U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) today urged Gov. Rick Perry to call an immediate special session to fix school finance, give teachers a pay raise, and provide property tax relief.
Speaking outside the Texas Supreme Court after attending the swearing in of Justice Priscilla Owen to 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Hutchison declined to say what her future political intentions were. However, she said Texas needed "leadership to be shown now more than ever" to do what was right for the state. (...)
Perry also attended the Owen event but did not hold a press conference. Responding to Hutchison's comments, Perry spokeswoman Kathy Walt said Perry was "glad" Hutchison shared the Governor's "displeasure" that the Legislature failed to reach agreement on important school reform and property tax relief. (...)
Asked to comment about her political future, Hutchison said she was in the "home stretch for making the decision for what's right for Texas." She said she had tried to "stay out of the fray" during the 79th Legislature so that lawmakers could make progress on important issues. "I am disappointed like everyone that school finance and especially relief for the property taxpayers of our state were not addressed," Hutchison said.
I'd put more of KBH's quotes in, but it sounds nauseatingly like a campaign ad. "Texas is the greatest state in America and I want us to be the example of how to do things right. I want other states to look to us to be the state that has the creativity and the innovation" blah blah blah. Still, the Hutch-o-meter must have swung back up to the upper 90s by now...
Most of the stories about the end of the legislative session have rightfully focused on the GOP's inability to accomplish any of their main goals this session. But a much more important topic has been ignored-- the success of Democrats in stopping much of the worst legislation and their unprecedented unity.
In 2003 a handful of Democrats stood by Craddick's side the entire session. Not only did they support tort reform, health care cuts and robbing education and social services for cash, they even stood behind him as he gerrymandered Democrats out of Congress. The session was a bleak one as Republicans failed at next to nothing and steamrolled our party with the help of a handful of turncoats.
But something changed after that session. New leadership entered the Texas Democratic Party and these leaders promised that things would never be this way again. Several Craddick D's-- most notably Ron Wilson and Glen O. Lewis-- faced primary challengers that were actually endorsed by the Chairman of the TDP. People were stunned that a party chair would actually endorse in primary races. Chairman Soechting, who was roundly criticized at the time of his election on this blog for being "more of the same", shocked and awed true Democrats all over the state by standing up for core Democratic values. Wilson, Lewis, and at least three other Craddick Ds were defeated in the primaries.
The lesson was made REAL quick-- you screw us over, you aren't going to be in office any more. One of the biggest unreported stories from this session is Sylvester Turner's return to the fold. Battered in the Houston Mayor's race in part because of his sell out of the Party and facing threats of primary challenges this time around, Craddick's top Democrat (now that Wilson is gone) has changed tunes. He gave among the most impassioned speeches against the school finance plan, the tax plan and other efforts to hurt the people of Texas. While he wasn't 100%, he improved this session. Vilma Luna started out the session in her old ways and just the hint of a primary battle scared her straight. Al Edwards is still problematic, and there are some mossback Dems who haven't accounted for their sorry votes, but on the most important issues of the session-- school finance, tax reform and health care, Democrats were united.
The united progressive front helped Democrats kill some bad bills this session. Democratic Senators blocked many of the worst proposals from making it into law, and a concerted effort to expose the school finance and tax plans for what they really were (unfunded mandates crushed on the brow of Texas schools and the largest tax increase in Texas history) made it hard for Republicans to vote for the bills. As it stands Texas was let down by this session, but they can thank Texas Democrats for the fact that they won't be saddled with a host of other terrible fates.
Republicans failed Texas this session, but the only thing standing between working Texans and an even worse disaster were Democratic lawmakers united and fired up by strong Democratic leadership. If we can keep this united, this passionate and this disciplined 2006 could be an exciting year for Democrats across this state.
It seems that since the early 1990s a certain word has left the lips of politicians across this country-- the word "poor". There was a time when poor folks knew that there was a concerted effort to improve their lives. A shifting focus to the middle class has hurt that effort nationally, but thankfully Texas Democrats continue to stand up for the poor (a necessity in one of the poorest states in the entire country). Unfortunately, Republicans have continued to use the poor as their personal ATM-- robbing them of their needed services and their tax dollars in order to pay for their boondoggles for the rich. The DMN spells out a few examples of last minute attacks on the poor.
Lawmakers were able to balance the next two-year state budget with some last-minute maneuvers, but some Democrats complained that poor Texans took a hit in the process.
The Legislature diverted a fund that helped offset electric bills for the poor and opted not to change eligibility checks for the Children's Health Insurance Program to once a year instead of once every six months. The change would have been the best hope for giving health care back to thousands of poor children.
Also, lawmakers once again extended a 1.25 percent tax on telephone service. The tax was to have expired two years ago. (...)
House Speaker Pro Tem Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, was especially upset about losing the 10-percent electricity discount for the poor. About 120,000 of them are served by TXU. Electricity customers in most of the state will continue a tax for the "system benefit fund," but it'll be spent on other programs.
Mr. Turner threatened late Sunday to retaliate by derailing a bill to raise $1.2 billion with higher fees and minor changes to health programs. The measure was crucial to balancing the budget, and Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, rebuffed Mr. Turner's parliamentary maneuver.
The electricity fund also was raided in 2003 to help plug a $10 billion budget shortfall. Lawmakers siphoned enough to reduce the number of eligible households from 750,000 to 350,000, Mr. Turner said.
"Many of them happen to be seniors," he said.
To be eligible, a household's income can't exceed 125 percent of the federal poverty level about $12,000 for a single person, $16,000 for a couple. Through 2007, no one will get a discount.
In CHIP, the state-federal program for youngsters in working-poor households, some experts believe a shift two years ago to eligibility checks every six months contributed more than other cuts to 180,000 children being removed from the rolls. (...)
So 350,000 poor Texans will see an 11% increase in their electric bills, and poor and middle class Texans whose kids depended on CHIP for health care before 2003 who were promised restorations in that session's cuts were disappointed, despite bipartisan efforts to fix to fix the program. Texans who expected a cut in their telephone bill two years ago will have to wait at least two more years to get that relief. Now, whenever Democrats vote for or support a smaller tax cut or a delay of a tax cut than what Republicans want the Republicans call it a "tax increase." Following their own logic, Republicans have supported a tax increase for the last two sessions running.
Poor folks were the punching bag for frustrated Republicans all session. When they needed cash to make up for their proposed (and ultimately, failed) school finance/tax restructuring plan, they raised taxes on poor and middle class Texans. The less you made, the larger the tax increase so the Republican plan would have raised taxes a staggering 5-6%. And poor schools would have seen less money under the "equity" proposals than wealthy schools-- not just in dollars, but in percentage increase. This session could have been a disaster for the poor, but since the Republicans failed miserably in virtually all of their efforts they ended up coming out just beaten and not bludgeoned to death.
The fact of the matter is that the best reason I can find to be a Democrat is that when the cards are down we are for poor folks and the other guys are for rich folks. Being for rich folks means you would rather help out people who don't need any help than help out people who are struggling just to survive. And when you help out poor folks it helps out middle class folks (who are typically one disaster away from abject poverty) and even rich folks (whose prosperity is undermined by the instability a large underclass brings with it). This session proved once and for all that the Democrats are the party of working people and the Republicans the party of the idle rich. Republicans are in trouble now because no one likes a bully and that is exactly what they presented themselves as to the poor here in Texas.
Since I enjoyed adding my snarky asides in compiling the news reports about the end of the "Do Nothing" Texas legislature below, let's take a look at what the newspaper editorial boards had to say:
I'll start with my favorite newspaper in the state, the conservative Dallas Morning News:
Lackluster Finish: Legislature didn't come close on school finance
By now, you probably know that the Texas Legislature wrapped up its 2005 session without finding a solution to the state's school funding crisis. But the reality was that the debate over the school-funding bill was meaningless weeks ago. Neither the House nor the Senate ever came close to putting enough funds into Texas schools. And it's best now that the Texas Supreme Court take over this matter. It's clear the Legislature doesn't want to handle it well.
From the beginning of the session, most of the Republicans who run Austin did not want to raise the taxes necessary to adequately fund schools. They instead took care of their party's base, which doesn't look kindly on any kind of tax hike.
Republicans attended to their base throughout this session. They hupped-to on issues that matter to cultural conservatives, like banning gay marriage. Cultural conservatives and anti-tax folks vote, so party leaders weren't going to disappoint either.
On the harder task of making government work, legislators struggled. Protecting children and the elderly. Managing water resources and combating pollution. Reauthorizing state agencies. Opening government to the public. Overhauling the workers' compensation system. They were all battle zones until the end. The session boasted only a few pieces of major legislation that moved through with some measure of consensus – for example, the state budget and laws governing asbestos suits.
The DMN states the obvious. Republicans are great when they can hyperventilate about taxes, and throw red meat to their base when they are in the minority. When they actually have to govern, Republicans are immediately torn. Do they continue to cater to their base? Or do they actually solve the state's problems? Republicans in the Texas lege clearly took the former (although the budget was a 19% increase from 2003). Most interestingly, the DMN calls for the Texas Supreme Court to take over the matter. Apparently, they feel that the GOP-legislature is so inept and incompetent that the only solution is judicial activism. Wow.
Editorial: Lawmakers once again let down schoolchildren
Texas lawmakers once again have failed the state's children miserably because they couldn't reach an agreement on overhauling the school finance system.
As legislative leaders declared that efforts to increase public school funding and revamp the system were dead, the blame game was under way in the Capitol at NASCAR speeds.
Regardless of who is to blame, the bottom line is that the Legislature failed in the midst of a crisis.
A district court judge has ruled that the system of public school finance is unconstitutional. The Texas Supreme Court is scheduled to review the case in July.
Many school districts are slashing budgets because they already have reached local property tax caps and state funding is not keeping up with growth and inflation.
After lawmakers failed in a 2004 special session on school finance, Gov. Rick Perry declared the issue an emergency during this year's regular session.
In the late hours of the session, Perry and Senate negotiators believed they had an agreement with House leaders, but Speaker Tom Craddick rejected the deal. House members blamed the Senate for acting too slowly.
Barring a successful special session, Texas students will lack adequate support for another school year because of lawmakers' embarrassing failure. Voters should keep that in mind next year.
[A] lesson from this session: Never mind bipartisanship. The Republicans can't even manage a partnership with one another.
House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, proved again that he is not a go-along-to-get-along kind of guy. He has achieved a reputation as the toughest negotiator in state government. But that's misleading, because negotiators, by definition, compromise to get things done. Craddick, a 36-year veteran of the House, doesn't necessarily want government to get things done.
Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, both Republicans, proved they have little influence over Craddick. In last-minute talks, House negotiators apparently agreed to a compromise on school finance legislation. But Craddick rejected it, and the plan died.
My favorite editorial? The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I normally do not post full-length articles, but this editorial deserves to be read in its entirety. Enjoy:
Give 'em an F
When the going got tough this year on the all-important issue of school finance, the Texas Legislature and its leaders couldn't produce what was asked of them.
No excuses, no amount of "we gave it our best" or "this is a very difficult thing to do" will change that.
All of these people, from Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick on down, were elected and sent to Austin with one of their principle assignments being to fix the school funding system.
They failed.
Equally, no amount of casting blame will change this discouraging reality.
But something has to change, because the way that Texas pays for public schools does not meet the needs of its children today and will be disastrously insufficient to educate the increasingly diverse and more difficult to teach children of tomorrow.
The Legislature has been preparing to confront the school finance problem for at least four years, with interim studies, special committees, expensive scholarly reports, advice from experts and even a 30-day special session last year all leading up to the effort to finally address the problem this year.
As if any more incentive were needed, an Austin judge heard weeks of testimony in a lawsuit brought by school districts and in late November ruled that the current school finance system is inadequate and unconstitutional.
State District Judge John Dietz ordered that the school funding system be shut down if the Legislature couldn't come up with a better plan by October. The Texas Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on an appeal of the case July 6.
What went wrong?
This is Texas, and talking about school funding means talking about taxes. Ideology, greed and ego got in the way.
Ideology transformed the effort to reshape school funding into an attempt to redesign the state's tax structure and reduce local property taxes. That turned an already difficult task into a nearly impossible one.
Still, it could have been done, but these legislators and their leaders couldn't do it.
Greed converted the deliberations into thinly veiled attempts to shuffle more money to specific interest groups or protect the money held by others.
Under Craddick's leadership, the House sought special treatment for wealthy school districts and pushed a regressive sales tax increase in order to preserve tax breaks for some businesses. The Senate under Dewhurst's leadership came up with more equitable plans but was not politically or philosophically crafty enough to handle unbending House negotiators -- or Craddick himself -- when it came time to merge differing proposals.
Ego -- or maybe just the temerity that comes from standing on uncertain political ground with next year's election in sight -- kept Perry from exercising the power of his office to move deliberations to a successful conclusion.
Perry has said that he worked decisively and consistently in the background with key legislative leaders. If so, there is little to show for it.
The education reform and school finance bills that were produced during this legislative session, their high points and their low points, will be and should be dissected and studied by interested parties in the coming weeks and probably will be debated in coming political campaigns.
Perhaps they will serve as starting points in the next effort to resolve this pressing problem.
That's good, but after years of looking to the Legislature for help, Texas public schools and the people who are dedicated to educating the state's children are left with a still-uncertain future.
This Legislature, and these state leaders, could not show results.
It's certainly ironic that in the first session following an election where Republicans achieved complete power with majorities in Congress, the state Senate, the State House, and a lock on all Texas Constitutional offices - they are unable to accomplish much of anything. Newspapers across the state report...
One hundred forty days ago, Texas lawmakers came to Austin promising to find a fair and legal way to pay for public education and to lower school property taxes.
During the next five months, they passed a two-year state budget that's more than 10 percent larger than the current budget. They garnered national attention by trying to ban sexy cheerleading in high schools. And they sent 1,370 bills to Gov. Rick Perry, including overhauls of the state's workers' compensation and Child Protective Services systems. [...]
As lawmakers left town late Monday, the question of how to pay for public schools and ease the burden on property owners remained unanswered. And that inaction by the Republican-controlled Legislature may well be the enduring legacy of the 79th Legislature.
The failure of a school finance plan is the failure of one party, and one party alone. We can thank Tom Craddick for that.
Craddick this month kept Democrats off the conference committees that negotiated school finance reform. And, earlier in the session, House Democrats, with a lone Republican, tried to bypass a committee vote and force a vote by the full House to further limit corporate money in elections. GOP groups are accused of misusing corporate dollars in 2002.
But House Republicans — even those who had co-sponsored the measure — shot it down, saying Democrats needed to respect the usual legislative process. (That process killed it in committee a few days later.)
Texas lawmakers closed out a disappointing regular session and headed home Monday, touting a few notable accomplishments but leaving their No. 1 priority – the funding of public schools – in the dust. [...]
"I can't tell you how angry I am," said Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas. "My constituents were expecting school finance reform, property tax reform and Robin Hood reform – and we couldn't deliver on any of it."
It didn't help that the leaders of the two chambers – Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick – were sharply at odds over their respective plans and who's to blame. [...]
The session will be judged by the major issues not addressed, said Rep. Jim Dunnam of Waco, the House Democratic leader.
"We came in with a landmark opportunity to fix our schools, and that was not accomplished," he said. "The major pieces of policy that we should have taken care of were not taken care of."
"This has been a very successful session," Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said. "We've had a lot of important legislation pass."
Dewhurst said "we're not giving up" on school finance, adding that he'd talked with House Speaker Tom Craddick on Monday despite their differences on the issue.
Craddick, who also judged the session a success, agreed that he and Dewhurst "said we're going to try to work together and see if we can find some kind of resolution" on school finance. [...]
Even before the session ended, Perry was touting lawmakers' work trying to reach agreement on schools and noting other legislative accomplishments.
"I don't know how big the mountain's got to be before we say, 'Heck of a session.' But we're real close to it," Perry said in the session's closing days as he announced agreement on workers' compensation and noted restrictions on asbestos lawsuits.
What a load of crap. Sen. Wentworth, for one, isn't buying it:
Even before the session ended, Perry was touting lawmakers' work trying to reach agreement on schools and noting other legislative accomplishments.
"I don't know how big the mountain's got to be before we say, 'Heck of a session.' But we're real close to it," Perry said in the session's closing days as he announced agreement on workers' compensation and noted restrictions on asbestos lawsuits.
One hundred and forty days of raucous politics came to an end Monday, the last day of a Texas legislative session that will probably be remembered as much for what failed as what passed.
Lying in the recycle bin were thousands of pages of what might have been: a new school finance system, a property tax cut, legalized slot machines, an overhaul of ethics laws, private school vouchers and the Willie Nelson Highway. [...]
"It's all over but the explaining," said Ross Ramsey, editor of the political newsletter Texas Weekly. "On the biggest issue of the session, they're going home empty-handed."
Tarrant County Republican Chair clarifies the priorities of of the "conservative movement":
Perry is wasting no time getting the message to conservative Republican voters that he has delivered. The governor has scheduled an event next weekend at Calvary Cathedral in Fort Worth, where he plans to sign legislation requiring minor girls to have written parental consent before they can get an abortion. He'll also sign a constitutional amendment -- it's just a formality, because only the voters can make it law -- designed to place an existing ban on gay marriage in the state constitution.
Voters will decide on the prohibition in November.
According to a letter sent by Perry's campaign, and forwarded by e-mail to supporters, Perry officials "want to completely fill this location with pro-family Christian friends who can celebrate with us" and might film the event for TV advertising later.
Pat Carlson, chairwoman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, said that if Hutchison runs against Perry, "it's very possible" that footage from the event would be used.
Carlson called the recently concluded meeting "not the best session, but not a bad session" and said that conservatives cared more about the abortion issue than changing the state's school finance system.
"School finance wasn't necessarily a priority of the conservative movement," Carlson said.
Ok, I think I get it. Gays = NO! Abortion = NO! KIDS, uhmmm = NO WAY! At least someone is honest about the priorities of the "conservative movement". As long as the gays and abortionists are stopped, who cares about the kids?
State Rep. Aaron Pena (D) has some end of session notes over at his blog.
Of interest...
Pena predicts that a special session will be called near the end of June.
The Mexican-American Legislative Caucus picked Veronica Gonzalez and Rafael Anchia Freshmen of the Year.
The Democratic Caucus picked Yvonne Gonzalez-Tourilles and Marc Veasey for Freshmen of the Year.
The Legislative Study Group picked Hubert Vo their Freshman of the Year.
Melissa Noriega was given the "Joe Moreno Award" by the Democratic Caucus.
Rep. Rafael Anchia honored the late Rep. Joe Moreno by wearing a Houston Rockets jersey on the floor of the House.
In other news, via email, the Texas Legislative Black Caucus elected new officers:
Chair -- Representative Senfronia Thompson, Houston
1st Vice Chair -- Representative Terri Hodge, Dallas
2nd Vice Chair -- Representative Ruth Jones McClendon, San Antonio
Treasurer -- Representative Marc Veasey, Fort Worth
Secretary -- Representative Dawnna Dukes, Austin
Parliamentarian -- Representative Jesse Jones, Dallas
Legal Council -- Representative Joe Deshotel, Beaumont
No DINO's on this list... A special thanks for the leadership of the outgoing chair Garnet Coleman, and he certainly leaves the caucus in good hands with Senfronia Thompson.
Silly legislators, everything is necessarily self-identical:
Jonathan Ichikawa writes:
Here is the full text of the newly proposed section of Article I of the Texas Constitution, proposed by HJR 6, which has been passed by both chambers:
Sec. 32. (a) Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.
(b) This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.
Well, yes, everything is self-identical. Nonetheless, though, this is one of those situations where a court would probably just sort of laugh and point to the clear legislative intent, viz., spiting them danged homos. And we all know there's nothing wrong or controversial with that!
Meanwhile, Our Dumb LegislatureTM continues to kill progress dead on the education front. As Kuff notes, school finance and tax reform is pretty much over with for this session, which ends in, oh, something like 48 hours. Would thirty more days help? Need we ask?
Remember now, this was the third attempt. The Senate took a shot at it in 2003 by unanimously passing a tax reform bill. The House and Governor Perry immediately pissed on it, and it was never spoken of again. (Anyone else think the bad blood this session between David Dewhurst and Tom Craddick can be traced back to that?) Perry called a special session in 2004, which petered out before the 30-day deadline having accomplished nothing other than the House voting 126-0 against a plan he himself put forward. And now this, thanks in part to Perry's special brand of leadership. I know this sort of thing is hard, but how much time and how many chances do you get before you're branded an abject failure?
Now here's a radical idea folks: why don't we just follow the advice of crazy hippies like Ivan Illich (rest in peace), and make school optional? After all, our fine role models in the House and Senate are sending a strong message to children that education really isn't that important anyways.
Update: Turns out my day-counting skills were off. I thought the Session ended on Tuesday. Kuff says it's practically already over. The House Web site says they've recessed for lunch and will start anew at 2:30; but nonetheless, they've got to finish by midnight. Unless I slept longer than I thought, I was wrong.
House and Senate negotiators agreed Friday to overhaul Texas' troubled child protection agency by slashing investigative caseloads and relying more on private contractors.
es at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. [...]
Conferees removed from the final version a House amendment that would have banned gay foster parents. [...]
Rep. Robert Talton, R-Pasadena, who authored the amendment to ban gay foster parents, refused to sign the compromise.
"The bill was about child protective services and adult protective services. I certainly didn't want it to get sidetracked on an entirely different issue that was very volatile," said House sponsor Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, R-Lampasas.
Hupp said she is "mildly concerned" that Talton might try to sway conservative members against the bill, but she predicted such an attempt would not succeed.
"I believe (House members) will see the greater issue at hand, which is the reformation of those agencies," she said.
With this victory, it's never too early to look ahead towards 2006. The Austin Chronicle reports:
Gay rights advocates predict a victory at the ballot box in 2006 – even if Texans approve a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages this year. The reason? Political and social activists will pull out all stops to ensure that certain lawmakers receive a thorough drubbing at the polls next year, said Randall Ellis, executive director of the Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas.
The targeted lawmakers were already on shaky ground before voting to place the divisive gay marriage question on the Nov. 8 ballot. For example, Austin Rep. Todd Baxter angered constituents early in the session with his vote for a roundly hated school finance bill, just four months after narrowly surviving a re-election bid in his West Austin swing district. [...]
The Democrats' political hit list for 2006 mainly focuses on the House side, where Baxter and Houston Republicans Martha Wong and Joe Nixon are viewed as the most vulnerable. Wong's district takes in a portion of Houston's gay community in Montrose; she is said to be eyeing a state senate seat in a more conservative district, but that depends on whether the incumbent, Kyle Janek, steps aside to seek U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's seat, who may or may not run for governor next year.
There are other House members at risk. Democratic Party strategist Kelly Fero points to a few seemingly sacred cows – Public Education Chairman Kent Grusendorf, R-Arlington, and chief homophobes Robert Talton, R-Pasadena, and Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, who is the lead sponsor of the same-sex marriage prohibition. Fero said Talton and Chisum are both susceptible – "not because the numbers on paper demonstrate their vulnerability, but because their arrogance and intolerance have become an embarrassment."
Some interesting gossip here. This is the first time I've heard that Kyle Janek is considering a run for U.S. Senate. In terms of targeting, Wong and Baxter are in the obvious first tier of most any Democratic target list. Nixon, Talton and Grusendorf are a bit further down the list (and Chisum a lot further down the list), but I would certainly like to see all of the above be challenged by a strong, well-funded Democrat.
Before the membership learns the identities of the "Freshmen of the Year" I will take the liberty (with Yoda's blessing) of breaking the news to the readers of this journal who the winners are. There were a number of top notch members in the running. John Otto (R) and Armando Martinez (D) are the recipients.
Best wishes to all the Freshmen class who have done a fine job this session.
A plan to make Texas one of the first states with a large-scale voucher program died Monday night after a raucous debate and a series of close votes in the House.
After the bill was gutted to make vouchers available only for public and not private schools, Speaker Tom Craddick sustained a parliamentary challenge that killed the issue for this session. [...]
Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston, was one of several members who tried to strip the pilot program from the bill.
"This is a proposal that would drain millions of dollars from public school budgets at a time we can't seem to come up with money for textbooks we've already promised to the kids," said Hochberg.
Hochberg's amendment was tabled 72-71, with Craddick casting the deciding vote after an initial vote yielded a tie. Houston Democrats Kevin Bailey and Harold Dutton were not present for the vote. [...]
A second vote on another amendment to strip the provision failed on a 72-72 tie with Craddick voting to table the amendment.
After that, however, Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, succeeded with two amendments that proved lethal. One stripped out the Dallas and Fort Worth districts, and the other removed private and parochial schools.
The chamber was buzzing Monday with word that Craddick and longtime Republican backer James Leininger were pressuring undecided lawmakers in a back office.
Leininger, a San Antonio businessman, has used part of his fortune to set up a voucher program there.
One lawmaker said at least 12 Republicans had been called into a meeting. Craddick's office would neither confirm nor deny the widespread reports about Leininger's presence.
It's not as bad as Bo Pilgrim handing out $10,000 checks on the state senate floor, but Leninger is one of the top GOP donors in Texas, and I would not be surprised if bribes or primary challenge threats were made in the Speaker's office to state house members.
Update: You can watch the debate from yesterday on the house floor here. The Quorum Report has much more including time markers for several of the important moments.
Update: In the Pink Texas reports that Madla switched sides to allow a vote to bring up the bill.
Update 1:50 PM: Rules are suspended by a 21-8 vote.
Update 2:26 PM: These debates sometimes get amusing. On floor amendement 8, Sen. Van de Putte proposed and withdrew a "some sex" amendment.
Update 2:28 PM: HJR 6 adopted by a 21-8 vote. The 21 votes were all Republicans except for Brimer who was absent along with Democratic Senators Armbrister, Lucio and Madla. The other 8 Democratic Senators voted against HRJ 6.
More: In the Pink Texas has some more on the HJR 6 Senate sponsor Todd Staples.
More: The amendment will be put to a statewide vote on November 8, 2005. BOR will keep you updated with the latest on the amendment and the NO on HJR 6 campaign.
A historically dangerous and discriminatory constitutional amendment is headed to Texas voters. The Anti-Gay Texas Marriage Amendment (HJR 6) passed the Texas Senate this afternoon. The amendment was approved by a vote of 21 to 8, narrowly meeting the two-thirds majority required.
The amendment has been cleared to appear on a statewide ballot this November. This would mark the first time in history that a minority group would be singled out in the constitution in order to be denied rights. Constitutions are historically treated as sacred documents, designed to preserve rights and ensure equality for all.
Randall Ellis, Executive Director of the Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas, says the amendment is dangerous. "This amendment is potentially devastating to thousands of Texas families, gay and straight alike," Ellis said. "Domestic partnership benefits, powers of attorney, and even common law marriage will be called into question by this amendment. These are consequences that are supposedly unintended, according to the amendment's authors. But this is clearly a discriminatory act, designed to strike at our community at its fundamental level: our families. The Legislature is obviously willing to sacrifice all Texas families for this unjust agenda of intolerance and discrimination."
Marriage affords hundreds of legal rights, responsibilities and obligations, like the ability to visit a spouse in the hospital, social security benefits, second parent adoptions and many more. These are denied to thousands of loving, committed gay couples across Texas, many of them raising families of their own.
This amendment would, in effect, solidify LGBT Texans' status as second-class citizens.
Our pink friends, In the Pink Texas and PinkDome are liveblogging the HJR 6 Senate (gay marriage amendment) hearing.
Earlier today, however, there was good news for opponents of the amendment. The Austin American Statesman legislature blog reports:
An effort to add a ban gay marriage to the Texas Constitution has met resistance from a bloc of state senators, but Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said today he is trying to win passage for the proposal.
Dewhurst said 11 senators have sent him a letter saying they’ll block the measure. That’s enough to stop it from coming to the Senate floor because a proposal needs votes from 21 of the 31 senators to come up for debate. Because the resolution calls for a change in the constitution, which also takes 21 of 31, it’s also enough to stop the bill.
“We have a letter from 11 senators asking that HJR 6 not be brought up,” he said. “At the same time I have talked to several of the senators, and I believe that we probably will have the votes to suspend.”
“Suspend” is Senatespeak for bringing a bill to the floor. No promises yet about the bill passing.
The State Affairs Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the measure this afternoon. The House passed the measure several weeks ago.
Passing the ban out of the Senate and helping it find its way to a public ballot this fall would be a key victory for Dewhurst among the social conservatives who vote in the Republican primary.
My guess is that the 11 senators are all senate Democrats sans Armbrister. I'll update when I know for sure.
Just when we thought it was dead, the parental consent bill has passed both the House and Senate in the past couple of days. This afternoon, it passed the Senate by a vote of 24-5:
Parents would have to consent before their young daughters could have an abortion under legislation approved Wednesday in the Senate.
Current law requires girls under 18 to notify their parents before having an abortion. If a girl can prove informing her parents would result in abuse, a judge can bypass the notification.
This bill would require doctors to get consent from the parent of a girl under 18 before they could perform an abortion.
The House gave final approval to an abortion consent bill Tuesday. The House bill also prohibits abortions for women who have carried a child for more than 26 weeks, unless having the baby would jeopardize the woman's life or the baby had serious brain damage.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 3,499 abortions were performed on girls younger than 18 in Texas in 2002, the most recent year for which such data is available.
The Senate bill was approved on a 24-5 vote, with little debate.
Marc Campos will be working for another candidate - Laura Salinas. Meanwhile, Kuff brings news that a stealth Republican candidate may run as a Democrat in the district. I posted yesterday on another Democratic candidate, Ana Hernandez.
It's tough to think about how the special election for Joe Moreno's seat will play out, but it is a safe Democratic district, and I hope that a progressive Democrat will continue Joe Moreno's legacy. One candidate, supported by State Rep. Jessica Farrar (D-Houston) is Ana Hernandez.
Here is an email forwarded to me by a labor leader:
Democrat State Representative Jessica Farrar comes to Jacinto City, in celebration of Cinco de Mayo and introduces Ana Hernandez, the former Legislative Aide of the late Joe Moreno and candidate to fill his unexpired term.
Representative Farrar announces to the celebrating participants and tearful, but joyful Moreno supporters, the candidacy of Joe's former aide, Ana Hernandez, to seek the District 143 seat to continue Moreno's legacy and serve out his term.
Ana Hernandez, after serving two Legislative Sessions with Representative Farrar and then loyally serving Representative Moreno, completed her studies at the University of Texas with Joe'support and now having passed the State Bar Exam is sufficiently experienced and educated in dealing with Legislative affairs.
Farrar said many of Joe's close friends knew of his grooming Ana's for future Elected Legislative Service.
The speculation is Governor Perry will take the necessary action to bring about an election possibly in September to fill the vacant seat.
It is my prayer that Democrats will unite and rally to make certain of my late friend Joe Moreno's desire to see his Aide, Ana Hernandez, become an elected Official.
For those of us who loved Joe, what a great tribute each of us can make to him by helping to elect one of his former Aides to serve out his term.
Respectfully,
Allan R. Jamail
COPE Chairman / Political Education Committee / Organizer
Pipefitters Local Union 211
2535 Galveston Rd. Houston, Texas 77017-1999
News 8 Austin reports that Rep. Al Edwards (D-Can't Handle It) Bill to ban sexually suggestive high school routines has dead ended in the Senate.
Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said her education committee has more important things to consider.
Rep. Al Edwards, D-Houston, had won approval of his bill in the House. He said sexually suggestive routines in high schools are distractions that result in pregnancies, dropouts and the contraction of AIDS and herpes.
Shapiro said standards should be decided by parents and school districts.
Edwards acknowledged that his measure was probably dead for this legislative session, but he vowed to bring it up again.
I'm glad that the Education Committee has more important things to do. Apparently the Hate Affairs Committee does not.
Today was a rare good day in the Texas House for supporters of a woman's right to choose. House Democrats successfully stalled HB 1212 past the deadline for filing new bills with two sustained Points of Order this week. The Houston Chronicle reports:
House bill that would have required girls younger than 18 to get consent from one of their parents before having an abortion died Thursday because of a technical error.
Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, said he was disappointed his bill failed again this session. It failed when he filed it in 1999, 2001 and 2003. [...]
Current Texas law requires that parents of a minor be notified before their daughter has an abortion. A judge, however, can allow bypass of the notification.
Under King's bill, girls who did not want to involve their parents for fear of abuse or did not have parents who could give consent would have been able to seek judicial bypass. [..]
The bill also would have increased the evidence necessary to bypass parental involvement. Rather than just proving that abuse would be likely, as current law requires, girls would have to prove they would certainly be in harm's way.
Essentially, the King bill would increase the burden of proof on the victim of child abuse, rape, incest, etc. I thought that Republicans were for victim's rights - that is unless it relates to abortion.
Update: Kuff also brings the good news of the defeat of another bad bill - HB 1167.
Despite offering limited tax relief for some of the poorest people, a Senate tax overhaul would raise taxes for most Texans, at least initially, legislative analysts reported Monday.
Only households with incomes of more than $140,853 a year would realize a net tax cut — an average of 1.52 percent — under the swap of higher state taxes for lower school property taxes in fiscal year 2007, when the trade-off is fully in place.
A tax bill approved earlier by the House also is weighted in favor of the wealthiest Texans, although the two plans differ significantly in details...
All other income categories would get a net tax increase. Overall, that would mean a tax increase for 80 percent of Texas families, said the Center for Public Policy Priorities, which advocates for middle- and low-income people.
Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) tries to spin this as the result of cigarette taxes; apparently working families spend more of their income on ciggies than the wealthy. That's probably true - a pack-a-day habit is a pack-a-day habit, regardless of whether you're making $20,000 a year or $200,000.
Of course, sin taxes, like all consumption taxes, tend to be regressive in this way (you know, because a three-meal-a-day habit is a three-meal-a-day habit regardless of income). Moreover, sin taxes tend to fall on those pesky things that the powerful folks in the Lege simply don't approve of. Did the bill drafters sincerely believe that cutting slightly regressive property taxes and shifting the burden to highly regressive consumption taxes would not have this sort of distributional impact?
Granted, this effect is ameliorated ever-so-slightly by the new business tax (although the bottom line, as noted above, is still negative for four out of five Texans), and the Senate bill is better than the House bill. But it enrages me greatly that the Lege will use smoke-and-mirrors legislation to dress up a tax hike for working families while refusing to hold a simple up-or-down vote on an income tax bill which would be a real tax cut for most Texans.
Update: The always calm, cool, and collected (mostly cool) Kuff has his thoughts here.
There's often more than a few reasons to oppose a bill; but a reader directs us to 93 reasons why HB 1167, a bill intended to reform fair housing laws, is bad for Texas.
After skimming the text and reading the committee report, I can see why Reps. Talton (yes, that Talton), Wong, et al. think they're doing a favor for Texans. Like many statutes, this one is very long and somewhat technical, and I don't have the time or expertise to fully understand it. But on balance those 93 reasons TLIHIS has argued seem awfully compelling. What seems most worrisome to me are the amendments that appear to eliminate reporting that assists in enforcement of civil rights and fair housing laws (the committee report says the reporting is "unnecessary", but given the history of housing segregation in Texas and elsewhere, I'd say that might be a bit of a cavalier attitude.) Having briefly encountered the federal Fair Housing Act in reading for a class, I do know that these laws can be somewhat of a pain in the neck for landlords, but I'd rather the laws get enforced than not, wouldn't you?
Many Texans of both parties are remembering the life of State Rep. Joe Moreno who was killed last night in a car accident. Here are some of things that have been written today about Joe Moreno.
"Texas Democrats are saddened by the tragic death early this morning of our friend, Joe Moreno.
Joe represented Houston's east end with integrity and aplomb. His deeply rooted commitment to mainstream values made his constituents proud and embodied what his party stands for.
With respect and great sadness, the Harris County Democratic Party mourns the loss of this dedicated public servant and extends its deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones.
Gov. Rick Perry today ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at state buildings in memory of State Rep. Joe Moreno
“Anita and I are saddened by the loss of a respected member of the Legislature who served his constituents with great dedication and integrity, Rep. Joe Moreno,” Perry said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Joe’s family and friends during this difficult time. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.”
"We are in shock this morning. Nothing can prepare you for the sudden loss of someone that you see and talk with everyday. Joe was a young man with a bright future who early on, distinguished himself in his district and in the House," said Speaker of the Texas House Tom Craddick.
He said that he had been at the hospital since hearing the news.
"This has been a discouraging and heartbreaking morning in which I have prayed for everyone involved. We are grateful that Rafael and Monica are okay, but my wife Nadine and I are so grieved for the loss of Joe and for what his family must now face."
Alison and I were deeply saddened to receive word this morning that our friend, State Representative Joe Moreno, lost his life in a tragic automobile accident and we wish to extend our most heartfelt sympathies to his family.
Joe was a stand-up guy with a big heart, a great sense of humor and a strong dedication to public service. I got to know him best when we were all fighting together to stop redistricting in 2003. Joe didn’t play games and he didn’t make any of us beg; he said he would be in the fight all the way - and he was. Every Democratic member of the Texas congressional district was extraordinarily grateful.
It is always difficult to find words to adequately express feelings at a time of sorrow but perhaps some solace can be found in knowing that while Joe was taken much too soon, memories of him will live on and on – memories of a big, happy man doing whatever he could to lift up those around him. Joe, you will be sorely missed by so many. May God’s peace shine upon you in the better place you now find yourself.
What I remember about Joe was his love of politics, gadgets and sports. In fact he and Rep. Anchia supposedly had a friendly wager on the Rockets-Mavericks series, where the loser would have to wear the jersey of the winning team. Rafael is from Dallas and Joe from Houston.
Joe also loved to show me all the latest electronic gadgets. The cell phone I use was recommended to me by Joe. He was always one step ahead of the pack, always looking for the newest item coming out of Japan or Germany.
The second anniversary of the Killer D's is coming up next week. Joe was a good friend and an important participant in those trying times in Ardmore. Joe had shirts printed up and playing cards made to share with the other members. I remember we all spent one very special night at a "rib joint" called Budrows in Ardmore. About 15 reps. gathered for a good meal as we enjoyed the camaraderie of the moment. Joe was the life of the evening.
Joe, we are all going to miss you. Thank you for your service but most especially for your friendship.
And when we gather next week to remember those perilous days in Ardmore, we will all take a moment to remember you brother.
My good friend State Representative Joe E. Moreno had died in a car accident. Joe was going back to Austin after the Rockets game late last night. I was at the game last night, didn't see Joe - now I wish I had.
Talked to Joe a couple of times last week about politics. I told him earlier in the year that I thought it was gutsy of him to be one of the four House members to cast a vote against Tom Craddick for Texas House Speaker. Privately I was proud that one of my guys had the fortitude to stand up and do the right thing.
Joe was a client. I put together his winning strategy for his election to the state House in 1998. I met Joe when he was working for former State Representative Al Luna.
Joe loved life. I can't believe he's gone. In my office I have his campaign letterhead, envelopes, and photos. What to you do with his stuff?
Pink Dome is going to liveblog the debate on the Anti-Booty Bill now being debated on the House floor. Yes, this is a real bill. Legislators think it is a priority to ban overly 'suggestive' dancing squads at your hometown football games.
Sec. 33.088. CERTAIN SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE PERFORMANCES
PROHIBITED.
(a) A school dance team, drill team, cheerleading team, or any other performance group may not perform in a manner that is overtly sexually suggestive at an athletic or other extracurricular event or competition sponsored or approved by a school district or campus.
(b) If the commissioner determines that a performance group described by Subsection (a) has performed in an overtly sexually suggestive manner, the commissioner shall inform the appropriate school district and the district shall take appropriate action against the performance group and the group's sponsor, as determined by the district.
Update- Initial vote ties 64-64. Much groaning. Motion by McCall to not reduce ANY of the debate to text passes. Motion for roll call. Final vote... 65-56. IT PASSED?!?! I'm waiting on the registry of votes but from listening to debate, my latest unfavorite Rep., Patrick Rose voted FOR this bill.
Let's hope this dies a painful death in the Senate and the House gets ridiculed on every News Station "legit or illegit" to quote Rep. Dukes from earlier debate on the bill.
In a move that will make Kuff happy, 11 of our 12 Democratic Senators signed a pre-emptive letter saying "no thanks" to the Republican's move to require more layers of red tape to our ability to cast votes in this state.
Eleven Democrats sign letter to block voter picture ID bill
As the Texas House tries once again to pass HB1706 by Mary Denny, Senate Democrats have signed its death warrant.
The bill would require photo id or two aleternatives in combination with a voter registration card in order to vote. Democrats complain that the bill creates undue obstacles to voting for the elderly and students, among others. They also argue that this is part of a nationwide Republican effort to disenfranchise voters.
Senate Democrats have rendered the next several hours of House debate moot by signing a letter indicating that they will not vote to suspend the rules in order to bring up the bill. Senate requires 2/3s of the 31 members to vote to suspend before a bill can be heard.
I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Armbrister was the one who didn't sign it.
We thought it was over. We were told and assured that it would die in committee. But this is Texas and things are of course, always too good to be true.
Speaker Craddickannounced his 5 appointments to the conference committee for SB 6, the Child Protective Services (CPS) Reform bill:
Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp (R- Lampasas), Rep. Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio), Rep. John Davis (R-Houston), Rep. Robert Talton (Bigot-Pasadena), and Rep. Toby Goodman (R-Arlington).
Talton seemingly has little connection to the bill: he wasn’t a member of the Human Services Committee that crafted the House plan. He is chair of the Urban Affairs Committee and is a member of the civil practices and redistricting committees.
Rep. Suzanna Hupp, R-Lampasas, is chairwoman of the Human Services Committee and author of the House reform plan. She, along with Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, will head the negotiations. Nelson is author of the Senate reform plan.
Reps. John Davis, R-Houston, and Toby Goodman, R-Arlington, both members of the Human Services Committee, were appointed to the conference committee. Rep. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, the fifth committee member, was chairman of the Human Services Committee last session and crafted the Adult Protective Services reform part of SB 6.
So now it comes down to Republicans v. Republicans. The author of the Bill v. the author of the amendment. But don't let the conference committee stop Talton's idiocy. From another Statesman article...
"If I can find it in another bill, I will certainly do that, if it doesn't survive SB 6," Talton said. "I can't imagine the Senate pulling that out. I would be very surprised."
Lawmakers can add amendments to bills that deal with related topics. Late in the legislative session, legislators often attach bills that have little chance of passage on their own to larger pieces of legislation....
Hupp spoke against Talton's proposal but ultimately voted in favor of it. Gov. Rick Perry has dismissed the ban as a secondary issue that could get in the way of overhauling Child Protective Services.
What, Gov. Good-Hair not towing the Right Wing Faction's "Gays-Are-The-Antichrist" line? What's he thinking, that it's a shitty piece of legislation (duh)?
And for all you in the Austin area, here's how Central Texas House members voted on the amendment to ban gay, lesbian and bisexual people from being foster parents. The amendment passed the House last week by a vote of 81-58.
In favor: (meaning wrong) Reps. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown; Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs; Mike Krusee, R-Williamson County; Todd Baxter, R-Austin.
Against: (meaning right) Reps. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin; Terry Keel, R-Austin; Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin; Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin; and Mark Strama, D-Austin.
I was in the process of writing a story about Democrats attempt to bypass committee and bring the campaign finance reform bill to the House floor for a vote (considering there are 92 co-sponsors) but the Statesman online has a breaking news note (no story yet) that the issue may now be dead.
BREAKING NEWS
Campaign finance reform scuttled. Measure may be dead for the session. More to come at statesman.com on this developing story.
I mean, seriously, the legislature has much more important things to be doing like protecting the State from already illegal gay marriages.
Campaign finance legislation apparently died Thursday on the House floor in a unusual showdown over rules between Speaker Tom Craddick and proponents of House Bill 1348.
The House voted 95-36 against a motion that would have taken the legislation out of the Elections Committee and straight to the House floor for a vote.
Rep. Terry Keel, D-Austin (Ed note- that should be an R, and did you know Keel voted with Democrats against the anti-gay foster care amendment? Maybe Rose could chat with him and Casteel), who is Craddick's expert on legislative rules, warned members they were driving a stake in the heart of the legislation.
"I think this stunt kills it," he said after the vote.
Keel, who had been a co-sponsor of the legislation, said the bill was being used as a partisan shot at Craddick and he argued that Thursday's vote was in support of the orderly legislative process.
Rep. Tommy Merritt, R-Longview, raised the motion calling for an immediate House vote. He denied that Democratic colleagues had put him up to it....
The bill has been co-sponsored by more than half the House's 150 members and Craddick has promised that the Elections Committee will vote on the measure next week. But committee chairwoman Mary Denny, R-Aubrey, says, it doesn't have enough support to clear her panel.
I wasn't aware that the Texas Department of Agriculture had asked the Legislature for a half-million dollar appropriation to study--of all things--the state's wild hog population.
My problem is that I can't decide whether or not the appropriation is as stupiud as it really sounds or not.
The appropriation request came to my attention via an AP story which happens to mention Van Zandt County, my home county.
Our little hamlet made news back in 2003-04 when our County Commissioners actually placed a $7 bounty on each wild hog killed. You had merely to bring a complete set of wild hog ears to the County Extension Office to collect your bounty. And, in a time of tight budgets, the county shelled out about $14,000 for about 2,000 killed feral hogs.
I don't dispute that wild (or feral) hogs are a problem. I've seen first-hand the damage they can do to land and crops.
What I'm wondering is why it will take $500,000 to study how to control the population? Can't the state look at some other population control studies for other incorigible species and perhaps transfer some of those methods to the wild hogs, maybe to the tune of $100,000 or $250,000 instead of half a million?
If you have no idea what a "feral hog," is or what they do and are wondering why in the heck the state would appropriate one red cent for such a project, read a selection from the AP article:
In short, the nation's largest feral hog population is making a mess of Texas.
Farmers and ranchers - who sustain an estimated $52 million annually in damage at the snouts of the rapidly growing wild hog population - are asking the legislature and hunters for help controlling the estimated 2 million animals.
"Bring an AK-47, because that's what you'll need," Canton cattle rancher Don Metch said.
The nocturnal, omnivorous hogs can grow to 400 pounds and have four fierce-looking tusks that can extend five inches from their top and bottom jaws. They're more bristly and muscular than domestic pigs, and they can be ill-tempered when cornered.
Feral hogs are found in 230 of the state's 254 counties, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department estimates. Nationwide, hogs number 4 million in 42 states, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.
[...]
The Texas Department of Agriculture has asked legislators for $500,000 to start a two-year pilot program to study the hogs in hopes of controlling them. In the meantime, Texas relies on its year-round hunting season.
Still, the hogs are causing all sorts of damage in the nation's No. 2 agriculture state.
They uproot sweet potatoes, peanuts, corn, rice and other crops. So keen are their snouts that hogs can pull up plants one by one. But they're typically not so tidy and just tear up pastures. Sweet potato farmers have reported dozens of acres destroyed in one night.
Beef producers say the hogs knock down fences and tear holes in pasture to get to grass roots and grub worms. They also kill goats, sheep and other small livestock.
[...]
The hogs are descendants of domestic pigs brought to America in the 1600s by French and Spanish explorers, and of Eurasian boars brought for hunting in the early 1900s.
They reproduce so rapidly that there's a joke among wildlife officials: When a sow has six piglets, you can expect eight to survive.
Two years ago in East Texas, the damage was so bad that Van Zandt County officials offered a $7 bounty for a matched set of hogs ears. The program ended in 2004 after residents cashed in on more than 2,000 hogs.
But wildlife officials hope hunters keep on hunting - and even expand their efforts.
"What we need is more processing plants," said Brian Cummins, an extension agent in Van Zandt County. "And a good sausage recipe."
Aside from arming farmers with AK-47s, or embarking on a study for a better sausage recipe, as our often humerous (and very qualified) County Extension Agent suggusts, what exactly will the Department of Agriculture do with $500,000 to study the wild hog population?
I'm wondering if some of the farmers who have problems with the feral hogs are scratching their head about the half-million appropriation request, too. After all, I'd venture to say individual farmers could give the DOA some innovative ideas on feral hog population control--for free.
For some reason, thinking about a group of people in the nearby city of Grand Saline who "capture" feral cats and have them neutered/spayed and then release them back to the dumpsters from whence they came, I had a fleeting thought of Texas Department of Agriculture agents wandering the swampy bottoms of Van Zandt County with tranqualizer darts and hog contraceptives. Is there such a thing as a hog contraceptive? Maybe they could use tracking devices and follow the feral hogs using spy satellites and then call ahead and warn farmers: "They're coming your way! Get the AK!"
Since a mind is a terrible thing to waste, I'll stop wasting mine on potential solutions for the Department of Agriculture. After all, they are the ones getting $500,000 to come up with a plan.
Vince Leibowitz is County Chairman of the Democratic Party of Van Zandt County and 3rd Vice President of the Texas Democratic County Chair's Association.
My hometown Representative (now that I'm registered to vote back in Fredericksburg again) is Carter Casteel, a Republican woman who comes from a four county, 80% Republican district. The other day when I was in the gallery watching the HJR 6 debate on the floor, it was interesting to see how active she was being the second termer that she is (in addition to having a very snappy Blue dress and a House website picture that reminds me of Bea Arthur from Golden Girls which makes her that much more cool).
That aside, I was quite suprised when she voted against Amendment 60 to SB6, the Child Protective Services Bill amendment that would have banned gay foster parents and spent $8 million dollars of Texans money to create an investigative unit in CPS to root out all those homo-sech-u-als attempting to parents children already abused or displaced by their heterosexual parents. Though there was some crossover in voting on the amendment, I certainly didn't expect my hometown rep, from one of the most conservative districts in Texas to stand against the rest of her party on this one. Makes me that much more sad that Rep. Patrick Rose whose district neighbors Casteel's, went ahead and voted for it.
I can understand Casteel voting for HJR 6. I can maybe understand Rose doing so though I'm still very upset on that one. But when Casteel can vote against the Talton-gay-families-are-evil amendent, and Rose votes for it, it makes me really upset. Thank goodness it's coming off in committee. Below the fold is the e-mail I sent Rep. Casteel. I received a response an hour later to my suprise, even if it was short, it's nice to know that some Reps can get back to their constituants directly without form letters.
Representative Casteel,
I wanted to thank you for what I see as a couragous vote against
Amdendment 60 to the CPS reform bill, an amendment that could have
stripped thousands of children out of loving foster homes and forced the
CPS system to become an investigative body reminiscent of the SS in WWII
Germany. Having had relatives who were taken out of their homes and
placed in concentration camps because of their political ideology during
the war, I feel that such actions made possible by that amendment would
have hurt Texas families as much as it hurts people's opinion of the
Legislature. Thank you again.
---
That statement in SB 6 should come out in Conference Committee. It
should have never been put on in the House. carter
Garnet Coleman Takes on Al Edwards for Bigoted Remarks
By Byron LaMasters
Good for Garnet Coleman. Coleman wrote this letter to the editor in response to Al Edwards remark that homosexuality is a "social ill". Here is the letter via email and Greg's Opinion:
Dear Editor:
As reported in Tuesday's Fort Worth Star Telegram, Rep. Al Edwards called homosexuality a "social ill" on the floor of the House. He stated, "I take offense when people associate me and my race and my culture with a social ill. I don’t see how the two relate."
Representative Edwards ought to be ashamed of himself. His comments are bigoted, hateful and just plain wrong. No one is comparing race with sexual orientation -- they are not the same thing, but discrimination is discrimination. As an African American, Edwards should know what it feels like to hear such hurtful words. The only way to stop prejudice is to practice what you preach. Bigotry says a lot more about a bigot's own insecurities than it says about those they target.
-- Representative Garnet Coleman (Houston)
Rep. Coleman represents District 147 in Houston and is the Chair of the Legislative Study Group (LSG) and the Texas Legislative Black Caucus (TLBC).
As the chair of a minority caucus in a minority party, it would probably be easier for Coleman to just let Edwards's comments slide. With that in mind, I'm very pleased to see Coleman do the right thing, and call out his colleague on his bigoted remark.
In the Pink Texas is liveblogging HJR 6 with the appropriate title of "Smear the Queer". Pink Dome is also liveblogging the HJR 6 debate. For the short version, just read the preview.
I've been watching some of the debate on television, and I believe that Karl-Thomas is watching the debate, and hopefully he'll have some thoughts later.
Update: Some of my favorite parts of the debate - Senfronia Thompson wants her 40 acres and a mule, while Rafael Anchia, Garnett Coleman and Paul Moreno in particular have been very articulate against the bill today. Robert Talton just looks like the face of evil - oh wait, he is, and Warren Chisum just appears like a misguided grandfather. I'll update later with the vote count.
Update: Final vote, 102-29 with a bunch of abstentions (100 votes needed for passage).
