Profile

The core mission of the General Land Office is the management of state lands and mineralright properties. The GLO leases drilling rights for oil and gas production on more than 20 million acres of state land, producing revenue and royalties that are funneled into the state's Permanent School Fund. State lands and mineral right properties include the beaches, bays, estuaries and other submerged lands out to 10.3 miles in the Gulf of Mexico, institutional acreage, grazing lands in West Texas and timberlands in East Texas. Revenue and royalties are distributed to school districts on a per-pupil basis, helping to offset local property taxes. Since the Permanent School Fund was established in 1854, the GLO has deposited more than $9 billion into it, mostly from oil and gas leases and real estate trades and sales. The Republic of Texas Congress established the General Land Office in 1836 shortly after Texas won its independence from Mexico. The GLO was originally responsible for managing the public domain by collecting and keeping records, providing maps and surveys and issuing land titles. Since then the GLO's duties have evolved to include not only its oil and gas activities, but also many other areas. As the oldest state agency in Texas, the GLO's archives and records division houses original Spanish, Mexican and Republic of Texas land grants and associated documentation. The Recycling, Adopt-A-Beach, Coastal, and Oil Spill Prevention and Response programs work to protect natural resources. The land office triggers economic development through its natural gas marketing initiatives and loan programs offered to veterans through the Texas Veterans Land Board. Lease sales and other transactions are approved by the three-member School Land Board, which is chaired by the land commissioner. The other two members are appointed by the governor and the attorney general. The lease sales are held quarterly beginning in January. They are by competitive sealed bid and are advertised by public notice. The land commissioner also chairs the three-member Veterans Land Board and other boards which oversee leasing of state property. The commissioner also chairs boards that lease lands for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the state prison system. The GLO manages the Veterans Land Program, which furnishes low-interest loans to veterans to purchase land and homes and make home improvements. The program is financed by bond sales and fees paid by borrowers, and is operated at no cost to the taxpayers. Source: Texas General Land Office

Land Commissioner Biography

Born in Houston, Texas on November 15, 1946, Jerry Patterson has dedicated his life to public service. Graduating from Texas A&M, Class of 1969 and receiving his commission in the United States Marine Corps, Patterson volunteered for duty in Vietnam in 1972 and was later designated as a Naval Flight Officer and served in Marine fighter squadrons until his retirement from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1993. Five consecutive generations of Patterson?s family have served our nation in time of war. Patterson is a life member of the VFW, American Legion and Vietnam Veterans of America. As state senator for District 11 (Harris, Galveston, Brazoria), Patterson's major legislative successes include passage of the historic concealed handgun law, a constitutional amendment allowing home equity lending, the state coastal management plan and the creation of the Texas State Veterans Home Program. A tireless advocate for his fellow veterans, he chaired the first Veterans Affairs committee in the Texas Senate and hosted the first POW/MIA day at the Texas Capitol. Jerry and his wife Jennifer reside in Austin. Commissioner Patterson has four children: twins Samantha and Cole, born in 2004, Emily and Travis. His daughter Emily is an attorney working in Kosovo for an agency funded by the U.S. State Department. His son Travis is a graduate of Texas A&M, where he was commissioned as a Marine Lieutenant. He recently returned from duty in Iraq as a U.S. Marine attack helicopter pilot.

Contacts

Stephen F. Austin Building 1700 North Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78701-1495 Work: 512-463-5001 Toll Free: 800-998-4456 www.glo.state.tx.us

Agency information: 512-463-5001 Executive office: 512-463-5001 Chief clerk: 512-936-1927 Governmental relations: 512-463-5001 Administration: 512-463-5183 Accounts payable: 512-463-5189 Procurement: 512-463-5309 Asset management: 512-475-1427 Coastal resources: 512-475-0773 Energy resources: 512-463-5042 Funds management: 512-463-5120 Human resources: 512-475-1390 Information systems/technical services: 512-463-5141 Job line: 512-463-5134 Legal services: 512-463-5007 Oil spill prevention & response: 512-475-1575 Oil spill reporting: 800-832-8224 Appraisal: 512-463-5088 Asset inspection: 512-463-5200 Surveying: 512-463-5099 Risk management: 512-463-8972 Veterans Land Board: 512-463-5060 or 800-252-VETS or TDD 512-463-6367

Office of Communications Work: 512-463-5339 Email: media@glo.state.tx.us

Archives and Records 1700 N. Congress Ave Suite 800 Austin, TX 78701-1495 Work: 512-463-5277 Fax: 512-475-4619

Geographic Information Systems Sterling Harris Work: 512-463-5034 Email: sterling.harris@glo.state.tx.us

Adopt-A-Beach Program P.O. Box 12873 Austin, TX 78711-2873 Work: 877-892-6278 Fax: 512-463-7945 Email: beach@glo.state.tx.us

Texas GLO Field Operations:

Region 1 Port Arthur Field Office 2300 Highway 365, Suite 340 Nederland, TX 77627-6256 Work: 409-727-7481 Fax: 409-727-1261

Region 2 La Porte Field Office 11811 North D Street La Porte, TX 77571-6597 Work: 281-470-6597 Fax: 281-470-6679

Region 3 Corpus Christi Field Office Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi 6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5847 Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5847 Work: 361-825-3300 Fax: 361-825-3302

Region 4 Brownsville Office 2145 EMS Lane Brownsville, TX 78521-2666 Work: 956-504-1417 Fax: 956-504-0123

Region 5 Port Lavaca Office 414 Travis Street Port Lavaca, TX 77979-2351 Work: 361-552-8081 Fax: 361-552-7995

Organizational Charts

Click Here for General Land Office/ Veterans Land Board

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