By William Lutz on
7/27/2011 10:09 AM
Rep. Beverly Woolley (R-Houston) announced she is not seeking re-election next year. During her time in office, Woolley became one of the most influential members of the House Republican Caucus, serving as chair of the House Calendars Committee and later as Speaker Pro Tem. On a policy level, she is best known for her advocacy and involvement in efforts to protect private property rights and reform eminent domain.
House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) issued the following statement:
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By William Lutz on
7/15/2011 4:19 PM
Now that the legislators have gone home. The LSR staff will be on vacation. Therefore comments to the blog will get approved on a much slower timetable than usual. We will return Mon. July 25. We are also working hard on our final subscription issue of LSR, which we hope to send to our subscribers soon. Have a great summer.
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By William Lutz on
7/15/2011 12:18 PM
Earlier this week, I received a submission from a higher education expert who often publishes his work under the pseudonym Publius Audax. He disagrees with UT Liberal Arts Dean Randy Diehl’s recent report attacking the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Texas philanthropist Jeff Sandefer’s "7 Breakthrough Solutions." He also proposes a reform of his own – evaluating Texas universities using a double-blind exam similar to what is found at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. We post the piece below:
"Randy Diehl, dean of liberal arts at UT-Austin, and his "executive leadership team" have produced "A Response to the Seven ‘Breakthrough’ Solutions" (http://bit.ly/pSuWuI) proposed by Jeff Sandefer, the founder of the Acton Business School and a key leader of the higher education reform movement in Texas. Diehl’s response deserves close attention, if for no other reason than as a model of the use of confusion, misdirection and irrelevancy as propagandistic techniques.
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By William Lutz on
7/15/2011 12:17 PM
Lots of campaign announcements have reached our desk in the last few days. Here are some of the highlights:
* Elizabeth Ames Jones announced that W.A. "Tex" Moncrief, Ed Whitacre, and George P. Mitchell will be co-chairs of her campaign.
* Seth McKinney is no longer running for the Texas House of Representatives. (LSR previously did a blog post on his announcement).
* Ted Cruz received endorsements from three former chairmen of the Republican Party of Texas: Tina Benkiser, Cathie Adams, and George Strake. Cruz has also been endorsed by George P. Bush.
* Conservative Republicans of Texas endorsed Barry Smitherman for the Texas Railroad Commission.
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By William Lutz on
7/15/2011 12:04 PM
Secretary of State Hope Andrade announced the ballot order for the November constitutional amendment election. We post the proposed constitutional amendments and their proposition numbers below:
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By William Lutz on
7/12/2011 5:47 PM
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Surfside Beach) announced he will not seek re-election today. Paul's announcement was made to The Facts today. LSR has received several statements and announcements from distinguisted Texans and potential candidates. We reprint below:
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By William Lutz on
7/12/2011 2:54 PM
Comptroller Susan Combs announced last week that she has hired a Chief Privacy Officer and a Chief Information Security Officer to augment her staff. These new hires are another step in a series of actions Combs is taking to fix highly-publicized leaks of personnel information from state computer systems. These hires come shortly after some in the press raked Combs over the coals for hiring a policy advisor who had political experience.
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By William Lutz on
7/8/2011 4:09 PM
The Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education – a group that supports higher education reform ideas offered by the state’s university presidents and chancellors and has expressed concerns with some higher education reform ideas offered from outside academia – fired a rhetorical howitzer at Gov. Rick Perry yesterday. Political observers in Texas are left wondering why the organization chose to attack Perry by name and how this will play out.
The coalition’s main communications consultants used to work for U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and former president George W. Bush, two elected officials whose political interests have not always aligned perfectly with those of Perry. A member of the coalition’s operating committee, former ambassador and Higher Education Coordinating Board Chair Pamela Willeford, said she has supported Perry, and the organization is bipartisan and is about higher education, not partisan politics. She also said that decisions about what statements to issue are made by the organization’s operating committee, not its consultants.
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By William Lutz on
7/8/2011 1:18 PM
(Editor's Note: Updated at 3:40 pm to add a statement from Smitherman)
Gov. Rick Perry named Public Utility Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman to the Railroad Commission of Texas. Smitherman has been a member of the Public Utility Commission since 2004 and its chairman since 2007. Smitherman combines support for and an appreciation of markets with knowledge of the energy industry and political acumen.
“Barry’s strong leadership at the Texas Public Utility Commission helped make Texas energy and telecommunications markets stronger and more affordable, and served the best interests of Texas consumers and families,” said Perry. “As he did at the PUC, Railroad Commissioner Smitherman will continue to push back against the Obama Administration’s misguided energy policies, which threaten Texas jobs and our nation’s energy security. His knowledge of Texas’ energy market and our energy needs is unparalleled, and I’m confident he will continue to serve our state well in his new capacity at the Railroad Commission.”
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By William Lutz on
7/7/2011 1:54 PM
A fixture in the Capitol Press Corps is joining the Texas Association of Business, effective Aug. 1. For the past 18 years, Robert Wood has covered the Capitol for radio, both for KLBJ-AM and for the Texas State Network. He is known and respected throughout the Capitol for the insightful questions he asks at news conferences.
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By William Lutz on
7/7/2011 11:43 AM
LSR Managing Editor William Lutz made an appearance on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics Sunday blasting both parties for the death of the Sanctuary Cities bill. Lutz notes that the bill codifies protections for law enforcement officers that already appear in federal law. Lutz's RANT starts at about 7:53 into the video clip below. The program also features an interview with House Higher Education Chairman Dan Branch (R-Dallas). Inside Texas Politics airs every Sunday at 9 am on Channel 8 in North Texas.
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By William Lutz on
7/6/2011 5:15 PM
Gov. Rick Perry’s communications director Mark Miner blasted University of Texas administrators for issuing a report attacking proposals to reform higher education. The university used personnel on the College of Liberal Arts payroll to produce a report critical of ideas put forward by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and other higher education reformers ...
Miner is responding to a report from University of Texas Liberal Arts Dean Randy Diehl criticizing Texas philanthropist Jeff Sandefer’s “Seven Breakthrough Solutions for Higher Education.” UT has also set up a website, http://www.7solutionsresponse.org to reply to these ideas for higher education.
It’s quite noteworthy that UT is putting Diehl on the front lines of the higher education reform debate. Diehl is the UT administrator that removed philosophy professor Robert Koons from director of the program in Western Civilization and American Institutions. The program was reformed under new leadership as the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Ideas. Notice the absence of the words “American” and “Western” in the center’s name. Click here to read more about “The Mugging of Western Civilization” at UT-Austin.
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By William Lutz on
7/6/2011 3:47 PM
Yesterday, I posted an item drawing attention to the fact that recent tuition increases will blow a hole in the state budget. I will admit that the tone of the piece conveyed some frustration that state leadership in 2003 knew that tuition deregulation would adversely impact the soundness of the guaranteed Texas Tomorrow Fund – thus blowing a hole in the state budget – and passed it anyway. I’m frustrated that the legislative leadership’s top priority that year was providing more money for four-year university administrators to spend, rather than goals that benefit taxpayers generally.
That said, the tone of the piece gave heartburn to at least one commenter to the blog with a background in higher education. He makes several fair points. I reprint his comments in full below, then I will respond:
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By William Lutz on
7/5/2011 4:44 PM
Sometimes what sets the press off amazes me.
I was watching television last week and one of the talking heads was asked about Comptroller Susan Combs’s hire ( announced Mon. June 27) of David White as a senior policy advisor. Apparently, this addition to the comptroller’s staff has come under fire in some circles, but why this is controversial is a mystery to me.
In the interest of full disclosure, I frequently speak to the Young Conservatives of Texas (of which White is a former chairman) on higher education and other legislative policy matters and am an alumnus of the organization. I know White and think highly of him.
That said, some in the press are turning the ordinary course of business into something controversial.
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By William Lutz on
7/5/2011 1:30 PM
The Legislature was warned this would happen. In 2003, then-Speaker Tom Craddick rammed through HB 3015 (sometimes called tuition “deregulation”) by tying it to the state budget. It resulted in massive increases in higher education spending.
During the 2003 floor debate on HB 3015, Rep. Burt Solomons (R-Carrollton) prompted a debate on the tomorrow fund by introducing an amendment preventing the Comptroller from closing it to new enrollment. During that debate, House members had a full discussion about what these tuition and spending increases would do to the state’s constitutionally-guaranteed tuition savings program – the Texas Tomorrow Fund ...
Toward the end of the 2011 legislative session, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram published a story noting that the Tomorrow Fund could go broke by 2014. That fund is constitutionally dedicated, meaning if the investments don’t cover the tuition for the fund’s beneficiaries, the state treasury is constitutionally obligated to cover the shortfall.
Unless the stock market improves, legislators could have to pay hundreds of millions to cover the shortfall. And that amount only grows over time.
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By William Lutz on
7/4/2011 9:00 PM
OK. OK. We should have posted Texans for Fiscal Responsibility's legislative scorecard June 29 when it was released. We just got caught up in the end-of-session news rush. But in some ways, the Fourth of July is a much more appropriate date to post conservative legislative ratings anyway.
Texans for Fiscal Reponsibility and its president Michael Quinn Sullivan seemed to get more publicity this session than ever before. Democrats regularly mentioned TFR ratings from the floor, arguing they influenced the votes of Republicans. The organization produces a scorecard on fiscal issues before the Texas Legislature, rating the key votes.
Click here to read TFR's House ratings.
Click here to read TFR's Senate ratings.
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By William Lutz on
7/4/2011 8:48 PM
It appears the open state house seat vacated by Rep. Fred Brown's (R-College Station) retirement from the House has several people interested in it. The Bryan College-Station Eagle reports that former Brazos County Tax Assessor-Collector Buddy Winn and businesswoman Rebecca Boenigk have expressed interest. Click here to read The Eagle's story.
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By William Lutz on
7/1/2011 5:12 PM
LSR Managing Editor William Lutz will appear on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics Sunday. Lutz will be discussing the recent death of the bill banning Sanctuary Cities. Inside Texas Politics airs every Sunday morning at 9 am on Channel 8 in North Texas.
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By William Lutz on
7/1/2011 4:13 PM
Gov. Rick Perry named SBOE member Barbara Cargill (R-The Woodlands) as the new board chair today. This appointment is another example of Perry’s commitment to social conservative values. Despite decision from Democrats in the Texas Senate to reject the last two of Perry’s picks for the board chair position because of their socially conservative values, Perry decided to stay the course and name another social conservative chair.
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By William Lutz on
7/1/2011 3:51 PM
Senate Democrats elected Kirk Watson as the new chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, effective at the end of the recently concluded special session. Watson will be assisted by vice chairman Jose Rodriguez (D-El Paso) and Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownville). "I'm excited about this leadership team, and I can't wait to lead the Democrats in defending Texas families who have suffered from the decisions of those in control of the Capitol," Watson said. "Our priorities are the priorities of Texans – quality public education, affordable and accessible health care, and a Texas budget free of the debt, diversions and deception that have played too large a role in the state's finances."
Watson takes over from Sen. Leticia van de Putte (D-San Antonio), who served for eight years. "Chairing the Democratic Caucus has been a wonderful experience, but now is the right time to welcome new leadership so Senate Democrats can hit the ground running when the legislature re-convenes," Van de Putte said. "Nobody is better able to lead us as we move forward than Kirk Watson, and I applaud his election." Van de Putte is set to become president pro tempore of the Senate in the 83rd Legislature, a position rotated based on seniority.
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By William Lutz on
7/1/2011 3:47 PM
Rep. Fred Brown (R-College Station) announced his retirement and thanked his staff from the House floor Wednesday. Brown has represented Brazos County in the Legislature since 1999. Brown moved to Salado to accept a new professional opportunity.
Right after Brown’s announcement, former Texas A&M and NFL football player Seth McKinney announced his candidacy for the open House seat. “I know the value of hard work, have had to meet a payroll, and share the values of the Brazos Valley,” said McKinney. “I am excited about the prospect of fighting for a better future for our children. I bleed maroon and am conservative to the core. And I will not be outworked in this campaign,” said McKinney. He is the son of former Texas A&M University System Chancellor Mike McKinney.
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By William Lutz on
6/30/2011 4:10 PM
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Speaker Joe Straus, and Gov. Rick Perry have all issued statements on the end of the special legislative session. We post excerpts below:
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By William Lutz on
6/27/2011 8:08 PM
Despite coming off a week where very little progress got made, legislators still appear on-track to finish the session by Wednesday and complete all the major work on key bills. The only bills on the Governor's call in danger of failing are the anti-groping bill and a sanctuary cities ban.
To help make sense of all this, here are where the key bills of the special session are right now:
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By William Lutz on
6/26/2011 9:56 PM
History has a way of repeating itself. And sometimes it seems the GOP never learns from its mistakes.
Both of those adages are on display right now in Senate Bill 6. The elected State Board of Education exists for a good reason, and every time Republicans take authority away from it, bad things happen.
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By William Lutz on
6/26/2011 3:10 PM
As expected, the conference report for Senate Bill 6 violates the Republican Party of Texas Platform. The main platform violation is a provision that allows groups of college faculty to produce instructional materials (i.e. textbooks) for school classrooms without any oversight or approval by the elected State Board of Education. The underlying bill is an effort to encourage school districts to use electronic substitutes in lieu of printed textbooks.
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By William Lutz on
6/22/2011 3:22 PM
Texas courts would be prohibited from applying foreign laws – such as Islamic Sharia law – when they conflict with the rights guaranteed by the U.S. and Texas constitutions, if Reps. Leo Berman (R-Tyler) and Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville) have their way.
The House approved a Berman amendment Tuesday to an omnibus courts bill (HB 79) that prohibits Texas courts from applying foreign laws in family cases, when they conflict with constitutional rights. Berman’s amendment was filed during the regular session as HB 911. It passed the Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee unanimously, but died in the House Calendars Committee.
“We have a constitution of the United States and laws of the United States. We have a constitution and laws of Texas,” said Berman, noting that legislators take an oath to the U.S. and Texas constitutions upon taking office, not foreign jurisdictions. “I thought that doing this – prohibiting Texas courts from using any international law, culture, rules, or regulations – would be one way to protect Texas residents from Sharia law.”
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By William Lutz on
6/22/2011 9:01 AM
KXAN reporter Nanci Wilson broadcast a story yesterday that Rep. Ron Reynolds (D-Missouri City) has not filed a personal financial statement, nor paid fines due to the Texas Ethics Commission. Click here to read story on KXAN website. Reynolds defeated long-term Rep. Dora Olivo (D-Rosenburg) in the 2010 Democratic primary.
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By William Lutz on
6/20/2011 4:09 PM
Deal or no deal?
Earlier today we posted a link to an Austin American-Statesman blog post discussing a proposal where amazon would get a 4.5 year exemption from Texas sales tax in exchange for creating at least 5,000 new Texas jobs. But it appears this proposal is exactly that -- a proposal. When LSR asked Rep. John Otto (R-Dayton) about the status of negotiations over the sales tax nexus provision on SB 1, he replied that no one was negotiating with him.
And now -- the Alliance for Main Street Fairness (whose membership includes traditional Texas brick-and-morter retailers) -- has issued a statement blasting the proposal. “Attempts by Amazon.com to get special treatment from Texas lawmakers should have every business owner and taxpayer outraged," said the organization's spokesman Eric Bearse.
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By William Lutz on
6/20/2011 11:28 AM
Barry Harrell reported on the Austin American-Statesman's blog today that a draft conference report on SB 1 is being circulated that grants amazon.com a 4.5 year exemption from collecting sales tax in exchange for creating 5,000 new jobs in the state. Click here to read the blog post.
Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a bill by Rep. John Otto (R-Dayton) to clarify what constitutes "taxable nexus" for purposes of having the physical presence in the state necessary for the state to require collection of state sales tax. The Otto bill then showed up on SB 1, and the House overwhelmingly voted to keep it there. Amazon is currently in litigation with Comptroller Susan Combs about whether it has nexus in Texas. The Otto bill would not directly affect the amazon case, but it would clarify the law for similar situations in the future.
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By William Lutz on
6/17/2011 6:40 PM
Gov. Rick Perry announced his vetoes for the 82nd Texas Legislature, Regular Session. You can read the list of vetoes here. And the item vetoes on the budget can be found here. The item vetoes on the budget consist only of riders for vetoed bills or bills that did not pass. Here is the list of bills filed without the governor's signature.
Among other items, Perry vetoed sunset bills for the Department of Information Technology and the Department of Housing and Community Affairs. While some vetoes will always be controversial, like in 2009, Perry erred on the side of caution with his veto pen this session and there are fewer controversial vetoes.
We'll have more commentary on the vetoes in next week's subscription edition of LSR.
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By William Lutz on
6/14/2011 4:44 PM
What were the hallmarks of President Barack Obama’s stimulus bills? Going into debt spending our grandchildren’s money on big, earmarked public works projects. Sadly, some want the Texas Legislature to adopt a stimulus plan of its own.
Guess what just happened on the omnibus fiscal matters bill in the House Thursday night? The University of Texas lobby succeeded in adding a provision that authorizes new earmarked debt for Obama-style public works projects at state universities.
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By William Lutz on
6/14/2011 3:24 PM
One of the fascinating subplots of this session that the press isn't writing about is the way that the Democrats are alienating the moderate Republicans with their refusal to compromise and non-stop playing of the race card. Nowhere is this more apparant than the spat over the bill that bans sanctuary cities -- a bill that moderate Republicans need to get re-elected. This isn't the Arizona bill -- not even close. In fact, what the bill really does is ban something that's already illegal under federal law and creates a uniform standard of penalties and enforcement.
Of course, that doesn't prevent the Democrats from going on and on about alleged-racial profiling and the like. Rather than make further comment on this issue, we'll just post the federal law banning sancturary cities (8 USC 1373) and let people decide for themselves.
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By William Lutz on
6/13/2011 9:57 AM
The House and Senate made substantial progress in the past few days accomplishing the items on the governor’s call for the special session. After a marathon debate, SB 1 – the fiscal matters bill – has passed the House and is probably headed for a House-Senate Conference committee as early as Tuesday. The appropriations bill SB 2 has also cleared both houses and could go to conference as well.
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By William Lutz on
6/6/2011 5:15 PM
The House is expected to consider bills Wednesday through Friday of this week.
On Wednesday’s calendar is SB 7 – the omnibus Medicaid reform bill. SB 7 includes the Senate’s regular-session health reform package – SB 23, SB 7, and SB 8.
On Thursday, the House calendar includes the school funding and budget-balancing bills (SB 1 and SB 2) on major state. On general state, the House will consider a series of school district flexibility bills. ...
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By William Lutz on
6/6/2011 5:06 PM
The Texas Senate passed a congressional redistricting map 18-12 today along party lines. The map was proposed by the Legislature’s Republican majority and allocates two of the new congressional districts to Republicans, leaving the other two to Democrats.
The map can be viewed at the Texas Legislature’s DistrictViewer website. The map coming out of committee is C136. The adopted amendments are also online. The senate made minor changes to a few precincts in Republican-held districts. Basically, the map passed as it cleared committee. The bill is SB 4 by Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo).
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By William Lutz on
6/6/2011 4:52 PM
The Texas Senate passed a bill today (SB 8) giving school districts more flexibility over their personnel decisions. The bill by Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) reduces the notice and seniority requirements for layoffs, allows school districts to furlough employees, allows school districts to fire teachers who do not maintain their certification, and repeals language that sets a floor on a teacher’s salary based on what he or she made in a prior year.
The bill is opposed by the state’s teacher organizations and passed the Senate on a party-line vote.
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By William Lutz on
6/3/2011 7:25 PM
The Texas Senate passed key bills that fund the public schools for the next two years and make the budget balance today. Specifically, the Senate passed SB 1 – the fiscal matters and school finance bill known as SB 1811 in regular session, SB 2 – which appropriates money to schools and a few other functions of state government, and SB 6 – an instructional materials bill. The three bills have now been sent to the Texas House for further proceedings.
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By William Lutz on
6/3/2011 7:06 PM
Gov. Rick Perry added legislation relating to the operation of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association to the special session call this afternoon.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said house and senate leaders are close to an agreement on reforms to the association.
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By William Lutz on
6/3/2011 7:03 PM
The Texas Senate passed SB 7 by Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Lewisville), an omnibus health care reform and cost control bill. The bill is an amalgamation of SBs 7, 8, and 23 from the regular legislative session. The bill is non-controversial and passed unanimously. The bill has now been sent to the House for further action.
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By William Lutz on
5/31/2011 5:16 PM
On a conference call with bloggers today, Gov. Rick Perry explained his decision to allow the State Board of Education redistricting map to become law without his signature. Many conservatives are upset about how the map treats some of the more conservative members of the State Board of Education.
“I wasn’t particularly happy with that piece of legislation,” Perry said. “I think there was some clear evidence from my perspective that the Legislature was engaged in some gerrymandering – I’ll use that term – against some of the more conservative members of the State Board of Education. As disappointed as I was in that map, I’d rather the Legislature deal with that issue rather than the courts, and that was the option there. If I vetoed that bill, then it went to the courts, and it could have been even worse.”
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By William Lutz on
5/31/2011 4:20 PM
Gov. Rick Perry has added congressional redistricting to the call for the special session that convened today. The two committee chairmen, Rep. Burt Solomons (R-Carrollton) and Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) presented a map they both can endorse. To look at it, go to http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us and click on plan C125.
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By William Lutz on
5/31/2011 9:05 AM
Gov. Rick Perry issued the following call for the special session yesterday evening:
- Legislation relating to fiscal matters necessary for the implementation of House Bill No. 1 as passed by the 82nd Legislature, Regular Session, including measures that will allow school districts to operate more efficiently.
- Legislation relating to healthcare cost containment, access to services through managed care, and the creation of economic and structural incentives to improve the quality of Medicaid services.
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By William Lutz on
5/30/2011 5:52 PM
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced that he will not use the two-thirds rule in the upcoming special session. Bills will pass the senate on the regular order of business via majority vote. He made this announcement in a letter to Gov. Rick Perry issued today announcing what bills he'd like to see on the call for a special session.
"As you know, certain Senate procedures – such as the two-thirds tradition – exist to bring Democrats and Republicans together, encouraging Members to work in good faith in order to achieve positive outcomes for the people of Texas," Dewhurst wrote. "Given that a small number of Senate Democrats have demonstrated their unwillingness to find consensus on these important legislative items, I can see no other alternative than to operate under a simple majority vote in the Special Session."
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By William Lutz on
5/30/2011 5:18 PM
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst wrote a letter to Gov. Rick Perry with a list of bills he would like on the call for the special session. Some -- such as Dewhurst's health care compact and reform bills -- are not a surprise.
But he has also requested for the special session call both congressional redistricting and the bill by Rep. David Simpson (R-Longview) to make groping without probable cause by Transportation Security Administration workers a felony. The Simpson bill died in the waning days of the regular session after senators received a letter from the United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas threatening to challenge the bill in court and shut down Texas airports if the bill passes. We post the entire text of the Dewhurst letter below:
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By William Lutz on
5/30/2011 4:56 PM
The regular session of the Texas Legislature has adjourned sine die. While Gov. Rick Perry has not yet issued a call for a special session, the leaders of both chambers confirmed that the governor will call one starting tomorrow at 8 am. No deals or action on any bills occurred today other than the usual technical correction resolutions. Any bill not adopted yesterday is now dead. Enjoy the sine die party. See all of you tomorrow.
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By William Lutz on
5/29/2011 11:46 PM
Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) filibustered the fiscal matters bill -- SB 1811 -- tonight arguing that it does not provide sufficient funding for education. Senators may attempt to suspend the rules tomorrow to take up the bill. If the suspension motion fails, the bill dies, forcing a special session.
"I'm personally very disappointed. We put a lot of effort into SB 1811, and the school finance bill is something we worked on all session," said Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. "I hope that Sen. Davis's actions don't result in less funding for our schools. I hope this doesn't get reopened in the House." Dewhurst added that "this puts the budget in a crisis."
"Those in charge have asked us to make irresponsible choices, in allowing special interests to preserve taxpayer-funded loopholes while telling educators, students, and working families that we just can't afford to educate Texans," Davis said. "... Cutting $4 billion in state funding for public education will result in thousands of educator job losses, overcrowded classrooms, and it will put an end toour state-funded pre-kindergarten programs."
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By William Lutz on
5/29/2011 3:26 PM
One of the defining figures of 20th Century Texas Republican politics died today. Former Gov. William P. Clements, Jr. was the first Republican governor elected since reconstruction and served two non-consecutive terms -- 1979-1983 and 1987-1991. Gov. Rick Perry issued the following statement:
"Anita and I are deeply saddened today as our state and nation have lost a true pioneer, and a larger-than-life entrepreneur, public servant and, most of all, a Texan. Gov. Clements was a mentor and someone I admired and respected greatly. As the father of the modern day Texas Republican Party, Gov. Clements is responsible for the growth, success and election of Texas Republicans in every corner of our state. Today, Texans and Americans have lost a leader whose leadership, service and patriotism were unparalleled. Anita and I send our deepest sympathy to Rita Crocker Clements and the Clements family during this difficult time.
Today, I have ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the life and service of former Texas Governor William P. Clements, Jr."
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By William Lutz on
5/28/2011 8:49 PM
Mark Miner, director of Communications for Gov. Rick Perry, issued the following statement on the death of the windstorm insurance bill:
“The death of the windstorm insurance bill is bad for Texas taxpayers, insurance customers and coastal residents. By undermining negotiations on important legislation to fix TWIA, the Texas trial lawyers, Steve Mostyn and their allies in the Capitol have put personal enrichment ahead of coastal homeowners and Texas taxpayers.”
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By William Lutz on
5/28/2011 7:23 PM
The Texas Senate has adopted the budget (HB 1), 20-11. Several Democratic Senators attacked the budget, while Sens. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) and Dan Patrick (R-Houston) defended it.
"This budget lives within our means and does not raise taxes," Patrick said in announcing his decision to vote for the budget.
"When we started this process, liberal interest groups were clamoring for a $10 billion increase in spending," said Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. "The Texas budget shows Washington and the other 49 states that it's possible to make government live within its means without raising taxes. This budget makes a historic $15 billion cut from current spending, while still providing ample funding for our good teachers, our school children and our seniors."
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By William Lutz on
5/27/2011 6:25 PM
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Plano), Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth), Rep. Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands) and several other legislators told the Capitol press corps a few hours ago that they have reached an agreement in principle on the budget and school finance. The details of the agreement have not yet been released publicly while the leaders share it with their respective chambers, but Shapiro and Dewhurst gave reporters a brief outline.
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