance on work-related issues. I also met so many people who I now consider good friends.

TSABAA is a great place to network and find out what is going on around the state. TSABAA is where I met Ken Welch, who later hired me at the Comptroller of Public Accounts. I have really enjoyed my 24 years in state government and most especially the last four and a half years as Director of Fiscal Management for the Comptroller. And to receive the Administrator of the Year award on my very last day on the state payroll before retirement was truly the icing on the cake!

I plan to return to work somewhere in the near future. I don’t know if that will be in the private or public sector. But either way, I will keep in touch with my old friends and hope to be at the Annual Conference next summer. .

• Incident action planning allows you to consider the characteristics of the situation and develop a uniform approach to respond to and recover from the situation at hand.

Communicating with the Auditor (Sandra Vice)

• The entrance conference is a discussion and your first opportunity to ask questions. It’s all about open communication.

• Some agencies want a manager or internal auditor to sit in on interviews. We consider this

to be a restriction, and ask that we meet with employees one-on-one.

• The minute you have a concern, please call the audit manager and talk about it. Don’t let things fester.

• The State Auditor’s Office wants to hear from you. The post-audit survey

provides us with valuable feedback. If there were problems, we will go back to the agency to find out how we could have handled things better.

Managing Multiple Priorities (Jon Stigliano of the Strategic Solutions Group)

• The challenge is not self-motivation; it’s self-leadership. You cannot get rid of an old attitude, only displace it with a new one. The nice part is you are in control. The scary part is you are in control.

• Take 15 minutes each morning to plan your day. Be proactive and do things in priority order. Resist the tyranny of the urgent.

• Have a 5–10 minute huddle with the people you work with to make sure you are focusing on the same thing.

• The Rule of Three: Simplify, eliminate and delegate. Focus on the outcomes you want to achieve. Be ruthless about setting priorities.

Takeaways From the 42nd Annual Summer Conference continued from page 3

Remarks from Suzy Whittenton2011 Administrator of the Yearcontinued from page 1

Legislative Session Recap (Harvey Kronberg of the Quorum Report and Ben Philpott of the Texas Tribune)

• There are now 101 Republicans in the Texas House. There were only 76 last session. The tea party was loud and effective. Lobbyists were marginalized into second-class citizens by social media.

• You can now legally “noodle” (catch catfish with your bare hands), which is a good metaphor for the appropriation process this session.

• The largest employer in Texas is government. The largest consumer of goods and services in Texas is government. Biggest creator of jobs in the last jobs report was government.

• Texas has always been a low service state, but there is nothing left to cut. How to raise revenues will be the big question next session. The Legislature only meets for five months, so we don’t have the luxury of Congress to belabor issues for years.

Outgoing President Cecilia Whitley presents Sandra

Woodruff a plaque for her service as First Vice

President.

August 2011 | Volume 29, Number 3 | The Administrator 5

1. There were 5,736 bills filed this regular session. How does this number compare to the previous regular session?

A. Decrease of 20 percentB. Increase of 20 percentC. Decrease of 10 percentD. Increase of 10 percent

2. What is the significance of Oct. 26, 2011?A. It’s Viva San Antonio Day.B. It’s Texas Juvenile Probation Day.C. It’s Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day.D. It’s Texas Pachyderm Day.

3. The employee contribution rate to the Employees Retirement System (ERS) for retirement will increase in the coming biennium.

A. TrueB. False

4. Each state agency must contribute to the ERS Group Benefits Program an amount equal to what percentage of the total base wages and salaries for each benefits-eligible employee, beginning with the September 2011 pay period?

A. 1/2 percentB. 1 percentC. 2 percentD. 5 percent

5. For the purposes of calculating total base wages and salaries in the previous question, a state agency may include longevity pay, hazardous duty pay, benefit replacement pay and overtime pay.

A. TrueB. False

6. Which of the following types of information can a state employee or official choose to be confidential?

A. Social Security numberB. Home addressC. Emergency contact informationD. All of the above

7. State agencies must receive the approval from its board or commission for foreign travel.

A. TrueB. False

8. State agencies are prohibited from buying legal-size paper.

A. TrueB. False

9. Each state agency is required to identify unnecessary or redundant statutory reporting requirements for oversight agencies by which date?

A. Sept. 1,2011B. Jan. 1, 2012C. Aug. 1, 2012D. Sept. 1, 2012

10. State agencies must give preference to recycled products that meet state specifications regarding quantity and quality if the average price of the product is not more than what percentage than the price of comparable non-recycled products?

A. 5 percentB. 10 percentC. 12 percentD. 15 percent

11. State agencies are allowed to redact certain personal information requested under the Public Information Act without requiring a decision from the attorney general for which of the following:

A. Vehicle license dataB. Vehicle registration dataC. Credit card numbersD. All of the above

12. The comptroller may offset an employee’s lump sum payments against their state debts.

A. TrueB. False

13. ERS must apply a monthly tobacco user fee in what amount to any tobacco user covered under the state health plan?

A. $15B. $20C. $25D. $30

14. Under certain circumstances, each state agency must post “high-value data sets” on its website that can be used to:

A. Increase state agency accountability and responsiveness

B. Create economic opportunityC. Further the core mission of the agencyD. All of the above

15. What is the effective date for legislation making it legal to “noodle” or fish for catfish using only your hands as long as you have a valid fishing license?

A. June 17, 2011B. Sept. 1, 2011C. Jan. 1, 2011D. Bill did not pass.

Test Your Legislative Smarts (Answers on page 8)

6 The Administrator | Volume 29, Number 3 | August 2011

TSABAA

Message from the Outgoing President

Well, this is my last “Message from the President.” I want to express my appreciation for the support and confidence of the Executive Committee during this year. A very special thank you to all the committee chairs and committee members. You all did an exceptional job putting on excellent conferences for both the Mid-Winter and the Annual.

Congratulations again to Suzy Whittenton, this year’s 2011 Administrator of the Year recipient. Suzy is truly deserving of this prestigious award and has provided many years of service to the state of Texas.

I am confident that this organization will continue to further the mission of TSABAA under the leadership of Sandra Woodruff, Daniel Benjamin, Carla James, Lori Trank, Paul Campbell and Phillip Ashley. Please give them your full support as they call on you over the coming months and years.

As I reflect upon my many years with TSABAA, I think about how privileged I’ve been to work with such an amazing group of professionals, all the memories and experiences we’ve built together, the relationships I’ve developed and the numerous learning opportunities throughout the years. I want to thank all the members of TSABAA for the honor of serving you, not just as your president, but for all the years I’ve been a member of this incredible organization.

Cecilia Whitley

2011 TSABAA President

Hain cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Hain is the spiritual experience of living every

minute with love, grace and gratitude. — Denis Waitley

August 2011 | Volume 29, Number 3 | The Administrator 7

TSABAA

Message from the Incoming President

As your 43rd president, I’m truly honored and privileged to serve all the TSABAA members during the 2012 fiscal year. The leaders who have come before me have provided excellent leadership, and together with the officers for 2012, we plan to continue the standard by providing members with informative and relevant bi-monthly meeting and conference topics and newsletter articles.

TSABAA provides a wonderful opportunity to link up with others in state government. Many business relationships are formed through the networking opportunities at meetings and conferences. As we learn from each other’s experiences, we are better equipped to make informed decisions and meet the challenges of working in state government. TSABAA provides the venue for discussing mutual goals and objectives to carry out the state’s business administrative functions more effectively.

We welcome your suggestions for meeting or conference topics and hope that you’ll volunteer to serve on one of the standing committees. For those who are new to state government, serving on a committee is a great way to learn how the different agencies operate and meet your fellow business administrators. And for everyone else, serving on a committee is a great way to maintain your business relationships and meet newcomers. To volunteer for a committee or make a suggestion, please email me.

I hope each of you will take an active role in TSABAA. The strength of the organization is in its members. Your continued support and participation is greatly appreciated, and I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting or conference.

Sandra Woodruff

2012 TSABAA President

Congratulations to the 2012 TSABAA Officers

Sandra Woodruff, President Daniel Benjamin, First Vice President

Carla James, Second Vice President Lori Trank, Treasurer

Paul Campbell, SecretaryPhillip Ashley, ParliamentarianCecilia Whitley, Past President

Volunteer for a TSABAA Committee!

Please contact 2012 President Sandra Woodruff at sandra.woodruff@cpa.state.tx.us or 463-4947 to volunteer for a committee.

• Annual Conference• Audit • Awards• Constitutions, By- Laws and Resolutions• Continuing Professional Education• Membership• Midwinter Conference• Newsletter• Program• Vendor• Website

8 The Administrator | Volume 29, Number 3 | August 2011

CreditsEditorDavid Galanski

Contributors Joni Sager, Ben Strauser, Cecilia Whitley, Leon Whitley, Suzy Whittenton and Sandra Woodruff

Art DirectorJulie Vela

Texas State Agency Business Administrators’ Association

2011 OfficersPresident

Cecilia WhitleyProcurement Director

Department of Family and Protective Services<cecilia.whitley@dfps.state.tx.us>

438-4072

First Vice PresidentSandra Woodruff

Manager of Statewide Fiscal SystemsTexas Comptroller of Public Accounts

<sandra.woodruff@cpa.state.tx.us>463-4947

Second Vice PresidentDaniel Benjamin

Financial Analyst, Fiscal ManagementTexas Comptroller of Public Accounts

<daniel.benjamin@cpa.state.tx.us>936-6295

TreasurerCarla James

Deputy Securities CommissionerState Securities Board

<cjames@ssb.state.tx.us>305-8331

SecretaryLori Trank

Manager of Accounting OperationsHealth and Human Services Commission

<lori.trank@hhsc.state.tx.us>424-6527

ParliamentarianPaul Campbell

Director of Payments ManagementTexas Department of Transportation

<Paul.N.Campbell@txdot.gov>486-5678

Past PresidentMichael Doerr

Financials Process Management Department of Aging and Disability

<michael.doerr@dads.state.tx.us>438-5319

1. A

2. C — (HR 1419; Viva San Antonio Day

was Feb. 15, Texas Juvenile Probation Day

was April 12 and Pachyderm Day was

March 30.)

3. B

4. B — (GAA, Article IX, Section 18.09; see

Payroll Contribution for Group Health

Insurance [FPP P.005]).

5. B

6. D — (SB 1638)

7. B — (Removed in the GAA, Article

IX, Section 5.08; see Section 660.024,

Government Code)

8. B — (HB 1247)

9. C — (HB 1781)

10. B — (HB 3395)

11. D — (SB 602)

12. A — (SB 1, 1st Called Session)

13. D — (SB 1664 and GAA, Article 1, ERS,

Rider 11)

14. D — (SB 701)

15. A — (HB 2189 passed by a 142-2 margin

in the House and unanimously in the

Senate, well over the two-thirds majority

required to go into immediate effect after

gubernatorial action.)

Legislative Quiz Answers (Questions on page 5)