OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

HFSC Board Meeting Summary - January 9, 2026

Committees and Commissions — Friday, January 9, 2026
BodyHouston, Texas
SessionCommittees and Commissions
DateFriday, January 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 49:42

Transcript — Verbatim
0:20

Madam Secretary, would you please call the roll?

0:24

Yeah, Madam Chair.

0:25

I will begin the roll call now.

0:27

Chair Woman Cohen.

0:28

Here.

0:29

Vice Chair Baird.

0:30

Here.

0:31

Director Vasquez.

0:32

Director Hilder.

0:34

Director Sudman?

0:36

Here.

0:36

Director Corrales.

0:38

Here.

0:38

Director U.

0:39

Here.

0:40

Director Murzell.

0:42

Director Huff?

0:43

Here.

0:44

Director Whoos?

0:45

Here.

0:46

And that concludes the roll call.

0:48

Madam Chair, we do have a quorum.

0:49

Thank you very much.

0:51

We will proceed to item three, which is my report.

0:58

I'd like to begin by saying happy new year to everyone.

1:01

And I hope the holiday season treated you well.

1:05

We are excited about all the wonderful work that uh HFSC will do this year and the ways in which this board will contribute to the organization's success.

1:15

I look forward to working with each of you in 2026.

1:19

And I hope it's a peaceful, safe, uh secure, and um happy and healthy year for everyone.

1:30

Particularly peaceful.

1:32

Next, I'd like to thank Director Vasquez for taking the time to tour HFSC and the VEB in December with her counterpart from the Texas Innocence Project.

1:43

I trust that everything went well, and I'm glad that you were able to do that.

1:47

At this point, I believe almost every board member has taken a tour of the VEB, which is great.

1:53

Has everyone mostly around the table?

1:57

Okay.

1:58

Good.

1:58

Good.

1:59

I'll go.

2:00

It is, it's great.

2:01

I mean, it really gives you a handle on what's happening.

2:04

Thank you, uh Dr.

2:05

Stout and uh Ms.

2:07

Haley for scheduling these tours, and we look forward to more opportunities to see the amazing work that the staff is doing.

2:14

Lastly, I want to remind the board that we are fast approaching budget season yet again.

2:21

Please take note that during the March board meeting we will hear the proposed uh FY27 budget as presented by Dr.

2:30

Stout and Mr.

2:31

Leach, our CFO.

2:33

Because this is a time sensitive voting item, we will need all members to attend board meetings if possible.

2:42

The meeting is scheduled for March 13th.

2:44

As usual, Mr.

2:45

Leach will send us an email with a more detailed explanation of the budget, and we look forward to reviewing that.

2:52

Members, we have several challenges ahead for us in FY27, and we need everyone's input to ensure the budget reflects the organization's priorities for the coming year.

3:05

With that, I conclude my report.

3:08

Now we'll proceed with agenda item four.

3:12

At this time we'll open the at this time we'll open the floor public comment and invite any member of the public that wishes to speak to come to the podium and address the board.

3:22

We ask all speakers to sign it at the front of the room so we are aware of your presence that all comments be limited to three minutes.

3:28

You may speak on any matter concerning the board and HFSC at this time.

3:37

At this time we have do we have anyone?

3:40

Apparently not.

3:41

Seeing no members of the public in our audience today, we've signed who signed up for the comment.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Forensic Science█████████████████████████████████████████████72%
Property and Evidence Management█████████14%
Procedural██████10%
Technology and Innovation█2%
Public Safety█2%
Summary of Proceedings

HFSC Board Meeting Summary - January 9, 2026

The Harris Forensic Science Center (HFSC) Board convened on January 9, 2026, to review annual reports from the President and Directors, approve meeting minutes, and discuss strategic challenges for the upcoming fiscal year. The meeting featured a quiet public comment period and a comprehensive review of backlog reduction efforts, staffing transitions, and significant external risks including federal funding delays and legislative changes regarding evidence testing.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes from the November 14, 2025, board meeting were approved unanimously via voice vote following a call for corrections.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public signed up to speak; the public comment period was closed after confirming no attendees were present.

Discussion Items

President's Report (Forensic Sections)

  • Forensic Biology: Project sponsor stated a 73% reduction in the sexual assault kit (SAK) backlog, leaving only ~30 kits over the 90-day mandate. Speaker noted a major strategic shift in 2026 to move from 100% outsourcing of SAKs (1,000–1,200 annually) back to internal testing, which the Chief Operations Officer estimated would double the section's caseload.

    • Risks: Speaker expressed concern over delays in CEBER federal funding, which remain unawarded, and highlighted the labor and material cost increases associated with the transition to in-house processing.
    • Speaker Position: Expressed high confidence ("100% for" the current staff performance) regarding the biological backlog but raised concerns about the uncertainty of federal awards and the risks of scaling internal operations.

  • Seized Drugs: Project update indicated a nearly 50% reduction in the non-marijuana backlog. Staff are validating a new LC/TOF MS technology.

    • Risks: Speaker warned that validating new equipment involves a steep learning curve. Speaker noted that proposed state rules regarding commercial hemp products create uncertainty regarding increased caseloads or procedural changes.
    • Speaker Position: Cautiously optimistic about backlog stabilization, though uncertain about the impact of the pending hemp rules.

  • Firearms: Spoke to the continued slow growth of the backlog despite a shortage of examiners (only two full-time examiners). Speaker highlighted the critical nature of capital cases and post-conviction reviews involving firearms.

    • Risks: Speaker expressed concern over the extremely limited outsourcing options (only 72 examiners statewide) and anticipated continued criticism from the field regarding timelines. Speaker noted potential changes in reporting requirements due to Texas Forensic Science Commission reviews.

  • Toxicology: Alcohol analysis remains under 30 days; drug turnaround is ~280 days.

    • Risks: Speaker identified the Arizona v. Smith Supreme Court decision as a significant risk, stating it will likely increase outsourcing costs due to increased demand for analyst testimony in commercial labs.

  • Digital Multimedia: Project Sponsor stated there is no backlog, but cited rising costs for data storage and software as the primary risk. Speaker explained that storage costs can easily reach millions of dollars for petabyte-scale retention.

    • Speaker Position: Expressed difficulty in retaining data long-term due to cost and media decay, while acknowledging the legal necessity of preservation.

  • Latent Prints & Crime Scene Investigation (CSI): Speaker noted latent prints remain backlog-free, highlighting the need to re-educate investigators on available capacity. Speaker expressed concern over APIS interoperability issues and highlighted recent management restructuring within CSI.

  • Property: Project Sponsor described the ongoing "musical chairs" facility transition and highlighted a specific risk regarding the disposal of 40,000 SAKs.

    • Legislative Update: Speaker presented a proposal to Representative Lizzie Fletcher's office to fund the testing and potential reopening of ~10-year-old drug cases where field tests were used without lab confirmation (the "no lab no plea" legacy issue). Speaker stated that no formal funding has been received yet, but the proposal is pending in the Senate.

Director's Report on Accreditation

  • Speaker stated the HFSC property accreditation assessment (ANSI/ASQ Z10.1) completed in December 2025 resulted in zero non-conformances.
  • Speaker confirmed the official certificate and scope were received, validating the current two-year accreditation cycle.
  • Speaker noted that 95% of analysts who testified in 2025 were officially monitored, exceeding the annual requirement.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval: Minutes from November 14, 2025, were approved unanimously.
  • Strategic Shift: The Board acknowledged the major operational shift to bring 100% of SAK testing in-house in 2026, doubling the current caseload.
  • Risk Acknowledgement: The Board noted significant risks including federal funding delays (CEBER), rising labor/material costs, and legal complexities arising from Arizona v. Smith. The potential impact of the Smith decision on future testimony costs was flagged as a key area of concern.
  • Legislative Action: A proposal regarding the testing of legacy drug field-test cases was forwarded to the Senate for potential funding; no final decision on funding was made at this meeting.
  • Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned following the presentation of the accreditation update and testimony monitoring data.

Meeting Transcript

Madam Secretary, would you please call the roll? Yeah, Madam Chair. I will begin the roll call now. Chair Woman Cohen. Here. Vice Chair Baird. Here. Director Vasquez. Director Hilder. Director Sudman? Here. Director Corrales. Here. Director U. Here. Director Murzell. Director Huff? Here. Director Whoos? Here. And that concludes the roll call. Madam Chair, we do have a quorum. Thank you very much. We will proceed to item three, which is my report. I'd like to begin by saying happy new year to everyone. And I hope the holiday season treated you well. We are excited about all the wonderful work that uh HFSC will do this year and the ways in which this board will contribute to the organization's success. I look forward to working with each of you in 2026. And I hope it's a peaceful, safe, uh secure, and um happy and healthy year for everyone. Particularly peaceful. Next, I'd like to thank Director Vasquez for taking the time to tour HFSC and the VEB in December with her counterpart from the Texas Innocence Project. I trust that everything went well, and I'm glad that you were able to do that. At this point, I believe almost every board member has taken a tour of the VEB, which is great. Has everyone mostly around the table? Okay. Good. Good. I'll go. It is, it's great. I mean, it really gives you a handle on what's happening. Thank you, uh Dr. Stout and uh Ms. Haley for scheduling these tours, and we look forward to more opportunities to see the amazing work that the staff is doing. Lastly, I want to remind the board that we are fast approaching budget season yet again. Please take note that during the March board meeting we will hear the proposed uh FY27 budget as presented by Dr. Stout and Mr. Leach, our CFO. Because this is a time sensitive voting item, we will need all members to attend board meetings if possible. The meeting is scheduled for March 13th. As usual, Mr.

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