* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Houston Forensic Science] [00:00:32] MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING. IT'S NINE O'CLOCK. GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER. ALL RIGHT, MS. HAM, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLE CHAIRWOMAN MITCHELL? HERE, VICE CHAIR LINSKY. HERE. DIRECTOR VASQUEZ. DIRECTOR HILDER. PRESENT. DIRECTOR MEDINA. HERE. DIRECTOR GOODWIN. PRESENT. DIRECTOR COHEN. HERE. DIRECTOR MOORE. HERE. DIRECTOR HUFF. HERE. DIRECTOR CALABRESE HERE. ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A QUORUM. SO WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE. THIS IS CONSIDERED THE APPOINTMENT OF MS. SANDRA HAM AS SECRETARY OF THE CORPORATION AND POSSIBLE RELATED ACTION. UM, SO MEMBERS, AS YOU KNOW, MS. HENRY HAS BEEN SERVING AS OUR INTERIM BOARD SECRETARY SINCE HER APPOINTMENT IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR. MS. HENRY STEPPED IN TO ASSIST WITH THE BOARD MEETINGS AND PREPARATION, AND WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE HER HERE AT HS. HFSC ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD. MS. HENRY, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO STEP IN AND THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP. WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT. UM, WE DO NOT TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED, AND I KNOW YOU ARE PROBABLY AS EXCITED ABOUT THIS AGENDA ITEM AS ANYONE HERE. UM, SO LET ME TAKE A MOMENT TO INTRODUCE MS. SANDRA HAM, WHO RECENTLY, WHO WAS RECENTLY HIRED TO SERVE AS H AS THE HFSC, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER. IN ADDITION TO THAT ROLE, SHE WAS INTERVIEWED WITH THE INTENT TO HAVE HER CONSIDERED FOR APPOINTMENT BY THE BOARD AS OUR CORPORATE SECRETARY. BEFORE WE CONSIDER MS. HAM'S APPOINTMENT, I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS ABOUT HER RESUME AND EXPERIENCE JUST SO YOU'LL GET A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW HER A LITTLE BIT. PRIOR TO JOINING HFSC, A FEW WEEKS AGO, MS. HAM SERVED AS A SITTER CITY SECRETARY FOR A MUNICIPALITY LOCATED IN SOUTH HARRIS COUNTY. SHE WAS APPOINTED, UH, TO THAT ROLE BY THE CITY COUNCIL IN 2017 AND WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING CITY RECORDS, THEIR WEBSITE, PR, UH, PRODUCING PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS, ADMINISTERING ALL ASPECTS OF CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS, INCLUDING THE AGENDA AND MINUTES, AS WELL AS RESPONDING TO PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST. SO SHE'S VERY QUALIFIED TO JUMP INTO THIS ROLE BOTH FEET. UM, ADDITIONALLY, SHE PROVIDED SUPPORT AND RESOURCES TO RESIDENTS AS WELL AS ALL CITY DEPARTMENTS, BOARDS, AND COMMISSIONS. BEFORE SERVING AS CITY SECRETARY, MS. HAM HAD AN EXTENSIVE CAREER IN THE NONPROFIT SECTOR SECTOR AND RECEIVED A MASTER'S DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK WITH HONORS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON. I COULD HIGHLIGHT MORE, UH, ABOUT HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND EXPERIENCE, BUT I THINK THIS BRIEF SUMMARY WILL MAKE IT CLEAR THAT SHE IS WELL QUALIFIED FOR THIS POSITION OF CORPORATE SECRETARY. WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE HER AS A RESOURCE FOR THE BOARD AND THE ORGANIZATION. WITH THAT, I WILL OPEN THE FLOOR FOR ANY MOTIONS RELATED TO THE APPOINTMENT OF MRS. SANDRA HAM AS SECRETARY OF THE CORPORATION. DO I HAVE MOTION? I SO MOVE. OKAY, THANK YOU. I HEARD A MOTION FROM DIRECTOR HILDER. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. ALL RIGHT. DIRECTOR GOODWIN, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY, WE'LL CALL UP VOICE VOTE. SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR A? AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED? ALRIGHT. CONGRATULATIONS, AND MS. HENRY. YOU ARE DONE. . THANK YOU SO MUCH, . OKAY, WE WILL NOW GO MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, WE NOW OPEN THE FLOOR FOR A PUBLIC COMMENT AND INVITE ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC THAT WISHES TO SPEAK TO COME TO THE PODIUM AND ADDRESS THE BOARD. WE ASK ALL SPEAKERS TO SIGN AT THE FRONT, SIGN IN AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM SO WE ARE AWARE OF YOUR PRESENCE AND THAT ALL COMMENTS WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES. YOU MAY SPEAK ON ANY MANNER CONCERNING THE BOARD AND HFSC AT THIS TIME. DO WE HAVE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO HAS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY. SEEING NONE, UH, SEEING NO MEMBERS IN IN OUR AUDIENCE TODAY. WE, UH, I WILL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. OKAY. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE. UH, THE DRAFT MINUTES FROM JANUARY 13TH, 2023, BOARD MEETING. WE WILL CONSIDER, UH, UH, ANY PROPOSED CORRECTIONS IF THERE ARE ANY, AND THEN WE NEED TO HAVE AN APPROVAL. THIS WILL BE A VOICE VOTE. EVERYONE, UH, MEMBERS TODAY, WE WILL CONSIDER MEETING MINUTES FROM JANUARY 13TH, 2023 BOARD MEETING. I TRUST EVERYONE HAS HAD TIME TO REVIEW THE DOCUMENT. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS [00:05:01] TO THE MINUTES? OKAY, GREAT. HEARING NONE, WE WILL PROCEED WITH THE VOTE. UM, DO WE HAVE, UH, A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MEETING? MINUTES MOVE. UH, DIRECTOR COHEN MADE THE MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. UH, DIRECTOR MOORE MADE THIS SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED? OKAY. UH, UNANIMOUS VOTE FOR, UH, UH, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AND THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED. OKAY. AGENDA ITEMS NUMBER SIX. WE ARE ROLLING THIS MORNING. ALRIGHT. REPORT FROM THE BOARD CHAIR INCLUDING A MONTHLY UPDATE OF ACTIVITIES AND OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS. UM, I DO NOT HAVE MUCH TODAY FOR THE CHAIR'S REPORT, BUT I WILL HIGHLIGHT A FEW ITEMS OF INTEREST, INCLUDING AN UPDATE ON MATTERS THAT WE SENT OVER TO THE CITY FOR APPROVAL. FIRST, IF YOU RECALL, DURING OUR JANUARY MEETING, THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN HFSC AND THE CITY FOR FLEET SERVICES. THE AGREEMENT WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL LAST WEEK, SO DR. STOUT WILL ENSURE THE DOCUMENT IS FULLY EXECUTED AND HFSC HAS THE APPROPRIATE MECHANISMS IN PLACE TO MAINTAIN OUR VEHICLES. THANK YOU DR. STOUT, FOR WORKING ON THAT. ON A SIMILAR NOTE, THE BOARD WILL ALSO RECALL WE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED A RESOLUTION DURING THE NOVEMBER 20, UH, 2022 MEETING TO AMEND THE CORPORATION CERTIFICATE OF FORMATION AND SUBMIT THAT REQUEST TO THE, TO CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL. THE AMENDMENT WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL AFTER THE NEW YEAR, AND WE ARE NOW IN THE PROCESS OF FILING THE REQUIRED PAPERWORK WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE. THESE TWO OUTSTANDING ITEMS ARE NEARING CONCLUSION, SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO UPDATE YOU AND ALSO MAKE AND TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK OUR COLLEAGUES AT THE CITY FOR THEIR SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY MAYOR TURNER AND HIS STAFF AS WELL AS CITY COUNCIL. SO THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH. ONE FINAL ITEM FOR MY REPORT. I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MARCH IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH AND JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE CELEBRATED INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY. AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, HSCS WORKFORCE INCLUDES A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN WHO OF COURSE BRING A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE, LEADERSHIP, AND SKILL TO OUR ORGANIZATION. ALSO, YOU CAN SEE HERE TODAY OUR BOARD IS COMPRISED OF SEVERAL TALENTED WOMEN WHO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME FOR HFSC. ALL OF OUR MEMBERS ARE CERTAINLY ACCOMPLISHED IN THEIR PROFESSIONS, BUT IN THINKING ABOUT WOMEN WHO HAVE MADE HISTORY, WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE BOARD MEMBERS LIKE DIRECTOR MOORE, DIRECTOR COHEN, AND VICE CHAIR LYNCH, WHO HAVE MADE HISTORY OVER THE YEARS FOR THEIR SERVICE TO HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE. SO AGAIN, WE ARE EXTREMELY PROUD FOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF HFSC WOMEN AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING ALL THE WONDERFUL EVENTS AROUND THE CITY AND CELEBRATION OF THIS MONTH. AND WITH THAT FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN AND AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN IS THE REPORT FROM DR. PETER STOUT, OUR CEO AND PRESIDENT, WHICH WILL INCLUDE A STRATEGIC OVERVIEW OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2024 BUDGET NEEDS AN UPDATE ON THE 88TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION OVERVIEW OF OPERATIONS AND TECHNICAL UPDATES AND OTHER CORPORATE BUSINESS ITEMS. DR. STOUT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU. GOOD MORNING Y'ALL. AM I CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE MICROPHONE THERE? ALRIGHT, SO YEAH, I, UH, HAVE TAKEN UP RESIDENCE IN AUSTIN, UM, AT LEAST UNTIL MAY. WE ARE AT THE END OF THE 60 DAY RULE HERE TODAY. SO THIS IS THE LAST FILING BILL, THIS FILING DEADLINE FOR BILLS, UH, IN THE 88TH LEGISLATURE. UM, BUT WE GOT THE SLIDES THERE MAYBE SOMEWHERE. I THINK YOU'VE GOT 'EM IN FRONT OF YOU. UM, SO I'LL GO START ALONG HERE JUST WHILE THEY'RE GETTING THOSE UP THERE. FIRST THINGS I'VE GOT ARE JUST A FEW UPDATES AND HIGHLIGHTS ABOUT OPERATIONAL STUFF. AND WHILE WE TALK REGULARLY AND, YOU KNOW, KNOW, I WRITE REGULARLY ABOUT WORRIES AND CONCERNS I HAVE ABOUT THE LAB, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE REALLY WORKING QUITE WELL. UM, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON IN SEIZED DRUGS, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS OF DISMISSING CASE OF, OF WE CANCEL CASES THAT HAVE HAD CHARGES DISMISSED. UH, WHEN I PUT THESE SLIDES TOGETHER, WE HAD DISMISSED 242 REQUESTS THAT, UH, REPRESENTS ABOUT 85% OF THOSE ARE MARIJUANA REQUESTS, AND THAT REPRESENTS ABOUT A 40% REDUCTION IN THE BACKLOG OF MARIJUANA CASES. UM, OUR TURNAROUND TIME RIGHT NOW IN SEIZES DRUGS BATS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ABOUT 45 DAYS AND ABOUT 60 DAYS, DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU INCLUDE THE DNA OR THE, UM, MARIJUANA TURNAROUND TIME IN THAT OR NOT. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY NOT TOO BAD, UH, GIVEN THE PACE THAT WE'VE GOT. WE STILL HAVE ONLY FOUR FULLY SIGNED OFF ANALYSTS. WE'VE GOT ONE THAT'S ABOUT TO BE SIGNED OFF AND WE'VE GOT SOME OTHERS THAT ARE IN TRAINING, BUT WE STILL HAVE ONLY FOUR [00:10:02] FULLY SIGNED OFF ANALYSTS IN SEIZE DRUGS. LATENT PRINT COMPARISON BACKLOG. THAT ONE IS PRETTY REMARKABLE REALLY, IF YOU LOOK AT THAT. UM, IT IS NOW CONSISTENTLY BELOW 600 REQUESTS. THAT IS DOWN 70% FROM THIS POINT LAST YEAR. AND THIS IS IN LARGE PART DUE TO LEAN SIX SIGMA PROJECT IN THERE THAT MADE SOME DRAMATIC CHANGES IN HOW WE PROCESS THROUGH THERE AND IT IS REALLY PAYING OFF. UH, THE HIGH, JUST TO REMIND EVERYBODY, WAS MORE THAN 2,500 REQUESTS IN 2021. THAT WAS THE HIGH POINT. UM, SO I MEAN, THIS IS REALLY PRETTY REMARKABLE PROGRESS THAT THEY'VE BEEN MAKING ON THAT. AND WITH GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO SOME OF THE ARPA MONEY THAT WE HAVE HAD FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON. PART OF WHAT WE USED AND WILL CONTINUE TO USE ARPA MONEY FOR IS TRAINING OF NEW PERSONNEL. WE USE THAT MONEY TO HELP TRAIN SOME NEW ANALYSTS IN PROCESSING. THEY ARE COMING ONLINE AND NOW WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST MONTH OR SO THAT THE CAPACITY IN LATENT PRINT PROCESSING IS AT LEAST DOUBLE WHAT IT WAS BEFORE. SO WE'LL PROBABLY START TO SEE THAT BACKLOG IN LATENT PRINT PROCESSING START TO DROP PRETTY RAPIDLY AS WELL. SO REALLY QUITE GOOD NEWS IN THOSE AREAS OVER THOSE 25 16, HOW MANY WERE COMPLETED? UH, ACTUALLY THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT HAS BEEN COMPLETED. WE'VE WORKED WITH HPD, UM, OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO TO TRY AND REMOVE CASES THAT ARE BEYOND STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THAT THAT IS AN IMPACT THERE. IT'S A VERY REAL NUMBER, BUT IT'S A SMALL PORTION OF THAT 2,500. THEY, THEY HAVE WORKED A GOOD CHUNK OF THAT. BUT YEAH, THAT, THAT'S BEEN PART OF WHAT WE'VE TRIED TO DO IN THAT IS, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY WASTED WORK. STUFF THAT'S BEYOND STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ARE DISMISSED OR THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE WE COULD FIND THEM. WE'VE, WE'VE TRIED TO GET THOSE OUTTA THE BACKLOG, UH, LATENT OR THE DIGITAL BACKLOG IS DOWN ABOUT 26% THAN WHERE WE WERE AT LAST YEAR. SO REMEMBER, UM, LAST YEAR WE LOST HALF THE STAFF IN THERE. SO THEY HAVE REPLACED HALF THE STAFF, TRAINED, HALF THE STAFF GOTTEN HALF THE STAFF SIGNED OFF AND PRODUCTIVE WITH SUCH A CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO START REDUCING THAT BACKLOG BY ABOUT 26%. NOW, THAT IS ANOTHER PLACE WE WILL APPLY ARPA DOLLARS THAT WERE ADDITIONAL ARPA DOLLARS AWARDED TO US, UH, THAT ARE SPECIFIC FOR DEALING WITH SOME OF THAT BACKLOG. UM, SO PROBABLY NEXT BOARD MEETING WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER ILA AMENDMENT TO CONSIDER TO MOVE THE, THE NEXT SET OF ARPA DOLLARS OVER TO US. UM, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE PLACES THAT WE'LL APPLY THOSE DOLLARS IS TO THAT MULTIMEDIA BACKLOG. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT OPERATIONAL STUFF? ALL RIGHT, SO ONTO THE 88TH LEDGE. SO YOU, YOU, I END UP DOING THIS STATEWIDE BECAUSE I'M PRESIDENT OF TEXAS ASSOCIATION CRIME LAB DIRECTORS. UM, I THINK I'M GOING ON YEAR SEVEN OF BEING PRESIDENT OF TEXAS ASSOCIATION CRIME LAB DIRECTORS. I DON'T EXPECT TO NOT BE PRESIDENT OF TEXAS ASSOCIATION CRIME LAB DIRECTORS ANYTIME SOON. UM, BUT JUST IT, IT IS, I AM PROBABLY THE BEST FIT FOR IT IN THE STATE. WE'VE GOT SOME CAPACITY FOR IT BECAUSE I AM NOT A STATE EMPLOYEE, AS ARE MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THE STATE. I CAN DO THIS WHERE THEY JUST SIMPLY CAN'T. UM, SO I I, BUT I'M ALSO HAPPY TO DO THIS BECAUSE WE HAVE A DISPROPORTIONATE, WE ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY WHAT THE STATE LEGISLATURE DOES AS JUST US IN GENERAL IN THIS SESSION. I GOTTA TELL YOU, HARRIS COUNTY IS PRETTY MUCH PART OF EVERY CONVERSATION THERE. UM, THE BACKLOG IN THE COURTS IS VERY MUCH FRONT OF MIND FOR EVERY LEGISLATOR THERE. AND A LOT OF THE LEGISLATION WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY. SO ONE OF THE THINGS TO POINT OUT IS WE REALLY, REALLY BECAME A THING THIS SESSION BECAUSE GOVERNOR ABBOTT MADE THE FENTANYL CRISIS AN EMERGENCY ITEM. SO I, I SUSPECT THIS GROUP IS PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH CIVICS OF HOW TEXAS LEGISLATURE WORKS, BUT IT MEETS FOR 140 DAYS EVERY TWO YEARS. AND FOR THE FIRST 60 DAYS OF THE SESSION, THE LEGISLATURE CAN'T CONSIDER EITHER VOTE ON OR HOLD HEARINGS ON BILLS FOR THAT FIRST 60 DAYS OF THE SESSION. SO IT'S CALLED THE 60 DAY RULE, UNLESS THE GOVERNOR NAMES SOMETHING AS AN EMERGENCY ITEM. AND THEN THAT AUTHORIZES THE LEGISLATURE TO BE ABLE TO CONSIDER. SO WITH THAT AUTHORIZATION, IT DOES TWO THINGS. THE LEDGE CAN CONSIDER IT, BUT IT ALSO POINTS THE PRIORITIES [00:15:01] OF THE LEGISLATURE. SO FENTANYL IS VERY MUCH A LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY AND THERE IS A TON OF STUFF GOING ON ABOUT FENTANYL. UM, YOU ALSO ARE SEEING MORE ARTICLES AND WILL PROBABLY SEE MORE ARTICLES STILL ABOUT HEMP. UM, I HATE HEMP. I I JUST, I HAVE, I SAID THAT BEFORE THAT I HATE HEMP. I'M NOT SURE IT'S GONNA GET ANY BETTER FOR US. UH, BUT THESE THINGS ARE TIED TOGETHER. FENTANYL CLEARLY IS SOMETHING THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO ADDRESS. WE NEED TO, IT'S A HORRIBLE THING FOR OUR SOCIETY, BUT WHERE DO WE PUT WHAT LIMITED CAPACITY THAT LABORATORIES HAVE WHEN WE'RE ALSO STRUGGLING WITH HOW DO WE DEAL WITH HEMP AND CONSEQUENCES FROM THAT? SO THIS IS, THERE IS, UM, A LOT OF DISCUSSION AROUND HOW TO BETTER REGULATE HEMP AND HOW TO ATTEMPT TO BAN MIGHT BE THE WORD FOR IT, WHAT ARE BECOMING TO BE CALLED INTOXICATING HEMP PRODUCTS, THOSE THINGS THAT CONTAIN DELTA EIGHT, AS WELL AS ALL OF THESE OTHER VARIETY OF CANNABINOID RELATIVES. SO THIS ARTICLE WAS IN THE TEXAS TRIP NOT TOO LONG AGO. I'M QUOTED IN THERE. UM, I SPENT A GOOD BIT OF TIME WITH ONE OF THE TRIB JOURNALISTS A WEEK OR SO AGO. SO I SUSPECT THERE WILL BE AT LEAST ONE MORE TRIP ARTICLE THAT I'M HEAVILY QUOTED IN STANDBY. UM, YOU KNOW, I SHOOT MY MOUTH OFF ABOUT HEMP A LOT, UH, OF THE BILLS THAT I THINK ARE SIGNIFICANT CONSIDERATION. HOUSE BILL 1 78, WHO'S ANDREW MURR IS THE REPRESENTATIVE THAT'S FILED THIS ONE. UM, HE REP, HE'S A REPRESENTATIVE OUT AROUND THE KERRVILLE AREA. UH, THE LANGUAGE IN THIS BILL RELATES TO THE TESTING OF POSSIBLE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES FOR FENTANYL. AND THE LANGUAGE IN IT SAYS THAT IF THERE IS A REASONABLE LIKELIHOOD, REASONABLE POSSIBILITY THAT SOMETHING CONTAINS FENTANYL, YOU HAVE TO TEST IT. SO, AS I'VE DISCUSSED WITH THAT OFFICE, AND I'VE DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, WHAT THIS MEANS FOR LABORATORIES IS IF I GET A BOX OF 20,000 PILLS, I WOULD HAVE TO TEST EVERY ONE OF THOSE PILLS IN THAT BOX. THIS COULD BE A REALLY BIG INCREASE IN TESTING DEMAND FOR US IF THIS LANGUAGE PROCEEDS AS IT IS. UM, DPS SUBMITTED A $20 MILLION, UH, FISCAL NOTE ON IT THAT DID NOT STOP THIS BILL BEING VOTED FAVORABLY OUTTA COMMITTEE LAST WEEK. SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S, I I WILL CONTINUE TO PURSUE IT, THIS ONE IF THERE'S A FLOOR SUB ON ANY OF THE LANGUAGE IN IT, BUT THERE IS NOT, AS FAR AS I HAVE SEEN SO FAR A SENATE SIDE, UM, PARALLEL TO THIS BILL. SO, SO FAR IT'S JUST A HOUSE BILL, BUT THIS IS ONE THAT WE VERY MUCH NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON 'CAUSE THIS COULD BE A HUGE INCREASE IN TESTING FOR US. DO YOU KNOW WHO'S, IS SOMEONE CARRYING IT IN THE SENATE? UH, I, LIKE I SAY, I DON'T, I AM UNAWARE OF ANYBODY THAT'S CARRYING SIMILAR LANGUAGE IN THE SENATE SO FAR. BUT TODAY'S THE DEADLINE FOR FILING. I WILL BE LOOKING TOMORROW MORNING AT WHAT GETS FILED AND SEE IF THERE'S A SENATE SIDE THAT SOMEBODY'S CARRYING. PETER, LET ME ASK YOU. I I SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, MER HAS, UH, PROPOSED SOME LEGISLATION AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, UH, I'M SORRY, CAN YOU SPEAK INTO THE MIC? THANKS. I SURE CAN. THANK YOU. OKAY. SO HOW MUCH CONSULTATION IS THERE WITH YOU PRIOR TO THESE BILLS BEING SUBMITTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE FEASIBILITY OF SOME OF THESE REQUESTS THAT THE LEGISLATE, THAT VARIOUS LEGISLATORS ARE MAKING? UH, THAT'S EASY TO ANSWER. NONE. , . I MEAN, THIS IS, IT IS, I'VE, I'VE GOT THE CITY WHO'S BEEN, AND I, I HAVE TO GIVE AN AWFUL LOT OF CREDIT TO THE CITY'S GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FOLKS. UH, BILL KELLY'S, WHO'S THE DIRECTOR, AND ALEXA ARANA, WHO'S, UH, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR. THEY HAVE BEEN EXTRAORDINARILY GOOD TO US. UM, I'VE GOT, I MEAN, I'M ON A PARTY LINE IN THE CITY'S BILL TRACKING SOFTWARE WITH I THINK THE AIRPORT AND HOUSING, BUT I'VE GOT ACCESS IN THEIR TRACKING SYSTEM. SO I'VE GOT QUERIES THAT RUN EVERY NIGHT TRYING TO FIND THIS STUFF. BUT THAT'S THE, THE, THE PROCESS IS THEY FILE IT, I FIND IT, I GO TRY AND CHASE 'EM DOWN AND TELL 'EM WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT. AND I MEAN, THE DIFFICULTY IS AS FAR AS EDUCATION FOR FORENSIC LABORATORIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, WE HAVE A VAST INFRASTRUCTURE, HI, I'M IT. UM, THIS IS A LOT TO CHASE DOWN AND IT'S, I DON'T KNOW, WITHOUT THE CITY'S HELP, WE, WE WOULD REALLY BE IN A WORLD OF HURT ON THIS STUFF. UH, DR. STOUT IS THAT, YES, THE 20 MILLION FISCAL [00:20:01] NOTE IS THAT JUST FOR DPS, THAT'S JUST, JUST DPS, THAT'S JUST DPS AND YOU GOTTA FIGURE, AND I HAVE TRIED TO EXPLAIN THIS, DPS DOES ABOUT HALF TO LESS THAN HALF OF THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE WORK IN THE STATE. SO AT LEAST HALF OF THE WORK IS LIKE US IN MUNICIPALITIES OR COUNTY LEVEL FUNDED FACILITIES. HAVE WE LOOKED AT HOW MUCH A FISCAL NOTE WOULD BE FOR US YET? OR ARE WE PLANNING TO STILL LOOKING AT THAT, THAT, SO THERE, THERE'S PART OF A QUANDARY FOR US IS WE AREN'T STATE. SO FOR US TO PUT A FI IT'S REALLY THE CITY THAT WOULD BE THE FISCAL NOTE. MM-HMM . OKAY. UM, I MEAN IT WOULD BE, IT'D BE MILLIONS. MILLIONS. YEAH. IT'S, I FIGURE IT WOULD BE MILLIONS, BUT YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. ALRIGHT. IT'D BE MILLIONS. DR. STA GOT ONE MORE QUESTION FOR YOU. YES. WHEN YOU, SO I KNOW YOU GAVE THE EXAMPLE OF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GOT 20,000 PILLS, YOU'D HAVE TO TEST EVERY ONE OF THEM REALISTICALLY, TO THE DEGREE THAT'S POSSIBLE, WHAT WOULD THAT, HOW OFTEN WOULD WE GET 20,000 PILLS IN? OR HOW, HOW, GIVEN WHAT'S COMING IN NOW, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? SO, SO MORE REALISTICALLY, WHAT 1, 2, 2 THINGS HAPPEN IN THIS, AND PART OF THIS IS ALSO WHAT HAPPENS TO DPS. UM, MISDEMEANOR QUANTITIES, WE DON'T TEST MUCH. UM, IS MOST OF WHAT WE DEAL WITH ARE FELONY LEVEL QUANTITIES. UH, BUT WE DON'T DEAL MUCH WITH MISDEMEANORS. THIS BILL WOULD ALSO BACK US INTO HAVING TO TEST EVERY MISDEMEANOR. UM, SO RIGHT THERE, WHETHER IT'S 20,000 PILLS, YOU KNOW, THOSE AREN'T GONNA BE 20,000 PILLS, THOSE ARE GONNA BE THREE PILLS, BUT THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF MISDEMEANOR CASES THAT WE DON'T CURRENTLY TEST THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TEST. AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TEST ALL THREE PILLS IN THERE. UM, WITH THAT 20,000 PILLS, WHAT WE CURRENTLY DO IS WE TEST TO SENTENCING THRESHOLDS FOR THE HIGHEST PENALTY GROUP DRUG. UM, SO AS WE GO THROUGH THOSE 20,000 PILLS, THE FIRST PILL WE GRAB IN, THERE'S CAFFEINE. OKAY, SET THAT ONE ASIDE. NEXT ONE'S METH. OKAY. THAT STARTS TO ADD UP. NEXT ONE'S BENADRYL. OKAY. THAT'S NOTHING. NEXT ONE'S, UH, ALPRAZOLAM. OKAY. THERE'S ANOTHER NEXT ONE'S FENTANYL. OKAY. THAT'S GONNA BE THE HIGHEST PENALTY GROUP. SO NOW WHEN WE GET TO, YOU KNOW, FOUR OR FIVE PILLS AND, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE, I CAN'T KEEP ALL THE THRESHOLDS STRAIGHT, BUT IT'S ABOUT 400 GRAMS IS LIKE THE HIGHEST SENTENCING THRESHOLD FOR FENTANYL. IF I HIT THAT IN FIVE PILLS, I'M DONE. THERE'S WHERE I STOP. BECAUSE WHY, WHY WOULD WE USE RESOURCES TO GO PAST JUSTIFYING THE HIGHEST SENTENCING THRESHOLD FOR THE HIGHEST PENALTY DRUG THAT WE'RE GONNA FIND IN THERE? NOW THAT MAY BE, WE ONLY FOUND THOSE, THE FIVE PILLS THAT CONTAIN FENTANYL IN THAT 20,000. OR IT MAY BE THAT THERE'S ANOTHER 10,000 PILLS IN THERE THAT HAVE FENTANYL. UM, BUT THE WAY THE LANGUAGE IS WRITTEN IN THIS ME BILL, BECAUSE IT SAYS IF THERE IS A REASONABLE POSSIBILITY THAT THERE'S FENTANYL THERE, YOU HAVE TO TEST IT. ALL OF US ARE READING THAT, THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TEST EVERY ITEM IN A CASE AND EVERY CASE. HUGE DIFFERENCE. THAT PUT A LITTLE MORE PERSPECTIVE. YEAH. IN YOUR CONVERSATIONS, IS THERE, UM, MORE TAILORED LANGUAGE THAT DOES SEEM LIKE IT WOULD BE REASONABLE COMPARED TO SORT OF LANGUAGE THAT'S CURRENTLY BEING PRESENTED? OR IS IT THE ARGUMENT JUST THIS PARTICULAR PROVISION CANNOT MOVE FORWARD? UM, SO I MEAN, IDEALLY IT'S, IT'S BEEN TALKING WITH THE OFFICE. THEIR ORIGINAL MOTIVATION BEHIND THIS BILL IS SAFETY OF FIRST RESPONDERS. UM, 'CAUSE THEY'RE DEPENDENT ON D-P-S-D-P-S IS BADLY BACKLOGGED AND THEY'RE NOT GETTING A RESULT ON STUFF FOR SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR. UM, SO THEIR URGENT CONCERN IS HOW TO PROTECT THE SAFETY OF THEIR OFFICERS. AND WE'VE TRIED TO EXPLAIN THE LABORATORY RESULT ISN'T GONNA DO YOU MUCH GOOD 'CAUSE THAT'S COMING AFTER THE OFFICER IS GONNA HAVE INTERACTED WITH THIS. EVEN IF IT'S A QUICK TURNAROUND TIME. THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER THINGS THAT ARE GONNA PROTECT YOUR OFFICERS BETTER. UM, BUT IN THIS ENVIRONMENT NOW, WITH FENTANYL BEING SUCH A FOCUS, THIS HAS TAKEN AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ROUTE OF, THIS IS ABOUT TRYING TO MITIGATE FENTANYL AS A CRISIS, NOT PROTECTING FIRST RESPONDERS. SO NOW THE STRATEGY IS MORE TRYING TO, LIKE YOU SAY, TAILOR LANGUAGE TO AT LEAST ALLOW LABORATORIES GET EVERYBODY TO UNDERSTAND. WE, IT'S NOT LIKE WE DON'T TEST FOR FENTANYL. THE TESTING WE DO IS RELATIVELY NON-SPECIFIC. SO WE'RE GONNA DETECT FENTANYL IF IT'S PRESENT, ALLOW US TO DO THE TESTING ON THESE THINGS THE WAY WE ARE NORMALLY TESTING AND DON'T BACK US INTO SOMETHING WHERE WE HAVE TO TEST EVERY ITEM. SO IT'S MORE TALKING ABOUT LANGUAGE OF THE LABORATORY AS THEY WOULD NORMALLY DO SAMPLING PLANS OR AS THEY WOULD NORMALLY JUSTIFY WHATEVER TESTING THAT KIND OF LANGUAGE IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET IN AS A SUB. SO THAT DOVETAILS, UM, INTO PROBABLY ANOTHER AREA THAT I KNOW THAT, UM, WE'VE BEEN, BEEN DEALING WITH FOR QUITE A WHILE. BUT IN TERMS OF, [00:25:01] UH, THE CASES THAT ARE BROUGHT, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE CASES OBVIOUSLY PLEAD OUT ALL THE TIME. AND SO WHAT IS, HAS THE COMMUNICATION LINES CHANGED OR WILL THE COMMUNICATION LINES CHANGED TO INFORM THE LAB OF WORK THAT WILL NOT BE NECESSARY BECAUSE CASES HAVE PLED? I I, I THINK THE SHORT ANSWER TO THAT IS YES. NOW THE MORE NUANCED IS IT'S GONNA HAVE TO BECAUSE THEY BECOME EVEN MORE DEPENDENT ON US FOR THE RESULTS. NOW I WILL SAY, DA KIM OGG CAUGHT ME, UM, AFTER ONE OF THE HEARINGS, AND I CAN'T KEEP IT STRAIGHT, WHICH WEEK I THINK IT WAS. WHERE ARE WE AT? WAS I IN THERE THIS WEEK? I WAS THERE THIS WEEK. I THINK IT WAS THIS WEEK THAT SHE CAUGHT ME. UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE STRUGGLING WITH DISMISSED CASES AND ALL OF THE FALLOUT OF DISMISSED CASES, SHE ALSO IS CONCERNED ABOUT RESULTS IN MISDEMEANORS. I I THINK THERE IS A DRIVER ON THEIR PART FOR US TO BE PROVIDING RESULTS ON SMALLER QUANTITY CASES. UM, AGAIN, THAT'S GONNA DRIVE THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION. I I WILL SAY IT HAS BEEN PRETTY CONGENIAL WORKING WITH THEM ON TRYING TO DEAL WITH WHAT WORK WE NEED TO BE DOING. WHAT CASES HAVE BEEN DISMISSED? THAT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN WORKING PRETTY WELL. I HOPE THAT STAYS THE CASE. UM, 'CAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD, THIS WOULD BE DEVASTATING TO THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IF THIS COMES THROUGH. DO YOU KNOW IF THE COMMITTEE HAS VOTED YET? OH, 1 78 WAS VOTED FAVORABLY OUT OF ME. I'M SORRY, 1 78 WAS VOTED FAVORABLY OUT OF COMMITTEE. SO IT CAME OUT OF COMMITTEE. IT'S INVOLVED, YES, WITH THAT LANGUAGE THERE WAS, THERE WAS NO COMMITTEE SUB. SO YEAH, THAT'S KINDA MY LOOK TOO . ALL RIGHT. SO NEXT ONE. OH, WE GOT SLIDES THERE. NOW, UH, NEXT ONE HOUSE BILL 33 54. THIS ONE WAS FILED, UM, LATE LAST WEEK BY JOLANDA JONES, WHO'S REPRESENTATIVE HERE IN HOUSTON. UH, I POINT THIS ONE OUT BECAUSE THE LANGUAGE IN THIS ONE CREATES A MANDATE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT TO HAVE TO SUBMIT ANY DRUG MATERIAL THAT THEY SEIZE IN CONNECTION WITH THE CRIMINAL, UH, CRIMINAL, CRIMINAL INCIDENT TO THE LABORATORY FOR TESTING. SO THIS AGAIN, CREATES A MANDATE ON THE LABORATORY THAT WE HAVE TO TEST ANYTHING THAT LA THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT SUBMITS, AND THEY GOTTA SUBMIT EVERYTHING. I WOULD READ THIS ONE THAT I DON'T HAVE TO TEST EVERY SINGLE ITEM IN IT AT LEAST, BUT I AM GONNA HAVE TO TEST ALL OF THE MISDEMEANORS AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT SUBMITS. SO IT WOULD CREATE A MUCH LARGER DEMAND ON US. AND THE REAL BOOK IN THIS ONE IS THE LANGUAGE LATER ON SAYS THAT THE JUDGE SHALL DISMISS CHARGES IF THERE'S NOT A LABORATORY RESULT WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE POINT OF SEIZURE. NOBODY IN THE STATE CAN DO THAT, INCLUDING US RIGHT NOW. UM, NOW I THINK WHILE THIS ONE I I, I'M KEEPING AN EYE ON ALL OF THESE BECAUSE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT AND THE FOCUS ON FENTANYL, I CANNOT PREDICT WHAT'S GONNA MOVE FORWARD AND WHAT'S NOT. I DON'T THINK THERE'S, THERE'S NO, NOBODY'S CARRYING THIS ON THE SENATE SIDE. JOLANDA JONES IS A FRESHMAN MEMBER. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT STACK UP THAT I DON'T KNOW IF, AND THIS ONE'S NOT BEEN REFERRED TO COMMITTEE AT ALL YET. SO I'M NOT THINKING THIS IS A HIGHLY LIKELY BILL, BUT THIS STILL LURKS OUT THERE OF THE SAME KIND OF DEMANDS. SO THERE'S MULTIPLE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THIS INCREASED DEMAND IS FINDING ITS WAY INTO LANGUAGE FROM MULTIPLE DIFFERENT, I MEAN, BOTH PARTIES WIDE DIVERGENCE OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL REASONING BEHIND IT, BUT STILL PUTS US IN THE SAME PLACE, BUT IT GETS BETTER. UM, THERE ARE A HOST OF BILLS , UH, PROBABLY AT LEAST A DOZEN, BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE SIDE THAT ARE SEEKING TO INCREASE THE CHARGE AND THE PENALTY FOR FENTANYL AND A FENTANYL OVERDOSE. SO BASICALLY THE LOGIC IS IF SOMEONE IS HARMED OR KILLED BY A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE THAT THEY TAKE, THEY'RE WANTING THAT TO BE SOMEWHERE FROM A FELONY TWO TO A FELONY ONE. AND I EXPECT OUT OF TODAY, THERE WILL BE AT LEAST FOUR OR FIVE BILLS THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT WILL SEEK TO MAKE THAT A HOMICIDE. UM, SO WHILE AS A LABORATORY THAT'S REALLY KINDA OUTSIDE OF OUR PURVIEW OF [00:30:01] WHATEVER THEY WANNA CHARGE IT AS, BUT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS, WHAT THAT'S GONNA MEAN IS THE PROSECUTOR IS NOW TRYING TO BUILD A CASE TO CHARGE AS A HOMICIDE, SOMEONE WHO DIED OF A FENTANYL OVERDOSE. THAT MEANS THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A WHOLE LOT LARGER EXPECTATION OF WHAT WE'RE TESTING OF EVIDENCE IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THAT LEVEL OF CHARGE. I REALLY FEEL SORRY FOR THE POSTMORTEM FOLKS, AND I'M REALLY GLAD THAT WE'RE NOT DOING POSTMORTEM STUFF BECAUSE IT'S GONNA MAKE IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT ON THEM. SO, UM, OUT OF THESE BILLS, LET'S SEE, WHAT DO WE GOT? UH, YEAH, TESTING MORE ITEMS, MORE TESTIMONY SUPPORT, MORE DOCUMENTATION. I MEAN, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE GONNA GO UP OUT OF THESE BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED SERIOUSNESS OF THE CHARGE. UM, LET'S SEE. DID I HAVE THAT IN THERE? OKAY, I DON'T. SO ACTUALLY BACK UP ON THAT ONE. SO, UM, SENATE BILL, OH, THESE NUMBERS 6 45, I'M PRETTY SURE IT'S, IT'S, UM, JOAN HUFFMAN IS THE SPONSOR, AND THIS WAS ONE THAT I WAS IN A HEARING IN EARLIER THIS WEEK. UM, THAT ONE IS ONE THAT SEEKS TO INCREASE THESE TO A FELONY, BUT THERE WAS A SUB LANGUAGE IN THERE THAT SAID IF A TOXICOLOGY EXAM DETECTS FENTANYL IN THE BODY OF THE DECEDENT, THE MEDICAL CERTIFICATION ON THE DEATH CERTIFICATE SHALL INCLUDE THE WORDS FENTANYL POISONING . THAT WAS WHEN, WHEN, WHEN I HEARD THAT ONE SITTING THERE. AND THE, I WASN'T PLANNING ON TESTIFYING ON THAT ONE WHEN I HEARD THAT I PUT IN A CARD TO TESTIFY. UM, BECAUSE THAT CREATES A HUGE ISSUE ON THE POSTMORTEM SIDE. I MEAN, THIS, THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE THAT AFFECTS US, BUT IT MOST, MOST CERTAINLY WOULD AFFECT THE COUNTY'S LABORATORY AND AFFECT THE MEDICAL EXAMINERS. UM, WE DID GET AROUND AND GET SOME SUBSTITUTE LANGUAGE TO THEM THAT I THINK MAKES IT AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT BETTER. UH, AND THEY SEEM WILLING TO CONSIDER THIS. BUT WHAT I WOULD SAY KIND OF GENERALLY SPEAKING IS DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE, AND I DON'T THINK I CAN OVERSTATE THE DESIRE OF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE LEADERSHIP TO SEE SOMETHING HAPPEN ABOUT FENTANYL. THERE IS GOING TO BE STUFF THAT COMES OUTTA THIS SESSION THAT IS GOING TO INCREASE THE DEMANDS ON US ABOUT FENTANYL. UM, SO YEAH, THERE'S ALSO A WHOLE BUNCH OF BILLS RELATED TO CANNABIS, AND I AM NOT SURE I CAN PREDICT HERE WHAT'S GONNA GO FORWARD AND WHAT'S NOT. BUT SENATOR PERRY AND REPRESENTATIVE CLICK PROBABLY HAVE THE LEADING BILLS AROUND THIS THAT ARE TRYING TO CLEAN UP SOME OF THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AROUND HEMP, WHILE STILL MAINTAINING A FRAMEWORK THAT REGULATES AND ATTEMPTS TO BAN WHAT ARE BECOMING CALLED INTOXICATING HEMP PRODUCTS. WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT DELTA EIGHT. THERE ARE ABOUT A DOZEN THINGS LIKE DELTA EIGHT, UH, THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE NOT AVAILABLE. I DON'T SEE HOW THIS DOESN'T MAKE MARIJUANA TESTING MORE DIFFICULT FOR US IN SOME FASHION. NOW WHAT I WILL ALSO SAY IS, UM, WE PUT TOGETHER A ONE PAGER THAT I GAVE TO SENATOR PERRY'S OFFICE AND TO OTHERS TRYING TO DESCRIBE THE COSTS THAT WE EXPECT TO SEE THIS IMPACT ACROSS THE STATE. WHAT WE PUT IN WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS ABOUT $40 MILLION WORTH FOR THE BIANNUAL BUDGET. UH, MY UNDERSTANDING IS SENATOR PERRY HAS PUT A BUDGET WRITER IN FOR $30 MILLION ACROSS THE BIANNUAL BUDGET FOR RESOURCES FOR LABORATORIES. I WILL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE THE CHECK AND THE CHECK CLEARS, BUT THERE'S AT LEAST A LITTLE MOVEMENT THERE. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT CANNABIS STUFF? WHAT, WHAT DOES DELTA MEAN? OH, DELTA EIGHT PHYTO MARIJUANA. CANNABIS SATIVA HAS ABOUT 109 DIFFERENT PHYTO CANNABINOIDS. SO THESE ARE ALL THE VARIOUS COMPOUNDS IN THERE LIKE TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL, T-H-C-T-H-C HAS SOME DIFFERENT FLAVORS TO IT, DEPENDING ON WHERE THE DOUBLE BOND DOUBLE BONDS ARE IN THE MOLECULE. THE MOST PREVALENT PSYCHOACTIVE ONE IS DELTA NINE TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL. AND THAT'S WHAT ALL THE REGULATION IS AROUND DELTA EIGHT MOVES THE DOUBLE BOND OVER A SPOT, AND THAT IS, HAS FALLEN IN A REAL GRAY ZONE AROUND THE COUNTRY OF WHETHER OR NOT IT'S LEGAL. AND WHAT WE SEE THE, BASICALLY WITHIN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY, THE BOTTOM FELL OUT OF THE CBD MARKET CANNABIDIOL, WHICH IS, I MEAN, YOU SEE THAT THOSE SIGNS ALL OVER THE PLACE. I CAN TAKE CBD AND I CAN MAKE DELTA EIGHT OUT OF IT. SO WHAT'S HAPPENING IS WE SEE MARKETING, PARTICULARLY HERE IN TEXAS OF HEMP [00:35:01] DERIVED THC, THAT IS DELIBERATELY TARGETING THIS LEGAL GRAY SPOT OF, IF I'VE GOT CBD THAT I PRODUCED FROM LEGALLY AVAILABLE HEMP. AND BECAUSE THE LANGUAGE IS CANNABIS SATIVA L ALL PARTS, ALL PLANT PARTS GROWING OR NOT ISOMERS SALTS, DERIVATIVES, SALTS OF ISOMERS, ALL OF THESE VARIOUS THINGS, DELTA EIGHT THAT I MAKE FROM THAT CBD IS LEGAL, ISN'T IT? SO IS DELTA 10, DELTA SIX, DELTA SIX A, DELTA 10 A-H-H-C-T-H C-P-T-H-C-O-T-H-C-M-T-H-C-V-T-H-C-L , I THINK YOU MISSED A LETTER. YEAH. IT IS WILDLY COMPLICATED CHEMISTRY. THESE THINGS CAN SHIFT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN EACH OTHER. UM, I COULD SPEND THE REST OF THE DAY RANTING ABOUT THIS ONE, BUT IT MAKES TESTING OF THESE THINGS VASTLY MORE COMPLICATED. AND, AND YES, I I, I HAVE A LOT OF FUN RIBBING OUR LEGISLATORS ABOUT THIS STUFF, BUT IT IS HORRIBLY DIFFICULT TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO REGULATE THIS STUFF AS WELL. BUT THAT'S WHAT IS COMING DOWN THE PIPE. BUT WAIT, IT GETS BETTER. ROLLING. SENATE BILL 4 0 2 IS, UH, SENATOR WHITMEYER IS CARRYING THIS ONE. I FORGET THERE IS A HOUSE SIDE VERSION OF THIS. UH, THIS ONE AGAIN REALLY SITS OUTSIDE OF THE PURVIEW OF THE CRIME LABORATORIES. BUT WHAT THE THRUST OF THE BILL IS, IS TRYING TO PRIORITIZE THE PROSECUTION AND THE HEARING OF HOMICIDE CASES BECAUSE I MEAN, WE'VE GOT 600 SOMETHING, I THINK IT'S SOME ASTRONOMICAL NUMBER OF CAPITAL MURDER CASES SITTING ON THE SHELF. THE GATING TO BE TRIED HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY. I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A HORRIBLE TRAVESTY ALL THE WAY AROUND. THERE IS NO GOOD ANSWER, BUT THIS BILL SEEKS PRIORITIZING THOSE HOMICIDES. THE DIFFICULTY FOR US IS THE LABORATORY IS, PLEASE TELL ME WHICH HOMICIDE GOES FIRST. AND I ALSO HAVE STATE MANDATED REQUIREMENTS TO PRIORITIZE THE TESTING OF SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS. AND, UH, MAY WELL COME OUTTA THIS SESSION WITH STATE MANDATED REQUIREMENTS TO PRIORITIZE THE TESTING OF FENTANYL. AND IF FENTANYL'S A HOMICIDE, DOES THAT MEAN A HOMICIDE OVERDOSE OF FENTANYL THAT DIDN'T HAVE A SEXUAL ASSAULT COMES FIRST OR SECOND? I'M NOT SURE. PLEASE TELL ME. THAT'S THE PROBLEM WE FACE OUT OF THIS STUFF. THERE ARE A HOST OF OTHER BILLS THAT HAVE A RANGE OF IMPACTS POTENTIALLY TO US. THERE ARE SEVERAL DOZEN BILLS NOW THAT SEEK TO CARVE OUT FENTANYL TEST STRIPS BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY ARE RECOGNIZED AS PARAPHERNALIA AND ILLEGAL FOR SOMEBODY TO HAVE HOLD OF THEM. UM, I SUSPECT IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT THERE'S GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT COMES OUTTA THIS THAT MAKES THOSE NOT PARAPHERNALIA. SO A USER COULD HAVE ACCESS TO ONE OF THESE TO HELP TEST. IS THE PILL THAT THEY'RE GONNA STUFF IN THEIR MOUTH HAVE FENTANYL IN IT OR NOT? WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE CERTAINTY, UM, THERE'S, UH, MS T, UH, NIA THOMPSON THOMAS HAS, UH, HOUSE BILL TWO 70. THAT CHANGES A LITTLE BIT OF THE STANDING FOR POST-CONVICTION. DNA TESTING, UM, HOUSE BILL 1739, WHICH IS REPRESENTATIVE LEACH AND SENATE BILL 4 0 9, WHICH IS SENATOR OSA. UH, LOOKS TO ADD A FEW, UM, OFFENSES TO WHAT KIND OF EVIDENCE IS TRACKED. AND I'VE, I'VE TALKED WITH ALL OF THESE OFFICES, THEY'VE BEEN VERY OPEN TO SOME SUGGESTED CHANGES IN THE LANGUAGE THAT MAYBE UNTANGLE A FEW THINGS, UH, AND ALSO KEEPING AN EYE. UM, SENATOR ZINI HAS A BILL LOOKING TO REGULATE THE SALE OF KRA. KRA IS A PLANT PRODUCT THAT HAS SOME OPIOID, LIKE, UH, PROPERTIES TO IT AND IS OFTEN MARKETED AS A NATURAL TREATMENT FOR OPIOID WITHDRAWAL AND OPIOID ADDICTION. UH, EVERYTHING IN THAT IS CIVIL, BUT WHAT I'M TRYING TO ENSURE THAT THOSE CIVIL CHARGES IN THE CIVIL TESTING DOESN'T FIND ITS WAY TO THE CRIME LABORATORY. 'CAUSE I DON'T REALLY WANT TO HAVE TO STAND UP YET. ANOTHER QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT IN CRED. I'M SORRY, A LITTLE LOUDER. I DON'T KNOW. IT'S THE, I'M I'M ABOUT AS CLOSE TO THE MICROPHONE AND IT DOES SOUND LIKE IT'S ANOTHER MIC. YEP. LET'S TRY ANOTHER MIC. UH, THERE WE GO. THERE WE GO. THAT'S APPARENTLY I WORE OUT ONE MIC. JUST ME. NOPE, I WORE OUT A MIC. SO I GUESS I'LL WORK ON WEARING OUT ANOTHER MIC HERE. SO ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT SAYS, SHUT UP. STOUT . ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON LEGISLATIVE STUFF? [00:40:01] I'VE GOT A LIST I DO BECAUSE I THINK I MISSED WHAT YOU WERE. OKAY. ON THE WHITMEYER ONE, WHERE DOES THAT STAND? UH, IT WAS VOTED FAVORABLY OUT OF, UH, COMMITTEE. LET'S SEE, TODAY'S FRIDAY ON WEDNESDAY, SO IT'S ON ITS WAY TO THE HOUSE. UH, THE HOUSE SIDE BILL, I'M NOT SURE THAT ONE HAS BEEN HEARD IN COMMITTEE YET. UH, AND I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT ONE. IT'S BEEN REFERRED TO COMMITTEE, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S BEEN HEARD. AND I KNOW WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE COMMENT ABOUT IT PRIORITIZING, BUT IN GENERAL, ARE YOU OKAY WITH THE CONCEPT? OH, UH, IN GENERAL I'M OKAY WITH CONCEPT. UH, UH, IT'S JUST WITH THE WORKLOAD, IT'S, IT IS THE, THE DIFFICULT, AND I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY FUNDAMENTAL OR PHILOSOPHICAL OBJECTION TO WHAT THE DESIRE IS TO TRY AND DO ABOUT FENTANYL. I MEAN, THIS IS HORRIBLE FOR EVERYBODY. DID YOU SPEAK TO, HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO SENATOR WHITMEYER? YES, I HAVE. UM, YEAH, HE AND I, WE'VE, WE'VE HAD HE UNDERSTANDS YOUR CONCERN. YEAH. GOOD. YEAH. YEAH. I'VE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH HIM AND WITH HIS STAFF ON THESE THINGS. SO WE'RE, WE'RE IN FAIRLY REGULAR COMMUNICATION ABOUT A VARIETY OF THINGS. YEAH, HE'S, HE'S, HE'S GETTING, HE'S, HE'S GETTING REALLY USED TO ME SITTING IN HIS COMMITTEE THESE DAYS. . ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER LEGISLATIVE QUESTIONS? I, I FIGURED THERE WAS GONNA BE QUITE A FEW QUESTIONS ON THIS, AND IT'S THIS NEXT WEEK. I DON'T THINK I'LL BE IN AUSTIN, BUT I EXPECT I WILL PROBABLY BE IN AUSTIN ALMOST WEEKLY HERE FOR QUITE A WHILE WITH HEARINGS, SINCE THOSE REALLY START PICKING UP NOW. ALL RIGHT, SO NEXT PART, BUDGET. THIS IS, THIS IS THE BIG THING THAT WE GOTTA DO TODAY. SO I'M, I'M GONNA SET UP JUST THE STRATEGIC PART OF IT. DAVID WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THE, THE DETAILED NUMBERS IN IT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO COVER SOME OF THE, THE STRATEGIC COMPONENT, BECAUSE WE'VE RECEIVED BETWEEN LAST YEAR AND WHAT'S GOING INTO NEXT YEAR, WE'VE RECEIVED NOW $5 MILLION IN ARPA MONEY FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON. MARVELOUS, APPRECIATE THIS IMMENSELY. I I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH OF WHAT THE CITY'S DOING TO WORK WITH US ON THIS. THIS IS TERRIFIC. BUT OUR BUDGET FOR NEXT FY INCLUDES AN INCREASE OF ANOTHER $3 MILLION. SO I THINK IT IS A VERY REASONABLE AND LEGITIMATE QUESTION OF WE ALREADY GIVE YOU $5 MILLION. WHAT MORE COULD WE GIVE YOU AND WHY? THIS IS WHAT WE'VE GOT IN THE BUDGET. THE BIGGEST THINGS OF IT ARE PEOPLE AND EXPENSES THAT WE CAN'T INCLUDE AN ARPA. SO WE'VE GOT, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE COMPONENTS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS MOST RECENT CHUNK OF ARPA MONEY ARE FOR SHORT TERM TEMPORARY GRANT FUNDED EMPLOYEES TO WORK ON DOCUMENTATION ISSUES. THAT IS PERSONNEL I CAN HIRE ON ARPA. THAT WORKS GREAT. WHAT I CAN'T HIRE ON ARPA THAT WE DESPERATELY NEED ARE THOSE EXPERIENCED ANALYSTS AND EXAMINERS THAT TAKE YEARS TO TRAIN AND WE EXPECT TO HAVE WORK WITH US FOR YEARS. THAT'S JUST NOT A FIT FOR ARPA. THE OTHER ASPECTS ARE WHEN WE HAVE RULES ON EITHER THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SIDE OR ON THE ARPA SIDE, THAT PREVENT US FROM BEING ABLE TO PUT A, A CAPITAL EXPENSE ON THERE. SO THE, THE, THE BIGGEST ONE IN THERE IS OUTSOURCING OF DNA. WE DO THAT REGULARLY AND WE EXPECT TO HAVE, AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF STARTING TO FILE THE, THE PROPOSALS FOR IT, THE CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT, BACKLOG REDUCTION, SEBER GRANTS. YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY THAT ONE TIME AND TIME AGAIN. THAT'S DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE THOSE GRANTS, IF WE ARE SEEKING OTHER FEDERAL FUNDING THAT MIGHT GO TO THOSE SAME COSTS AND WE OUTSOURCE DNAA LOT UNDER SIEBER, WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO DOJ AND ASK THEM WHAT CAN WE DO THIS? AND WHEN WE'VE ASKED THEM ABOUT THAT, THEY HAVE SAID, NO, YOU CAN'T USE ARPA DOLLARS BECAUSE THAT CONFLICTS WITH THE DOJ FUNDING. SO WE CAN'T PUT DNA OUTSOURCING ON ARPA BECAUSE WE HAVE IT ON SIBER. OTHER THINGS IN THERE ARE CAPITAL EXPENSES THAT ARE COMING BECAUSE OF OTHER DRIVERS LIKE SEIZE DRUGS AND ALL OF THOSE LEGISLATIVE THINGS. THAT'S NOT COVID THAT'S DRIVING THE NEED FOR THE EQUIPMENT. SO AGAIN, I CAN'T PUT THAT EQUIPMENT ON ARPA BECAUSE THERE'S NO CLEAR LINE FOR THAT TO COVID. IT'S BEING DRIVEN BY OTHER THINGS. SO THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE CAN'T PUT ON ARPA. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE IN OUR BUDGET. ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? 'CAUSE I THINK THAT'S, IT'S, IT'S A VERY LEGITIMATE QUESTION. I, I FULLY ANTICIPATE AND WOULD EXPECT THE CITY TO ASK POINTED QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. THEY SHOULD. I MEAN, THEY'VE GIVEN US A LOT OF MONEY, BUT THAT'S WHY WE'VE GOT STUFF THAT WE NEED TO INCREASE IN THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE CAN'T PUT THIS STUFF ON ARPA AND WE STILL DESPERATELY NEED IT. ALRIGHT, SO WHAT'S IN THAT? AND [00:45:01] LIKE I SAY, DAVID WILL COVER THE, THE, THE NUMBERS MORE SPECIFICALLY, BUT DNA OUTSOURCING AND, AND WE'VE PUT THIS IN A RANK ORDER BECAUSE IF WE TALK ABOUT THIS AND WE NEED TO FIND WAYS TO GIVE ON IT, EVERYTHING ON THIS IS, IN MY OPINION, AND I THINK I CAN MAKE A CREDIBLE ARGUMENT FOR IT IS ESSENTIAL TO US. BUT I GET EVERYBODY'S PINCHES AND STRAINS. SO IF WE'VE GOTTA GIVE ON SOMETHING, WE'RE GIVING ON ESSENTIAL. BUT THERE'S ESSENTIAL OF THE ESSENTIAL OF THE ESSENTIAL DNA OUTSOURCING IS AT THE TOP OF THAT LIST. BECAUSE WE RUN OUT OF FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN MAY. WE WON'T HAVE ADDITIONAL FEDERAL DOLLARS UNTIL OCTOBER IF WE ARE LUCKY. SO IN MAY WITHOUT ADDITIONAL MONEY, WE ARE GOING TO GRIND TO A HALT IN OUR ABILITY TO OUTSOURCE DNA. NOW THAT'S BECAUSE THE OUTSOURCE LABS HAVE BECOME MORE EXPENSIVE, LIKE KIND OF A LOT. UH, OH, I WEAR THIS MICROPHONE OUT TOO. OR IS IT SO WORKING. OKAY, LET'S KEEP MOVING MICROPHONES OVER HERE. AND WE ARE ALSO, BECAUSE OF THE ISSUES WITH THE COLOGNE CASE AND THE ISSUES THAT HAVE COME FROM THE MAVENS, WE ARE OUTSOURCING MORE THAN JUST SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS. WHERE'S O OTHER EVIDENCE IS ALSO GOING. SO WE ARE SENDING MORE TYPES OF EVIDENCE TO THE OUTSOURCE LABS AS WELL. SO BETWEEN THOSE TWO THINGS, WE ARE BURNING THROUGH THE FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE FASTER THAN WE ANTICIPATED. WE WILL RUN OUTTA THAT MONEY IN MAY. SO THE MONEY THAT WE'VE GOT IN NEXT FYI'S BUDGET HELPS BRIDGE US UNTIL WE HOPE THAT FEDERAL MONEY IS AGAIN AVAILABLE. SO THAT'S NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO IS FIREARMS EXAMINERS. WE HAVE A BACKLOG OF ABOUT 200 FIREARMS EXAM CASES. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE IS A HOMICIDE WITH A GUN. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE IS A HIGH PROFILE KIND OF CASE. AND WE SIMPLY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FIREARMS EXAMINERS. WE ALSO DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FIREARMS. 'CAUSE THAT'S FIREARMS EXAMINERS. AND IT'S ALSO COMPARISON, CLASSICAL COMPARISON SCOPE TO SUPPORT MORE EXAMINERS. AND IT ALSO INCLUDES LEASE COSTS FOR, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THESE 3D SCOPES PREVIOUSLY. THOSE ARE THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO MOVE TO. I WAS AT A MEETING LAST WEEK OVER AT A TF FOR THE, UM, CRIME GUN TASK FORCE AND THE COUNTY'S LAB. WE, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS OF THE COMING STORM THAT WE ALL SEE FOR FIREARMS EVIDENCE IN COURT AND AROUND THE COUNTRY. FIREARMS EVIDENCE HAS SEVERAL EXAMPLE CASES WHERE FIREARMS EXAMINATION EVIDENCE HAS BEEN EXCLUDED FROM COURT BECAUSE OF CRITICISMS OF ITS SCIENTIFIC VALIDITY. THE COUNTY'S LABORATORY WAS TELLING ME THEY HAVE HAD FOUR DAUBERT HEARINGS IN THE LAST ABOUT SIX MONTHS RELATIVE TO FORENSIC EVIDENCE. SO THIS CHALLENGE IS COMING, THEY'RE ALREADY SEEING IT. WE HAVEN'T SEEN ONE YET. BUT THE CHALLENGE TO FORENSIC EVIDENCE AS IT IS CLASSICALLY DONE, IS COMING. AND IT WILL TAKE US YEARS TO GET THOSE 3D SCOPES IN PLACE AND OPERATIONAL. I AM HOPING WE CAN GET IT THERE BEFORE FIREARMS EXAMS ARE EXCLUDED AS EVIDENCE HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY. BUT PART OF OUR PROBLEM, WE CAN BUY THE GIZMO, BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE THE PEOPLE AVAILABLE TO BE ABLE TO VALIDATE, IMPLEMENT, AND USE THE GIZMO. SO THAT'S WHY ANALYSTS AND EQUIPMENT AND FIREARMS IS NUMBER TWO. NUMBER THREE IS CSIS. UM, GUESS GUESSING. I PROBABLY DON'T NEED TO BANG ON THIS DRUM ANY LONGER 'CAUSE I'VE ONLY BEEN BANGING ON THIS DRUM FOR YEARS NOW. BUT I WOULD POINT OUT, I HOPE THIS TELLS YOU SOMETHING, JUST HOW WORRIED I AM ABOUT SOME OF THESE THINGS. THAT CSIS ARE NUMBER THREE IN THE LIST AND YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF A PRIORITY I PUT ON CSIS. NUMBER FOUR IN THE LIST IS SEIZE DRUGS EQUIPMENT. AGAIN, IT'S EQUIPMENT I CAN'T PUT ON ARPA BECAUSE ALL THE DRIVERS ARE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES AND NOT COVID. NOW WE MAY BE ABLE TO GET SOME EQUIPMENT ON COVERDALE FUNDING, WHICH IS WHAT DROVE THE CHANGE TO OUR FORMATION DOCUMENTS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T QUALIFY FOR COVERDALE, BUT I CAN'T COUNT ON THAT AND WE DESPERATELY NEED THE EQUIPMENT. SO THAT'S WHY THAT'S IN THERE. NUMBER FOUR IS TOXICOLOGY PEOPLE AND EQUIPMENT. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TOXICOLOGY NOW AGAIN FOR YEARS. UM, NOTHING'S REALLY CHANGED ABOUT THAT. AND IN FACT, IT'S GONNA GET WORSE WITH THIS SESSION BECAUSE FENTANYL AND HEMP FIRST EFFECTS SEES DRUGS. BUT QUICK AFTER THAT'S GONNA BE TOXICOLOGY. AND AGAIN, I HOPE IT SAYS SOMETHING TO YOU ABOUT HOW WORRIED I'M ABOUT THESE [00:50:01] THINGS. THAT A QUALITY ANALYST IS THE LAST ON OUR LIST FOR THE IMPORTANCE AND FOCUS THAT WE PUT ON QUALITY. BUT ALL OF THE CHANGING REQUIREMENTS, INCREASING DEMANDS ON ACCREDITATION AND INCREASING DEMANDS IN DOCUMENTATION, WE NEED TO KNOW, WE NEED TO KNOW THE QUALITY ANALYST. SO THAT'S THE STRATEGY BEHIND THE LIST AND THE $3 MILLION IN THE BUDGET. UM, I, I APPRECIATE THE DIFFICULTIES THAT THE CITY FACES. I I DON'T, I DO NOT ANY ENVY ANYBODY IN FINANCE OR THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TRYING TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS, BUT WE DESPERATELY NEED THAT 3 MILLION. ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER ABOUT THAT? I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE BACKLOG. YES, MA'AM. TV IS REPORTING THAT THERE ARE 400 ACT LOG CASES, UH, PREVENTING THEM FROM MOVING. THIS IS A PART OF THAT JAIL, JAIL, UH, PROBLEM THAT THEY HAVE. YEP. SO THEY LISTED AS ONE OF THE, THEIR ITEMS. IS THAT, HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO THAT? OH YEAH. OH YEAH. I IS THAT PART OF THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE IN HERE ABOUT THE BACKLOG? YES. YEAH. I MEAN, IT, IT, WE ARE NOT SOLE CAUSE EXPEDITE THAT YEAH, WE, WE ARE NOT THE SOLE CAUSE OF WHY PEOPLE ARE SITTING IN JAIL WAITING TRIALS, BUT WE ARE ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTORS TO IT. OKAY. YEAH, I MEAN THIS, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A BIG PROBLEM. A PRETTY, IT'S A PRETTY GRIM PROBLEM AROUND HERE. AND THIS, THIS CUTS ACROSS EVERYBODY. MM-HMM . ALL RIGHT. NOW THAT I'VE BEEN MY TYPICAL DEBBIE DOWNER FOR, UH, YET ANOTHER MEETING, , I APPRECIATE IT. Y'ALL, Y'ALL, Y'ALL KNOW WHERE I'M AT IF YOU GOT ANY QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT. ARE YOU'RE DONE? OH YEAH. . JUST MAKING SURE. . ALRIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR DR. ST? OKAY. WITHIN, WE ARE GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS NUMBER EIGHT, WHICH IS OUR PRESENTATION FROM MR. DAVID LEACH, WHO IS OUR TREASURER AND CFO REGARDING THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2024 BUDGET. AND WE'VE GOT, LET'S SEE, I THINK WE HAVE JUST ONE THING IN HERE WITH YOU. YES. OKAY, MR. LEACH. ALRIGHT, LET'S TALK ABOUT MONEY. OKAY. SO, UH, BEFORE WE DO THIS, I, I SENT OUT A LINK FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO VIEW, UH, AS IN PAST YEARS, THE POWERPOINT WITH A VOICEOVER ON IT. AND I DON'T THINK IT WORKED THIS YEAR WITH SOME PEOPLE, SO I I CAN, YOU JUST DID IT. WHO DID IT NOT WORK FOR? I KNOW THAT THERE'S, WHO I NEVER GOT IT TO GO THROUGH TO YOUR EMAIL FOR SOME REASON. I JUST, OKAY. SO IT WORKED WITH SOME, IT DIDN'T. I'LL, I'LL FIGURE. WELL, I WON'T FIGURE IT OUT. IT WILL FIGURE IT OUT FOR ME. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO LET, LET'S GO THROUGH THIS. SO THIS YEAR'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. DR. STOUT ALREADY SPOKE TO IT A LITTLE BIT FROM A STANDPOINT THAT WE HAVE ARFA MONEY, RIGHT? THAT, THAT'S UNIQUE TO OUR BUDGET. IT, IT'S KIND, I KIND OF CLASSIFY IT LIKE A GRANT. IT IS A SPECIFIC GRANT. WE SPEND THE MONEY UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES AND THEN THE MONEY IS REFUNDED INSTEAD OF FROM THE FEDERAL GOV. WELL, I GUESS INDIRECTLY IT'S COMING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. UM, WE GET IT BACK FROM THE CITY. SO THERE IS $3 MILLION IN THE FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET OF ARPA MONEY. AND THEN THERE'S, WE'LL JUST CALL IT ANOTHER 2 MILLION. IT'S 1,000,950 IN FISCAL YEAR 24 THAT'S ALREADY BEEN APPROVED. OKAY? SO THAT, THAT'S JUST DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST WHEN YOU'RE VOTING ON NUMBERS, THOSE, THOSE NUMBERS ARE THERE THAT, THAT'S, UH, DIFFERENT THAN PRIOR YEARS. SO WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH WHERE WE SPEND THE MONEY. NOTHING HAS REALLY CHANGED, RIGHT? WE'RE VERY CONSISTENT IN HOW WE SPEND THE MONEY. UM, I WILL, I WILL USE WATERFALL CHARTS. IT'S THE BEST THING THAT I'VE SEEN TO BE ABLE TO DEPICT HOW DO I GET FROM WHERE I AM TO WHERE I'M ASKING YOU TO APPROVE. IT SHOWS THE CHANGES, THE FISCAL YEAR 23 FORECAST BEING THE BASELINE. NOW THE FISCAL YEAR 23 FORECAST IS NOT THE BUDGET. THE FORECAST IS WHERE I THINK WILL ACTUALLY FINISH THE YEAR. AND THAT, THAT BECOMES IMPORTANT, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S, THERE'S A CASH BALANCE REMAINING, ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF EMPLOYEE TURNOVER RATES BEING HIGHER THAN WHAT WERE BUDGETED. SO THAT IMPACTS THINGS A LITTLE BIT. UM, AND THEN I'LL ASK YOU TO APPROVE THE BUDGET, WHICH DR. STOUT ALREADY SPOKE TO IS A $3 MILLION INCREASE IN OUR ASK FROM THE CITY, RIGHT? EXCLUSIVE OF THE ARPA IS A $3 MILLION INCREASE OVER WHAT THEY APPROVED FOR THIS YEAR. THAT, THAT'S WHAT I'LL ASK YOU TO APPROVE. SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING. OKAY. ALRIGHT, LET'S GET INTO IT A LITTLE BIT. LET'S LOOK AT, UH, THE PIE CHARTS [00:55:01] ON THE LEFT. YOU SEE THIS YEAR'S FORECAST AND, AND HOW WE BREAK UP THE SPENDING. THE PEOPLE COST USED TO BE RUNNING AROUND 70%. IT'S STILL THAT AND SERVICES, WHICH IS WHERE OUR OUTSOURCING AND SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, LARGER EXPENSES RESIDE ARE, YOU KNOW, UH, MORE THAN THREE QUARTERS OF OUR SPEND. UH, BUT PEOPLE COST HAS GONE DOWN A LITTLE BIT THIS YEAR AS FAR OF A PERCENTAGE BECAUSE WE RECEIVED THE ARPA FUNDS. YOU KNOW, YOU GET $3 MILLION OF ARPA FUNDS THAT, THAT TAKES UP A BIGGER PERCENTAGE. SO THAT'S SHOWN IN THE GRANT LINE ITEM OF 5%. HISTORICALLY, WE BUDGET AND WE GET AROUND 1.6 FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THAT'S PRETTY CONSISTENT. SO YOU SLAP ANOTHER 3 MILLION THIS YEAR ONTO THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THEIR PIECE OF THE PIE GOES UP NEXT YEAR. YOU GET 2 MILLION ON TOP OF THE ONE SIX. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, EVERYTHING'S VERY CONSISTENT WITH WHAT HAS BEEN OVER THE YEARS. ANY QUESTIONS ON THE BIG PICTURE? OKAY. UH, THE NEXT SLIDE. NOW, UH, CASH IS KING, RIGHT? WE ARE DESIGNED TO RUN OUT OF MONEY AT THE END OF THE YEAR. WE RECEIVE A BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR, AND THEN WE SPEND THAT MONEY, UH, IN A, IN A PERFECT WORLD OR AN IDEAL WORLD, ON JUNE 30TH, I'D WRITE A CHECK FOR TO BRING THE BANK BALANCE TO ZERO. AND THEN ON JULY 1ST, EARLY IN THE MORNING, THE CITY WOULD TRANSFER OUR BUDGET TO US. BUT THAT'S NOT REALLY THE WAY THAT IT WORKS. BUT WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO WORK DOWN TO ZERO. WHAT YOU WILL APPROVE THIS YEAR, HOPEFULLY IS SPENDING THAT WILL GET US TO A CASH BALANCE. I DON'T GO TO ZERO BECAUSE I, I JUST CAN'T STOMACH THAT PRESSURE. UM, A, A CUSHION BECAUSE WE HAVE TO MAKE PAYROLL IN JULY BEFORE WE GET THE MONEY. BUT, UH, A FIVE TO $800,000 CASH BALANCE, THAT, THAT'S WHERE THIS WILL TAKE US IF EVERYTHING WORKS AS PLANNED. OKAY? SO WHAT YOU SEE HISTORICALLY IS ALL THE WAY BACK TO FISCAL YEAR 16. CASH BALANCE IS GOING DOWN, GOING DOWN, TRYING TO GET CLOSER TO ZERO IN 20 AND, UH, 21, IT GOES UP A LITTLE BIT. WE RECEIVED AN INCREASE IN OUR BUDGET THOSE YEARS FOR PEOPLE. YOU RECEIVE A FULL YEAR OF PEOPLE COST, BUT YOU DON'T HIRE 'EM ALL ON DAY ONE. SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A TIME LAG IN THE BALANCE. IT GOES BACK IN 22 THIS YEAR. UM, OUR, UH, EMPLOYEE TURNOVER HAS BEEN ABOUT SEVEN AND A HALF PERCENT. THAT'S SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN WHAT WE EXPECT, UM, OR PLAN. AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, EVERY TIME SOMEBODY ISN'T THERE TO GET A PAYCHECK, YOU HAVE BUDGETED FUNDS THAT YOU DIDN'T SPEND ON THAT PERSON. THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING, RIGHT? YOU NEED THE PEOPLE TO DO THE WORK. BUT WHEN I PUT A BUDGET TOGETHER, I NEED TO PLAN, I PLAN AT ABOUT A 3% TURN, UM, VACANCY RATE. UM, SO WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING AT 7.5%, YOU HAVE MORE CASH ON HAND THAN YOU WERE EXPECTING, BUT I CAN'T BUDGET, RIGHT? EXPECTING TO BE. AND THEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND YOU CAN'T PAY 'EM BECAUSE THE BUDGET DOLLARS WEREN'T THERE. SO THAT, THAT'S KIND OF THE DYNAMICS OF HOW IT WORKS. AND EMPLOYEE COSTS RUN 65% OF OUR BUDGET, YOU KNOW THAT. SO THAT, THAT MOVES THE NEEDLE A LOT. BUT ONE THING TO NOTE PLEASE IS I AM PROJECTING RIGHT NOW SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A, ABOUT A TWO, TWO AND A HALF, $2.8 MILLION CASH BALANCE. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, DR. STOUT AND HIS TEAM GO THROUGH AND WE SAY, OKAY, WHERE CAN WE USE THAT MONEY, RIGHT? TO WORK ON THE BACKLOG. SO WE WILL MAYBE OUTSOURCE IF THERE'S CAPACITY FOR IT, RIGHT OUT, TAKE SOME OF THAT MONEY FOR OUTSOURCING OR MACHINES OR OTHER ONE-TIME EXPENSES, UM, AS A PART OF TRYING TO MANAGE GETTING THE BACKLOGS AS LOW AS POSSIBLE. SO ANOTHER POINT TO REMEMBER THE BUDGET THAT YOU WILL APPROVE, RIGHT? THAT'S, THAT'S THE REVENUE SIDE. IF I'M STARTING OFF THE YEAR WITH, LET'S CALL IT TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN CASH, THE EXPENSES THAT I'LL ASK YOU TO APPROVE WILL BE TWO AND A HALF MILLION MORE THAN THE REVENUE RE I'M TRYING TO GET TO ZERO. SO THAT, THAT'S JUST THE DYNAMICS OF THE WAY THIS WILL WORK. JUST IN CASE ANY OF YOU ARE CRAZY ENOUGH TO TRY TO TICK AND TIE ALL THE NUMBERS AND SAY, DAVID, YOU'RE OUT OF BALANCE. UM, WHICH IS A DIFFERENT SUBJECT, BUT FINANCIALLY I'M IN BALANCE. OKAY? SO NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL GO TO THE BUDGET INCREASE. UH, THIS YEAR'S BUDGET WAS 28.5 MILLION. THAT'S WHAT THE CITY APPROVED. YOU HAVE $3 MILLION IN ARPA, WHICH THE CITY APPROVED. AND THEN SINCE THIS IS A WATERFALL CHART, IT SHOWS THE CHANGES FROM THE STARTING POINT TO THE ENDING POINT. WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED THE MONEY YET, BUT WE RECEIVED APPROVAL FOR 1.95 MILLION FOR NEXT YEAR. WELL, THAT'S 1,000,050, LESS THAN THE 3 MILLION. SO THAT'S THE CHANGE. AND THEN THE SIX 50, THE 7 38, THE 6 57, ALL OF THOSE, [01:00:01] THAT'S A PART OF THE $3 MILLION, RIGHT? DR. STOUT JUST SPOKE TO WHY WE NEED IT. THOSE ARE THE DOLLARS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. SO OUTSOURCE BIOLOGY, $650,000, OKAY? UH, THE FIREARMS, THE PEOPLE FOR FIREARMS AND THE, UM, EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEED. $738,000 CSU SIX PEOPLE FOR THE VEHICLES AND FOR THE PEOPLE AND THEIR SUPPLIES. $657,000 SEIZED DRUGS A MACHINE. WE'RE LEASING THE MACHINES. WE'RE NOT BUYING THE MACHINES. FIVE YEAR LEASE, ABOUT $50,000. IT EXPENSES, UH, SOME OF OUR SERVERS ARE OUT OF DATE AND THEY'RE NOT GIVING US SOFTWARE UPDATES ANYMORE. THEY'VE GOTTA BE REPLACED. AND ALSO AS WE ACCUMULATE MORE AND MORE DATA, ESPECIALLY DIGITAL DATA AS EVIDENCE AND EVIDENCE HAS TO BE MAINTAINED FOREVER, A LOT OF THESE IT COMPANIES HAVE GOTTEN SMART. THEY RENT YOU STORAGE SPACE, IT'S A STREAM OF REVENUE INDEFINITELY. SO WE HAVE TO HAVE MORE STORAGE AND THAT PROP THAT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO GO UP, THAT'S NOT GONNA CHANGE. 'CAUSE WE HAVE TO KEEP THE DATA FOREVER. WE KEEP HAVING MORE AND MORE EVIDENCE, WE NEED MORE PLACE TO STORE IT. SO 381,000 FOR IT. TOXICOLOGY, I BELIEVE THAT WAS, UH, THREE PEOPLE IN TOXICOLOGY AND, UM, UH, LEASING A MACHINE, A-Q-T-O-F IN TOXICOLOGY, AND THEN THE ADD OF ONE QUALITY SPECIALIST. SO THOSE ARE THE PIECES THAT MAKE UP THE $3 MILLION INCREASE. SO IF THAT $3 MILLION ISN'T APPROVED, THEN THOSE THINGS DON'T HAPPEN. EITHER THAT OR DR. STOUT AND HIS STAFF GET TOGETHER AND SAY, WHAT IS IT THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO? BECAUSE THIS NOW IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT, BUT IT'S SQUEEZING A BALLOON, SOMETHING'S NOT GOING TO GET DONE. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? OKAY, SO THAT WAS REVENUE. NOW WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SPENDING. SO THIS, THIS IS A WATERFALL CHART OF THE SPENDING. WE GO, UH, FROM THE FORECAST OF SPENDING 31 MILLION. NOW, AGAIN, THAT'S MORE THAN WHAT THE CITY GIVES US BECAUSE WE HAVE GRANT MONEY. WE HAVE BOTH THE ARPA AND THE SEBER, AND THEN PERSONNEL COST GOES UP BY ABOUT 3 MILLION. AND FOR EACH ONE OF THESE, I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT MAKES UP. SO THESE ARE THE BIGGER BUCKETS BY CATEGORY. AND THEN I'LL SHOW YOU INDIVIDUALLY WHAT MAKES UP THOSE PIECES. SO PERSONNEL COSTS GOING UP 3 MILLION, AND, UH, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT AN ADDITION OF 13 PEOPLE OF THAT 3 MILLION, UH, YOU'RE GOING TO BE HOPEFULLY FULLY STAFFED, RIGHT? SO THAT SEEMS LIKE A BIG NUMBER, BUT IT MAKES SENSE. UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT, SUPPLY IS ONLY 169, UH, SERVICES, UP TO MILLION OUTSOURCING AND OTHER THINGS AND TRAINING. UH, AND THEN, UH, CAPITAL SPENDING. I'LL HAVE A SLIDE AT THE END SHOWING YOU SPECIFICALLY WHAT WE'RE WANTING TO DO FOR CAPITAL SPENDING. A LOT OF THIS $3 MILLION ARE MACHINES, UH, EQUIPMENT. AND THEN THE GRANT, THIS IS JUST A LITTLE BIT UNUSUAL WITH THE WAY THAT WE DO IT. WE DO IT, UH, HOPEFULLY YOU'VE HEARD THIS ENOUGH. WHEN WE ORIGINALLY BUDGET GRANT, I PUT IT IN A LINE ITEM AT THE BOTTOM THAT'S CALLED GRANT EXPENSE. SO TYPICALLY YOU WOULD SEE 1.6 MILLION OF GRANT REVENUE, AND THEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE P AND L YOU'D SEE 1.6 IN GRANT EXPENSE. BUT WHEN WE ACTUALLY SPEND THE MONEY, WHETHER IT BE ON PEOPLE OR OUTSOURCING, I MOVE IT OUT OF GRANT LINE EXPENSE AND I MOVE IT INTO THE CATEGORY WHERE THE MONEY WAS ACTUALLY SPENT. SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE A YEAR OVER YEAR DIFFERENCE BECAUSE THE, IT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT IN FISCAL YEAR 23 HAS ALREADY BEEN SPENT AND IS SHOWING UP IN THE INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY VERSUS LUMPED IN THE BOTTOM AS GRANT. I'M JUST GONNA KEEP GOING. I ASSUME SOMEBODY WILL STOP ME. UM, IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION OR I DIDN'T EXPLAIN SOMETHING VERY WELL. OKAY, LET'S, SO HERE YOU SEE ALL THE WAY BACK TO FISCAL YEAR 15. LET'S LOOK AT THE TOP LINE FIRST. THE NUMBER IN BLUE IS THE TOTAL NUMBER THAT WE GET FROM THE CITY. OKAY? IT'S BROKEN UP IN THREE DIFFERENT PIECES. IT'S JUST THE WAY THEY DO IT. BUT THE NUMBER THAT YOU REALLY WANNA LOOK AT, IF YOU GO ALMOST ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT ON THE SECOND TO LAST COLUMN, FISCAL YEAR 24, BUDGET 3 MILLION. IT SAYS 31.5. THAT'S THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT I'M ASKING YOU TO APPROVE THAT WE WOULD ASK THE CITY. IF YOU GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT, YOU SEE THE ONE, UH, 1950, THAT'S THE ARPA FUND THAT'S ALREADY BEEN APPROVED FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 AND FISCAL YEAR 23, YOU SEE THAT IT'S 3 MILLION. AND THEN YOU SEE THE 1.6 MILLION OF FEDERAL GRANT MONEY, RIGHT? AND THEN WE'VE GOT SOME MISCELLANEOUS OTHER INCOME. SO THOSE ARE THE INCOMES. AND THEN YOU CAN GO DOWN AND YOU CAN SEE THE EXPENSES, AND YOU CAN JUST SEE A TREND YEAR OVER YEAR. SO WHAT HAS CHANGED? THE TOP, WE'RE ASKING FOR $3 MILLION [01:05:01] MORE FROM THE CITY THIS YEAR THAN WHAT THEY GAVE US. WELL, FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 THAN WHAT THEY GAVE US IN FISCAL YEAR 23. YOU SEE A DECREASE IN ARPA FUNDS OF 1,000,050, RIGHT? THAT, I MEAN, THE FACT THAT THEY JUST GAVE US ANOTHER MIL, ALMOST 2 MILLION, WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT. BUT THAT'S A MILLION LESS THAN THE PRIOR YEAR. AND THEN, AND THEN TOTAL EXPENSES AFTER DEPRECIATION, YOU SEE AN INCREASE OF 6.8 MILLION. AGAIN, THAT'S WITH MY FORECAST. I FORECAST OUT TWO YEARS CASH, RIGHT? THAT GETS US TO AROUND 500,000 IN CASH. IF EVERYTHING WORKED THE WAY THIS MODEL HAS IT NOW, IT WON'T WORK EXACTLY THAT WAY, BUT THAT'S WHAT I GEAR THE, THE REQUEST TO. YES, SIR. IS THE THE CITY RUNNING OUTTA ARPA MONEY AFTER FISCAL YEAR 24? IT ENDS IN 24, RIGHT? THE LATEST IS, SO IT, YEAH, UN UNDER. OKAY. NOT THAT THIS ONE. OH, THERE WE GO. UH, THE, THE FEDERAL RULES ON IT, AS WE UNDERSTAND IT, THE MONEY FROM ARPA HAS TO BE OBLIGATED BY JUNE OF 2024, AND I BELIEVE SPENT BY 25. SO YES, THAT, THAT'S THE END OF THAT POT OF MONEY. OKAY. NOW LET'S, LET'S JUST LOOK AT, UM, HEAD COUNT. UH, I THINK I'M, OH, THAT MUST BE RIGHT. SO, UH, INSTEAD OF DOLLARS, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE TREND OF PEOPLE. UH, WE ARE UP, UH, IF YOU LOOK, UH, TOTAL NUMBER OF PERSONNEL IS 219 IN OUR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, AND IT GOES UP TO 232. THAT'S THE 13 PEOPLE THAT'S BEING ADDED WITH THIS $3 MILLION INCREASE BEING REQUESTED. UH, ALSO NOTICE THAT OPEN POSITIONS, BACK IN FISCAL YEAR 20, IT WAS AN AVERAGE OF SEVEN IN FISCAL YEAR 21, 8 LAST YEAR, IT WAS AN AVERAGE OF 18. THIS YEAR, WE'RE RUNNING AN AVERAGE OF 20. SO THAT, IT'S JUST THAT, THAT, THAT'S TOUGH. THAT THAT'S KIND OF A KEY DRIVER IN OUR BUSINESS THAT THAT'S A, A BIG DEAL TO US. AND THEN I FORECAST BEING LOWER THAN THAT. OKAY, NOW LET'S LOOK AT A WATERFALL CHART FOR THE ACTUAL EMPLOYEE COST IN. UM, WELL, ACTUALLY EMPLOYEE COST IS A TREND. YOU CAN SEE AS, UH, FISCAL YEAR 19 ALL THE WAY THROUGH, ITS INCREASING. WE KEPT INCREASING OUR HEAD COUNT AND EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW, UH, THERE'S, UH, CHANGES IN BENEFITS AND PAY EACH YEAR. YOU NOTICE THAT, UH, IN FISCAL YEAR 23 FORECAST, I'M FORECASTING BEING AT 20 MILLION. WE BUDGETED IT BEING AT 21 MILLION. SO WE'RE RUNNING ABOUT A MILLION BEHIND. AND THAT GOES TO HAVING 20 OPEN VACANCIES. SO ACTUAL EXPENDITURES ARE RUNNING A MILLION DOLLARS BEHIND WHAT WE HAD BUDGETED. AND THEN YOU SEE A BIGGER, UH, INCREASE IN FISCAL YEAR 24, THAT GAP WOULDN'T BE AS BIG IF WE WERE RUNNING, IF WE WEREN'T RUNNING AT 20 PEOPLE VACANT THIS YEAR, IT WOULD BE THE 13 PEOPLE. UH, WELL, I'LL SHOW YOU HERE, UH, WHAT IT WOULD BE MADE OF. AND DAVID, JUST TO BE CLEAR ON THAT, IT'S NOT LIKE WE AREN'T RECRUITING. IT'S NOT LIKE WE AREN'T TRYING TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS. WE GOT STUFF SITTING. IT'S JUST VERY DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO RETAIN. SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME WE HIRE TWO, WE LOSE ONE. IT IS BEEN AN UNUSUAL YEAR. I MEAN, YOU HEARD THE STORIES ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA. IT'S, IT'S JUST, IT'S ROUGH. IT, THEY'RE, IT IS TOUGH TO FIND PEOPLE. AND EVEN WHEN WE FIND PEOPLE, WE HAVE TO TRAIN 'EM A YEAR TO TWO YEARS BEFORE, RIGHT? THEY'RE DOING LAB WORK. WE'RE, WE'RE IN A UA UNIQUE, DIFFICULT SITUATION. AND, AND PEOPLE DO EVERYTHING WE DO. WE'RE ALL ABOUT PEOPLE. OUR BEST ASSET, WELL, WE'RE FIGHTING FOR THE SAME POOL THAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS FIGHTING FOR. SO IT'S MAKES IT DIFFICULT. YES, NO, NO QUESTION. AND, AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING, ALSO, TO BE CLEAR IN THIS, IT'S NOT LIKE PEOPLE ARE LEAVING US TO GO TO OTHER CRIME LAPSE. IT HAPPENS A LITTLE BIT, BUT MOSTLY PEOPLE ARE LEAVING TO GO OUT INTO, UNDER OTHER INDUSTRIES. OKAY? UH, SO LET ME SHOW YOU A WATERFALL CHART OF EMPLOYEE COSTS. YOU START OFF WITH THE FORECAST OF 20.2 MILLION. UH, IF WE HADN'T HAD THE VACANCIES, RIGHT? THERE'S A MILLION DOLLARS THERE. UH, CHANGES IN, UH, PAY FOR FISCAL YEAR 24, 700,000. AND THEN THE, THE NEXT BUCKETS, UM, COLUMNS, THE FIREARM, CSU, TOXICOLOGY AND QUALITY. THOSE ARE THE DOLLARS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT 3 MILLION INCREASE. OKAY? SO FIREARMS, AN ADDITION OF THREE PEOPLE, UM, UH, THE CSU, UH, [01:10:01] SIX PEOPLE, AND THEN THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THREE IN TOXICOLOGY AND THE COST, UH, EMPLOYEE COST ASSOCIATED WITH ONE IN QUALITY. NOW, THAT'S ALL IN COST. THAT'S NOT SALARY, THAT'S BENEFITS, IT'S TAXES, IT'S EVERYTHING INCLUDED TO HAVE AN EMPLOYEE, WHICH GETS US AT THE END OF THE YEAR TO 22, OR BASICALLY $23 MILLION IN PEOPLE COST IN THIS BUDGET. SAME THING FOR SERVICES SHOWING HOW WE GET FROM THIS YEAR TO NEXT YEAR. THE, THE FIREARMS, THE FIRST 1, 2, 3, THE FOUR COLUMNS ARE A PART OF THAT. 3 MILLION THAT WOULD BE SERVICES. SO FIREARMS 275 F BIO, THAT'S SIX 50. THAT'S THE OUTSOURCING, THE FIREARMS. MOST OF THAT IS TRAINING. VERY SPECIALIZED, EXPENSIVE TRAINING WHEN YOU BRING ON FIREARMS PEOPLE. AND THEN JUST A LITTLE BIT IN SERVICES. AND THEN, UH, FOR GRANTS, IT'S A NEGATIVE NUMBER BECAUSE THAT MONEY HAS ALREADY BEEN SPENT THIS YEAR AND IT'S SHOWN IN THE NUMBER NEXT YEAR. AGAIN, THAT GRANT IS SHOWN DOWN BELOW AS GRANTS. AND THEN A CHANGE IN THE ARPA FUNDS FOR SERVICES ON WHERE WE'RE SPENDING ARPA MONEY SUPPLIES. UH, SAME, UH, PICTURE DIFFERENT NUMBERS. AGAIN, THE AMOUNT OF SUPPLIES ARE SMALLER, BUT FOR CSU, FIREARMS, TOXICOLOGY AND QUALITY, THAT'S A PART OF THE $3 MILLION IN TOTAL. IT'S 146,000 OF THE 3 MILLION. AND THEN OTHER, SO THE OTHER'S JUST 24. IT'S NEGLIGIBLE. SO JUST, JUST SO, UH, FOR THE RECORD, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR MORE MONEY TO DO WHAT WE DO. NOW, WE'LL EAT THE INFLATION. WE'LL FIND A WAY THROUGH, UM, LEAN SIG SIGMA THROUGH OTHER THINGS TO DO MORE, RIGHT? WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY. WHAT WE'RE REQUESTING THAT 3 MILLION FOR IS TO DO ADDITIONAL WORK. IT'S NOT BECAUSE WE'RE ASKING FOR MORE MONEY TO DO THE SAME THING. THAT $3 MILLION RIGHT? IS FOR NEW WORK. THAT WON'T GET DONE WITHOUT THE $3 MILLION. OKAY? UH, CAPITAL SPENDING, THIS IS WHERE THE CAPITAL, UM, AS A PART OF THE ARPA FUND, THE SECOND FUND OF THE ONE, UH, THE MILLION NINE 50, THERE'S 500,000, UH, IN THERE FOR. UH, WELL, PETER, IT, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE GOOD FOR YOU TO EXPLAIN WHY WE NEED THIS MONEY FOR THE I FOR THE INTERFACE WITH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. SO REMEMBER LAST TIME WE TALKED ABOUT THE INCREASING DOCUMENTATION DEMAND THAT WE'VE GOT DISCOVERY REQUESTS AND DOCUMENT REQUESTS THAT ARE EATING CLIENT SERVICES LUNCH. UM, WHAT WE'RE AFTER WITH THIS IS HOW DO WE IMPROVE THE AUTOMATION OF THAT DOCUMENTATION DELIVERY? SO THERE, THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT LAYERS TO THAT, INCLUDING POTENTIALLY DIGITIZING OLDER RECORDS. THERE IS HOW DO WE GET THIS STUFF INTO THE DATABASE EASIER? HOW DO WE PULL THE RECORDS OUTTA THE DATABASE? HOW DO WE DELIVER THESE THINGS EASIER? SO THERE'S A LOT OF IT SYSTEMS THAT ARE NECESSARY AROUND THAT. UM, WE STILL, AND, AND THIS IS, IT'S JUST WE KEEP SCRAMBLING AFTER CASES. WE HAVEN'T HAD THE CAPACITY TO GET OFF OF SOME PAPER RECORDS THAT WE STILL USE IN LOTS OF PLACES. UM, SHOULD WE BE FARTHER ALONG? I WOULD LOVE TO BE, BUT IT'S, IT'S A MATTER OF THE RESOURCES WHEN EVERYBODY'S SCRAMBLING, TRYING TO GET CASES OUT THE DOOR SO THAT, THAT'S WHERE THAT MONEY, UM, IS GEARED FOR ARPA, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED. SO WE'LL MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT. UH, AS A PART OF THE PLAN, IF THIS, THIS, UH, BUDGET IS APPROVED, YOU HAVE THREE VEHICLES FOR THE, UM, FOR THE NEW CSIS, UH, SIX CSIS, THREE VEHICLES, UH, TOXICOLOGY, A-Q-T-O-F, I HAVE THAT IN THERE AS AN LCMS. I WAS, I'M WRONG. IT'S A-Q-T-O-F. IT'S A LEASE, A FIVE YEAR LEASE AROUND 80,000 A MICROSCOPE, A 3D MICROSCOPE, WHICH AGAIN WOULD BE A LEASE THAT'S ABOUT 60,000, UH, WITH THE ADDITIONAL, UH, FIREARMS EXAMINER, UH, A MICROSCOPE LIKE THEY USE NOW, THAT'S A ONE TIME EXPENSE OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND SEIZED DRUGS FOR AN LCMS. UH, YEAR ONE OF A FIVE YEAR LEASE, 50,000. AND THEN I SPOKE TO THE, UM, OLDER EQUIPMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WITH IT AND DATA STORAGE, AND THEN SOME MISCELLANEOUS OTHER 50 FOR ABOUT 1.3 MILLION IN CAPITAL SPENDING. OKAY, THOSE ARE THE NUMBERS QUESTIONS FOR ME? OKAY. WITH THAT THEN, WHAT I WILL, UH, HOW DO WE DO THIS? AGAIN, THERE'S SOMETHING OFFICIAL ABOUT THIS. IT'S GOTTA BE DONE, RIGHT? VOTE ALL WE'RE GETTING. OKAY, SO THAT'S [01:15:01] OFFICIAL. I AM, I, I AM, UH, MAKING A, AN OFFICIAL REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET THAT WAS JUST PRESENTED AND THAT YOU SEE HERE, UH, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE THE REVENUE, THE 31 5 0 8. THAT WOULD BE THE REQUEST FROM THE CITY. THE ARPA FUNDS HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED. THE SEAVER THAT COMES FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND THEN THE EXPENSES THAT WILL BASICALLY GET US TO BREAK EVEN AT THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 24. UH, ALL THE PRESENTATION THAT I JUST WENT OVER. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU MR. LEACH. WE APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK OF PULLING ALL THIS TOGETHER. MM-HMM . ALL RIGHT. ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ANYBODY THINK OF ANYTHING? OKAY. SO HEARING NO MORE QUESTIONS, WE WILL NOW MOVE TO THE VOTE. SO WE NOW HAVE A VOICE VOTE TO APPROVE THE HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024 AS PRESENTED. MEMBERS, WOULD YOU PLEASE UNMUTE YOUR MICS? AND DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO, MOVE. ALRIGHT, DIRECTOR MEDINA. SECOND. SECOND. A DIRECTOR MOORE. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANYONE AGAINST? OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU MEMBERS. AND THANK YOU MR. LEACH. THANK YOU. WITH THIS VOTE, WE WILL NOW SEND THE BUDGET OVER TO MAYOR TURNER AND CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GREAT. NEXT WE HAVE AGENDA. MADAM CHAIR, COULD I ADD A COMMENT? OF COURSE. I'VE LISTENED TO A LOT OF BUDGET PRESENTATIONS MM-HMM . AND DRIFTED THROUGH MANY OF THEM, , BUT I, I JUST WANNA COR GRUDGE UP. I THINK IT'S A VERY CLEAR MM-HMM . BUDGET PRESENTATION WITH GOOD BACKUP MATERIAL. MM-HMM . SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YEAH. A LOT OF HARD WORK WENT INTO THAT. AND YES, WE DEFINITELY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR COHEN. OKAY. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER NINE IS A REPORT FROM MS. JACQUELINE MORRELL, OUR INTERIM QUALITY DIRECTOR, INCLUDING AN OVERVIEW OF THE BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM, THE TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION DISCLOSURES AND TEXT TESTIMONY METRICS. GOOD MORNING, MS. MORALE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR UPDATE AND WELCOME. THIS IS YOUR FIRST BOARD MEETING WITH US IN YOUR, IN YOUR POSITION. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. UH, YES, DEFINITELY MY TOPIC WILL BE MUCH ON THE LIGHTER NOTE THAN BUDGET AND LEGISLATION, UH, UPCOMING LEGISLATION. SO WHAT I WANTED TO UPDATE THE BOARD IS ON THE BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM. THAT'S MY FIRST TOPIC. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE SLIDES. THE QUALITY DIVISION MET THE MONTHLY GOALS FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY AND FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. WHAT I'M MOST EXCITED TO UPDATE THE BOARD ON IS ON OUR ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR THIS PROGRAM. WE HAD OUR QUALITY ASSOCIATE MADDIE NEWMAN CO-AUTHOR AND PUBLISH TWO ARTICLES THIS LAST TWO MONTHS. AND, UH, THIS ARTICLES WERE BASED OFF ON TWO SURVEYS THAT WERE DISTRIBUTED TO THE LATE IN PRINT COMMUNITY. THE SURVEYS WERE DESIGNED AND CREATED IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR LATE IN PRINT WITH OUR HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE, UH, LATE IN PRINT SECTION. IN ADDITION, IT WAS A COLLABORATION WITH THE LATE IN PRINT SECTION OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE DEPARTMENT. THIS PROJECT OR SURVEY WAS LED BY CSAFE, WHICH IS THE CENTER FOR STATISTICS AND APPLICATIONS AND FORENSIC EVIDENCE. AND THE FIRST ARTICLE, WHICH IS TITLE, PERCEPTIONS OF BLIND PROFICIENCY TESTING AMONG LATENT PRINT EXAMINERS. AS THE TITLE OF STATES, A KIND OF THE SURVEY, THE INTENT OF THE SURVEY WAS TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF AN INSIGHT AS TO WHAT IS THE OVERALL, UH, OPINION IN THE LATENT PRINT COMMUNITY ON BLIND PROFICIENCY TESTING. NOTABLY, THE SURVEY FOUND THAT THERE WAS NO NEGATIVE OPINIONS, NO STRONG NEGATIVE OPINIONS ON THESE PROGRAMS, AND IT FOUND THAT EXAMINERS THAT WERE EMPLOYED IN LABORATORIES WHO HAVE BLIND PROFICIENCY TESTING TEND TO SEE THIS IN A POSITIVE NOTE AND UNDERSTAND FULLY THE BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING THIS PROGRAM COMPARED TO EXAMINERS WHO DON'T HAVE THIS IN THEIR LABORATORIES. UH, FOR THE SECOND ARTICLE, WHICH IS TITLED, WHAT TYPES OF INFORMATION CAN AND DO LATENT PRINT EXAMINERS REVIEW THIS SURVEY, THE FOCUS OF THE SURVEY WAS TO KIND OF GET AN INSIGHT AS TO WHAT TYPE OF CASE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FOR LATENT PRINT EXAMINERS. AND FROM THIS AVAILABLE INFORMATION, WHAT DO THEY USE IN ORDER TO COMPLETE CASEWORK. WHAT THE SURVEY FOUND WAS WHAT EXAMINER, WHAT LATENT PRINT EXAMINERS FOCUS ON IS ON THE DESCRIPTION OF THE EVIDENCE AND THE METHOD IT WAS COLLECTED. AND THIS WAS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE AND PRINT COMMUNITY WHAT IS CONSISTENTLY BEING REVIEWED BY EXAMINERS. UH, IT ALSO NOTABLY FOUND THAT EXAMINERS WHO WORK IN SMALLER LABORATORIES, THEY HAVE MORE ACCESS TO MORE CASE INFORMATION THAN LARGER LABORATORIES. NOW, ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF HAVING THESE TYPE OF ARTICLES, MEANING ARTICLES BASED OFF ON SURVEYS, IS THAT IT KIND OF GIVES YOU AN INSIGHT IN THIS CASE, INTO THE DECISION MAKING [01:20:01] PROCESS THAT EX THAT LATE IN PRINT EXAMINERS USE, AND ALSO AREAS WHERE STANDARDIZATION MAY BE IMPLEMENTED. SO BEFORE I CONTINUE TO, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THESE ARTICLES OR BLANK QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM? NO. GREAT JOB ON GETTING THE ARTICLES PUBLISHED. THAT'S GREAT. CONGRATULATIONS. I'LL TO ALL THE AUTHORS. IT'S, IT WAS VERY SURVEYS AND ALL, SO THANK YOU, UH, FOR MY NEXT TOPIC, I WANTED TO UPDATE THE BOARD ON THE TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION. SO AS YOU, UM, KNOW, WE LAST, AT THE LAST QUARTERLY COMMISSION MEETING, WE HAD A C DIRECT DISCLOSURE, AND THIS DISCLOSURE WAS VOTED AS NO FURTHER ACTION. THIS VOTE VOTE WAS BASED ON OUR ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS AND THE ACTIONS THAT WE IMPLEMENTED TO REMEDIATE THIS NONCONFORMANCE. AS A SHORT RECAP, THIS DISCLOSURE, DISCLOSURE INVOLVED A SUBSTANCE THAT WAS MISIDENTIFIED AND REPORTED AS ARAZ LIMB. HOWEVER, UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, THIS SUBSTANCE IS INDEED AN ISOMER OF ARAZ LIMB, AND IT MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE, BUT ARAZ LIMB IS HEAVILY ABUSED OR AND PRESCRIBED HERE IN HOUSTON, AND IT'S MOST COMMONLY KNOWN AS XANAX. UH, THIS SUBSTANCE IS AN ISOMER OF ARAZ LIMB, MEANING THAT IT IS MOLECULARLY, THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT IS THE SAME, BUT STRUCTURALLY IT IS DIFFERENT. AND THIS IS ON PURPOSE. THIS IS A NEW DESIGNER DRUG, AND THE WHOLE PREMISE OF THIS NEW DESIGNER DRUGS IS TO MIMIC OR KINDA, UM, MIMIC CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES AS A WAY TO CIRCUMVENT THE LAW. NOW, I KNOW THAT WE TOUCHED ON THIS ON THE LAST BOARD MEETING, BUT I JUST WANNA REITERATE THAT THIS IS THE CURRENT CHALLENGES THAT BOTH THE TOXICOLOGY AND THE CEASE DRUG SECTION ARE FACING WITH THIS CLANDESTINE AND DESIGNER, ILLEGAL DESIGNER DRUG MARKET. UH, THEY ARE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH IT, AND IN ADDITION, THEY HAVE TO FIND NEW METHODS AND, AND WAYS TO DIFFERENTIATE THESE SUBSTANCES THAT TEND TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO CONTROLLED, UH, TO DIFFERENTIATE THEM, TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF THING FROM, FROM HAPPENING. THIS, UH, MISIDENTIFICATION, DID IT AFFECT THE CRIMINAL CASE OR DID SOMEONE GET ILLEGALLY CHARGED OR, YOU KNOW, I, UM, I CAN, I CAN SPEAK TO THAT ONE. CAN YOU? YEAH, THANK YOU. UH, YES, THERE WAS ONLY ONE CASE IDENTIFIED AND WHEN WE CAME ACROSS IT, THE INDIVIDUAL ACTUALLY HAD NOT BEEN CONVICTED. IT WAS, UH, ACTUALLY A OUTSTANDING WARRANT. SO, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT TO THE DA'S OFFICE AND THEY WERE ABLE TO, UH, HANDLE IT APPROPRIATELY. YES. THANK YOU. SO, UM, IS THERE ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. SO FOR MY THIRD TOPIC, I WANTED TO UPDATE THE BOARD ABOUT INTERNAL AUDITS. AS YOU MAY RECALL, WE CONDUCT THIS ON A YEARLY BASIS, AND THIS IS BASED, YOU KNOW, PER ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENT. WE NEED TO COMPLETE THESE, AND WE ARE ABOUT TO START UP IN, UH, THE END OF MARCH. UH, JUST THE OBJECTIVE OF AN INTERNAL AUDIT IS TO VERIFY THAT OUR POLICIES, SUCH AS THE HFSS QUALITY MANUAL AND ALL OF OUR TECHNICAL PROCEDURES, INCLUDING THEIR DOCUMENTATION SUCH AS VALIDATION, VERIFICATION STUDIES, QUALITY CONTROL, AND CASE RECORDS AND SO FORTH, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, WITH ALL THOSE DOCUMENTATION, UH, THAT THEY'RE, THAT THEY ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH OUR ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENTS. NOW, JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A CONFIGURATION OF HOW THE AUDIT TEAM IS COMPOSED, THE AUDIT TEAMS ARE TYPICALLY LED, THE AUDIT LEADERS ARE COMMONLY THE QUALITY SPECIALISTS, AND THEY, UH, UH, LEAD THE RESPECTIVE TECHNICAL SECTIONS. THE ONES THAT THEY, UH, COORDINATE PRIMARILY AND THE AUDIT TEAM FOR THIS YEAR AND FOR THE OTHER YEARS, IS COMPRISED OF VOLUNTARY STAFF MEMBERS FROM BOTH OUR TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE, UH, SECTIONS. IN THE PAST, WE'VE HAD INSTANCES OR OTHER YEARS WHERE ONLY THE QUALITY DIVISION WE'RE PART OF THE AUDIT TEAM, BUT WE HAVE FOUND THAT IT'S VERY REWARDING TO HAVE STAFF MEMBERS PARTICIPATE BECAUSE WE, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF ASSOCIATED BENEFITS TO IT. ONE OF THESE BENEFITS IS THAT IT CREATES A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR QUALITY SYSTEM. IT PROMOTES COLLABORATION AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AMONGST THE SECTIONS BECAUSE, UH, THE STAFF MEMBERS GET TO INTERACT WITH OTHER SECTIONS, WHICH IS NOT NORMALLY WHAT THEY DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. IT ALSO INCREASES THE QUALITY AWARENESS AND INDIRECTLY, UH, PROMOTES OUR CULTURE OR OUR QUALITY CULTURE MINDSET THAT WE HAVE IN THE LABORATORY. AND I THINK THE BEST BENEFIT OF THEM ALL IS THAT IT IDENTIFIES BEST, BEST PRACTICES, UH, FOR ONE SECTION THAT MAY BE ADOPTED AND TRANSFERRED OTHER TO, TO OTHER SECTIONS. AS YOU CAN SEE ALSO FROM MY DIAGRAM, I HAVE A SCHEDULE OF ATTEMPT THE SCHEDULE OF OUR UPCOMING INTERNAL AUDITS. WE ARE STARTING AT THE END OF MARCH WITH MULTIMEDIA FIREARMS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW SPECIFICS AS TO THE DATES WHEN THESE OCCUR, I'VE PROVIDED THEM UNDER THE DETAILED DATA, UM, SECTION OF MY [01:25:01] REPORT, AND I WILL KEEP THE BOARD UP TO DATE AS, AS THESE WRAP UP. AND, AND WE HAVE UPCOMING BOARD MEETINGS. ALONG THE SAME NOTE, WE HAVE OUR A AND A B, UM, WHICH IS OUR ACCREDITING BODY. THEY ARE ALSO REQUIRED TO CONDUCT A CONFORMING ACTIVITY ON US ON A YEARLY BASIS. SO FOR THIS YEAR, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SURVEILLANCE DOCUMENT REVIEW. UH, JUST AS ARI, THIS IS UNLIKE LAST YEAR AS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER, WE HAD A VERY IN DEPTH, UH, ON SITE AUDIT THAT A EB BROUGHT UP A TEAM AND WE HAD ALL OF OUR TECHNICAL SECTIONS AUDITED AND ASSESSED TO OVER 200 CLASSES. UH, FOR THIS DOCUMENT REVIEW, THIS IS ACTUALLY GONNA BE COMPLETED REMOTELY AND JUST BY ONE ASSESSOR, AND IT'S ONLY GONNA BE, AND IT'S ONLY GONNA FOCUS ON A SUBSET OF REQUIREMENTS 14 TO BE EXACT. UM, AND, AND IT'S SCHEDULED TO OCCUR DURING THE MONTH OF JULY THROUGH THE, UM, THE DAY OF THE 17TH THROUGH THE 2020 SIXTH. SO I WILL, ONCE THE RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE, I WILL SHARE THIS WITH THE BOARD AND, UM, SHARE, SHARE THE RESULTS, AND ALSO THE REPORT WITH THE BOARD. AND IN ADDITION, I FORGOT TO MENTION I, NOW THAT, UM, MS. SANDRA HAS VOTED, UH, AS SECRETARY, I WILL WORK WITH HER AND GET AND ISSUING SOME COPIES OF THE MANUSCRIPTS THAT MADDIE PUBLISHED. UM, SO YOU GUYS HAVE IT FOR YOUR REVIEW. OKAY. SO ANYWAYS, I'LL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE. IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON AUDITS AND ACCREDITATION? OKAY, THIS IS MY LAST TOPIC. I WANNA COVER TESTIMONY DATA. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM MY SLIDES, THERE WAS 24 STAFF MEMBERS THAT COLLECTIVELY TESTIFIED 32 TIMES WITHIN THIS TIMEFRAME, UH, FROM THESE 24 STAFF MEMBERS, ONLY 13 WERE MONITORED. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S A 55% TO BE EXACT. UM, I WILL SAY THAT THE QUALITY SIDE SLASH ANXIETY PART OF MYSELF, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT 55% BE ACTUALLY AN A HUNDRED PERCENT. BUT AGAIN, I'M APP PIECE THAT IT'S STILL THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. SO IT'S, AGAIN, IT'S OKAY. UM, AND THE REASON WHY MY ANXIETY SURGES IS BECAUSE ALSO AS ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENT, WE ARE, WE ALSO NEED TO MONITOR STAFF MEMBERS' TESTIMONY, UH, AT LEAST ONCE PER CALENDAR YEAR. SO AGAIN, STILL THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, BUT GOING ALONG WITH THIS DATA, WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO SHOW THE BOARD IS THAT FOR THOSE 32 TESTIMONIES, WE HAD A TOTAL OF 131 TOTAL HOURS OF WEIGHT, OF WEIGHT AND TESTIMONY TIME THAT WAS, I GUESS, PERFORMED FOR THIS ACTIVITY. 21 HOURS OF THOSE WERE TEST WHERE THE ANALYSTS WERE TESTIFYING, AND THOSE 110 HOURS WERE JUST WAITING TIME THAT THERE WERE SITTING IN COURT WAITING UNTIL THEY WERE CALLED TO THE STAND. SO, UH, I, I GUESS IT KIND OF MAKES SENSE IF WE WERE TO EXTRAPOLATE AND JUST ASSUME THAT WE'RE GOING AT THE SAME RATE OF WAITING TIME, THAT MEANS THAT FOR 2023, WE WOULD HAVE ALMOST 700 HOURS OF WAIT TIME JUST FOR THIS CALENDAR YEAR IF WE CONTINUE GOING AT THIS RATE. AND JUST AS A SIDE NOTE, THIS TIME DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TIME THAT IS SPENT BY THE MONITOR IN COURT. THE MONITOR IS ALSO IN THE SAME POSITION AS A STAFF MEMBER THAT THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY'RE GOING, WHEN THIS PERSON IS GONNA BE CALLED TO THE STAND. SO IT'S TYPICALLY WHEN THE SOMEBODY GOES AND MONITORS SOMEBODY IN COURT, THEY GO WITH THEM RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING BECAUSE, AND THEY JUST WAIT THERE WITH THEM. SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE NOT TRACKING. AND UH, IN MY SECOND GRAPHIC, AS YOU CAN SEE, I SPLIT UP THE WAIT TIME. UH, AND THIS IS IN THE ORDER OF HOW IT'S, IT WAS INCURRED AND WAITING TIMES. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, CRIME SCENE IS LEADING THE PACK BY A LOT, 56 HOURS OF WAIT TIME AND FOLLOWED BY TOXICOLOGY, THE FORENSIC BIOLOGY AND THE FIREARM SECTION. SO, SO JACKIE, IF I MAY JUST HIGHLIGHT IN THERE, IN THE BUDGET, YOU THINK ABOUT THE SECTIONS THAT WE ARE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT. THEY TRACK AWFULLY WELL WITH THE SECTIONS THAT ARE SPENDING THE MOST TIME TWIDDLING THE THUMBS OVER AT THE COURTHOUSE. AND, AND IN CSU YOU THINK ABOUT THAT THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE STRETCHED ACROSS SHIFTS 24 7. SO OFTEN WE'VE GOT PEOPLE THAT ARE CALLED INTO COURT DURING A DAY SHIFT WHEN THEY'RE ON A NIGHT OR EVENING OR WEEKEND SHIFT, MEANING THEY AREN'T AVAILABLE THEN ON THEIR SHIFT, SOMEBODY ELSE HAS TO PICK THAT UP. IT HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON THE WHOLE OPERATION OF THE ORGANIZATION. JUST, IT'S NICE TO PUT TIME OR, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LOT OF TIME. I MEAN, THIS IS, AND IT'S A TWO FOR ONE DEAL THERE WITH MONITORING AND WE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE AROUND THE MONITORING. UM, IT'S, IT IS A BIG IMPACT [01:30:01] AND THIS IS WHY THOSE MEETINGS WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE JUDGES HAS BEEN SO CRITICAL BECAUSE WE SPEND 111 HOURS WAITING AND ONLY 21 HOURS OR 110 HOURS WAITING AND 21 HOURS ACTUALLY ON THE STAND. THIS IS BASICALLY TOTING UP TO THOUSANDS OF HOURS A YEAR. YEAH, YEAH. HOW DOES, HOW DOES THIS YEAR COMPARE WITH PREVIOUS YEARS? HAS IT GONE DOWN, HAVE, HAS THE HA HAS DIALOGUE WITH THE JUDGES AND HAS DA'S OFFICE IMPACT OFFICE BEEN PRODUCTIVE AND HAD ANY IMPACT? THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. I AM NOT SURE. I THINK WE'D HAVE TO GO LOOK AT WHAT DATA WE'VE GOT. SO WE STARTED TRACKING THIS AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WANTED TO SEE IF THE BOARD HAD AN INTEREST. SO TO KIND OF GO BACK, WE STARTED USING THE QUALTRICS WORKFLOW WHERE WE, UH, GATHER THIS DATA AROUND 2018. I CAN GO BACK AND SEE THE COMPARISONS, BUT IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT IT WASN'T A REQUIREMENT BACK THEN FOR ANALYSTS TO COMPLETE THIS WORKFLOW. SO WE MIGHT HAVE, YOU KNOW, TESTIMONIES THAT WEREN'T TRACKED OR WHAT MIGHT NOT BE ACCURATE, BUT IT CAN GIVE US AN IDEA. YEAH, I CAN BRING THAT AT THE NEXT MEETING. YEAH. THE DATA AREN'T AS GOOD AS THEY GO BACK. AND THEN WE'VE ALSO GOT THE CONFOUNDER OF THE PANDEMIC IN THERE AND THE COURT'S BASICALLY STOPPING. YEAH. UM, SO TOUGH TO SAY, BUT I WILL ALSO SAY THIS IS SOMETHING THAT EVERYBODY IN FORENSIC LABORATORIES HAS LAMENTED IN THE 30 YEARS I'VE BEEN DOING THIS. I MEAN, THIS IS A CONSTANT AND PERVASIVE ISSUE. UM, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY'S FOUND A GOOD SOLUTION TO IT YET. UH, AND OUR WAITING HELPS THE COURTS AND THE DAS BE ABLE TO MANAGE THEIR COURTROOM EASIER. SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COST ON THE OTHER SIDE. THE LESS WE ARE AVAILABLE, THE MORE THEY HAVE TO BEAR THE COST OF TRYING TO MANAGE IT SOMEWHERE IN THERE. THERE'S GOTTA BE A BALANCE THOUGH. 'CAUSE I MEAN, THIS IS, YOU THINK THOUSANDS OF HOURS. I MEAN, THIS ADDS UP TO REAL MONEY FOR US. YEAH. IT'S A DELICATE BALANCE. YEP. 'CAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN YEP. DURING TRIAL THAT CAN YEP. DELAY OR SPEED OR YOU NEVER KNOW. OH. IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW THAT I, I TOLD YOU THE TRIAL THAT I GOT INVITED UP TO PLANES TEXAS AND THE GRAND COUNTY OF YOAKUM, UM, I GOT UP THERE, WALKED INTO THE COURTROOM AND THEY PLED THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. MM-HMM. I HAD, I HAD, I HAD A LOVELY DINNER WITH BILL HELWIG, WHO'S THE DA UP THERE AND IS ALSO THE PRESIDENT OF T-D-C-A-A. MM-HMM. BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. MM-HMM . YEAH. YEAH. THAT WAS, THAT SLIDE CONCLUDED MY PRESENTATION. ARE THERE ANY QUEST? ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? NO. GOOD JOB ON YOUR FIRST BOARD PRESENTATION. YES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, THANK YOU MS. MORRELL AND THANK YOU TO PLEASE, UH, THANK ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE QUALITY DIVISION FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK. UM, ALRIGHT. MEMBERS, AT THIS TIME WE WILL PROCEED TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 10, WHICH IS OUR CLOSED MEETING. UM, AT THIS TIME, THE HFSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL GO INTO A CLOSED MEETING, ALSO KNOWN AS EXECUTIVE SESSION AS, AND AS PERMITTED BY THE TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT. THE CLOSED MEETING WILL NOT BE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, AND WE WILL ASK OUR STAFF TO STEP OUTSIDE A STEP. DR. STOUT, MR. LEACH, AND MS. MANZ FOR OUR VIEWERS, I DO NOT ANTICIPATE THE CLOSED MEETING RUNNING TOO LONG, BUT PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE BOARD DOES NOT HAVE A SET TIME TO RECONVENE THIS OPEN MEETING. TODAY. WE WILL RETURN WHEN OUR BUSINESS HAS CONCLUDED. ALL OTHER STAFF WHO ARE PRESENT, YOU ARE EXCUSED AT THIS TIME AND DO NOT NEED TO RETURN THE TIME IS 10 33. SO PLEASE STOP RECORDING AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU. WE'RE GOOD. OKAY. OKAY. THE TIME IS NOW 1110 AND THE HFSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS RECONVENING THIS OPEN MEETING. FOR THE RECORD, WE STILL DO HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT AND WE WILL NOW MOVE TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 11, WHICH IS OUR RECONVENING, UH, MEMBERS. DO WE HAVE ANY ACTION ITEMS OR DISCUSSION TO CONSIDER AS THE RESULT OF OUR CLOSED MEETING? OKAY. HEARING NONE. WE WILL PROCEED TO OUR LAST AGENDA ITEM FOR THE DAY, WHICH IS AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 12. THAT IS ADJOURNMENT. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SECOND. OKAY. DIRECTOR COHEN. DIRECTOR HILDER. . ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. CONSIDER US ADJOURNED AT 11:11 AM THANK YOU SO MUCH AND EVERYONE HAVE A LOVELY WEEKEND . * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.