The jovial Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton, chairman of the Texas House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, has lost his Republican primary in a paired matchup in East Texas. Redistricting pitted the popular rep against relative newcomer James White, who was a freshman last year in the House and still managed to beat the veteran House chair with 55 percent of the vote.

Tuffy’s vacancy means that a new chairman will be appointed to lead the committee that is largely the stopping point for bills dealing with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. UPDATE: Speaker Joe Straus told reporters this week that he doesn’t like to shift chairs in the interim, so unless we hear otherwise, we’re assuming he hangs onto the chairmanship over the summer.

The  House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures, which oversees the alcoholic beverage code, hasn’t posted any meetings that will be happening in the near future. But we thought it relevant to go ahead and give you the interim charges they’re dealing with as they go into the election cycle.

State Rep. Tuffy Hamilton, chairman of the committee, says the panel probably won’t start meeting until the summer to deal with the charges. We, of course, will let you know when those meetings get scheduled.

But meanwhile, here’s what Speaker Joe Straus assigned them for the interim :

1) Review the alcoholic beverage licensing and permitting process. Explore possible reforms with interested stakeholders to streamline and improve the process.

2) Study the feasibility of streamlining the process to obtain an occupational license. Consider consolidating all occupational licenses under one state agency and whether such a move would increase efficiency and effectiveness. Analyze the process being used in other states.

3) Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 82nd Legislature.

4) (ADDED ON MARCH 1) Study all existing occupational licensing programs and determine their impact on consumers, competition, and the cost of services. Explore the extent to which new licensing programs are necessary.

Notably absent from the interim charges that we could tell (original document here and March addendum here) is any directives to study a mandatory bottle recycling program, known as Bottle Bills in the nearly one dozen states that have passed them. (Be sure and let us know if it’s been snuck in there under some language that’s completely hidden to us….)

The Texas Legislature tried to pass such a program in 2011 with a bill that set a deposit rate of 10 cents for containers that were under 24 oz and 15 cents for larger ones. The legislation would have covered glass or plastic containers as well as cans, for beverages including beer, malt, soft drinks, water, juice, mineral water tea, coffee.

The flip side of the environmental argument for recycling, of course, is that it amounted to was a tax on the beverage industry that would be passed on to consumers – and was widely regarded as a subsidy for ALCOA, which manufactures aluminum. All of which might explain why, the only time the Texas House got to vote on the bill last session, more than 100 members gave it the thumbs down.

Bills by Houston Democrats Rodney Ellis and Garnet Coleman were bottled up in their respective committees, and an amendment by Coleman attempting to pass it as part of another bill went down in flames, with 101 no votes. The Bottle Bill groups vow to reintroduce legislation in 2013, but it doesn’t appear to be a priority for the speaker.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is in the process of updating its strategic plan for 2011-2015, so now is a good time to engage with state regulators on how you think they should approach the business of, well, your business.

At their March 27 meeting, commissioners will get a preliminary look at the external management goals as revised with input from stakeholders, who were asked to join TABC commissioners at a meeting in late February to run through the plan point by point and give their feedback on how it’s working.

Some of the preliminary reaction: Attendees wanted to strengthen the goal to streamline the licensing process, continue and strengthen prevention and underage drinking programs, and continue policing violators as a means for motivating continued compliance among those who weren’t breaking code.

TABC spokeswoman Carolyn Beck said the agency always wants to hear input from stakeholders, and that there’s never a deadline on that.

So feel free to call her later this summer and tell her how much you value the marketing practice bulletins. But it’ll be too late for the final commissioners’ vote on the entire updated strategic plan – at least this year.

Beck said she plans to present the external management goals to the commission on March 27, and the entire strategic plan at their Apr. 24 meeting, with plans for a final vote in May.

So there’s your deadline.

Documents linked or posted below the jump for your perusal. Email carolyn.beck@tabc.state.tx.us with your input. We’ll be posting some of your thoughts here as well – send me a note and we’ll publish your opinion!

Meanwhile, use the comments here to answer the following two questions, posed to stakeholders by the TABC at the Feb. 23 stakeholders’ meeting: 

1. To be the number one regulatory agency in the nation, TABC should / must ________.
2. In 2018, TABC will be / should be _______.

Here’s the link to the entire strategic plan. 

Click “read more” to see the external management goals that will be presented on March 27.