Bruseth O n August 16, the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission approved the final list of issues affecting the Texas Historical Commission and Texas Antiquities Committee. The ultimate resolution of the issues is now up to the Texas Legislature, when it meets in 1995. There is no opposition to this issue. There seems to be relatively broad support for this issue outside of the archeological community, and it is likely that the Texas Antiquities Committee will be abolished.
Negotiations are currently ongoing over the final composition of the board.
The professional slots would cover the fields of archeology, architecture, and history. As a result of the many letters sent to the Sunset Commission about this issue by members of the archeological community, this recommendation may be adopted, depending on the Texas Legislature. Improve the Antiquities permitting process by adding specific notification requirements for project sponsors. Although the policy of the Texas Antiquities Committee for 25 years has been that projects need to be reviewed prior to construction, many project sponsors interpret the Antiquities Code to require project review only if an archeological site is encountered during construction. Issue 5 would clarify the Code and make it clear that advance notice is needed.