By William Lutz on
6/19/2009 8:45 PM
It's difficult -- after seeing the list for a couple of hours -- to differentiate which vetoes are the "most" significant. After all, every bill is important to someone.
That said, here are a few notes and initial impressions I have about the governor's vetoes. We'll supplement this throughout the week as new information becomes available.
First, the governor issued several signing statements and veto messages, which are posted on his website and can be viewed here.
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By William Lutz on
6/19/2009 8:20 PM
Since the governor announced his list of vetoed bills, we have received statements from groups praising one or more of his vetoes. We post a selection below:
Brooke Terry, Texas Public Policy Foundation praising veto of pre-K bill, HB 130:
Gov. Perry was correct to veto HB 130, which created an additional and unnecessary government full-day pre-k program. This legislation wrongly focused on inputs rather than results, and did not include the private sector as a full partner in providing early childhood education.
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By William Lutz on
6/19/2009 7:47 PM
Hate Crimes. HPV. And now HB 4294. These are all bills or actions where Gov. Rick Perry took his socially conservative base for granted.
That said, this time, he is at least trying to look like he cares about the concerns of social conservatives, even though the bill -- which he signed -- benefits primarily computer hardware manufacturers.
His executive order -- which can be changed or revoked at anytime and is not a TEA rule or law -- requires the commissioner to let the elected State Board of Education (SBOE) participate in the adoption process set up for electronic textbooks under HB 4294. The entire order can be read here.
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By William Lutz on
6/19/2009 6:17 PM
Gov. Rick Perry has announced the veto of more than 30 bills and three concurrent resolutions. The entire list can be found at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/kvh8qk
We'll post more information on some of the key vetos, signings and whatnot later today and in the coming days.
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By William Lutz on
6/19/2009 4:46 PM
Gov. Rick Perry signed the state budget today. He also released his list of line-item vetos. From first glance, no bombshells like last session's Community College veto. The item vetos can be viewed here.
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By William Lutz on
6/19/2009 4:07 PM
Earlier this week, I wrote a column on House Bill 4294, an electronic textbook bill supported by computer hardware manufacturers and opposed by the conservatives on the State Board of Education. It allows state textbook money to be spent on computer hardware and it takes approval of electronic content away from the elected State Board of Education and hands it to the appointed staff of the Texas Education Agency. It also makes it more likely that school districts will adopt products that cover less than 100 percent of the state curriculum approved by the board.
Here’s a catch. It could set the Legislature and the board on a collision course with the Texas Constitution.
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By William Lutz on
6/19/2009 2:50 PM
Gov. Rick Perry has named Ray Sullivan his chief of staff. Prior to joining the governor's staff, Sullivan was a public relations and communications consultant here in Austin.
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By William Lutz on
6/17/2009 8:39 PM
The Austin American-Statesman's Web site, statesman.com, has published LSR Managing Editor William Lutz's commentary on computerized textbooks. Lutz discusses the role the State Board of Education plays ensuring quality books for all students in the current system.
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By William Lutz on
6/17/2009 8:18 PM
Sunday, LSR Managing Editor gave a commentary on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics with Brad Watson. Lutz discussed the recently concluded legislative session and provided ideas of what should be considered in a special. Lutz's commentary starts at about the 8:30 mark of the program.
You can check out the program here. Inside Texas Politics airs every Sunday on Channel 8 in North Texas every Sunday at 9 a.m.
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By William Lutz on
6/15/2009 11:53 AM
Texas A&M University President Elsa Murano tendered her resignation yesterday. Murano had been given a negative performance evaluation -- which she disputed in a letter to the Texas A&M University Board of Regents -- by Chancellor Mike McKinney. The A&M Board of Regents met today to discuss the situation. The resignation will likely further a significant debate occurring about higher education reform at Texas A&M.
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