(Quorum Report)
Farabee, a Wichita Falls Democrat, on Thursday reintroduced legislation the first offered four years ago to put the Railroad Commission under the rule of a single commissioner rather than keeping it as the three-headed agency it’s been for more than a century.

“This is basically a cost-savings measure, any time you can save money in a budget situation like we’re facing this session you ought to at least take a look at it,” said Farabee, whose 2005 effort died in committee.

The legislation takes a two-pronged approach. First would be a proposed constitutional amendment to do away with the requirement that the commission be run by a three-person panel. Then enabling legislation would set the stage for electing the single commissioner during the 2010 cycle and reduce the present six-year term for a railroad commissioner to four years.

Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams last month said he and fellow commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones and Victor Carrillo supported the name-change proposal but stopped short of endorsing further changes.

The measure follows proposed legislation filed in both the House and Senate that would rename the railroad commission to the Texas Energy Commission. The agency has not had any substantial authority over railroads in decades and gave up its last tenuous tie to that industry in 2005.

Because the railroad commission is run by a team of three, no two of them can meet or even have telephone conversations outside of their formal meetings without running afoul of open government rules. Insiders have pointed out that this has sometimes contributed to friction over the years among the members, who serve staggered terms.

Williams and Ames Jones have expressed interest in running for the U.S. Senate seat that could be vacated as early as the end of the year as Kay Bailey Hutchison gears up for her expected 2010 run for governor.