Burnt Orange Report

Ten Best Laws You Should Know About

By Phillip Martin

On Thursday, hundreds of new bills passed by the 79th State Legislature will be put on the books. This week, newspapers and TV stations will begin their run down of major legislation, mostly looking at worker's comp, public utilities, telecom reform, budget changes, and the lack of any school or tax bills.

Here is my list of ten bills I think are very important but probably won't get as much attention as they deserve (some will, but most won't). Be sure to check Pinkdome tomorrow morning, to see their list of the ten best bills.

Here's some of the best things the 79th Texas Legislature accomplished:

10. Learning Financial Skills in High School

Going into college, I barely knew how to write a check, let alone manage my finances. HB 492 by Rep. Woolley will change that, though, as it requires that high school students -- at some time in their education -- be taught personal financial skills. Whether you're figuring out how to put together enough money to pay the bills or how to save up for grad school, this bill should help all students early on in life.

9. Student Regents Legislation

I know this one has been covered a lot by our friends at the Daily Texan, but it is important to note that, with the passage of SB 34 by Sen. Zaffirini, state campuses must allow one student onto the Board of Regents. While the student cannot vote and cannot affect the quorum of the meeting, at least now we got a foot in the door.

8. No Viagra for Sex Offenders

A recent nationwide study reported that sex offenders around the country receive discounted prices on sexual enhancing drugs by purchasing them through state-sponsored Medicaid programs. Rep. Hopson put an amendment onto SB 1188 -- an all-encompassing Medicaid reform bill by Sen. Nelson -- to stop registered sex offenders from receiving state-sponsored erectile dysfunction drugs, thereby saving the state millions of dollars a year in health care costs.

7. Cleaner School Buses

Tail pipe exhaust can make the inside of school buses extremely hazardous for children going back and forth from school, especially students in rural areas.

HB 3469 by Rep. Hochberg aims to reduce the diesel exhaust emissions from school buses, a small, but important, action to keep the air clean and safe for Texas school children.

6. The Donor Education, Awareness, and Registry Program (DEAR)

According to the bill analysis for HB 120, a new person is added to a donor transplant waiting list every 13 minutes, and every day, 17 people die while waiting for an organ transplant. Currently, there is no statewide registry for organ donors.

HB 120 by Rep. Dawson establishes DEAR to make it easier for the state to track organ and tissue donors in Texas, in hopes of saving more lives.

5. Screening for Cervical Cancer

In Texas, the mortality rate for women with cervical cancer is 30% higher than the national average. HPV is an early indicator of cervical cancer, which is almost 100% preventable.

HB 1485 by Rep. Thompson requires that insured Texans have access to HPV screening with no deductibles or co-pays, in hopes of reducing the number of deaths caused by cervical cancer and improving the health of women across the state.

4. Improvement of Colonias

For those who don't know, colonias are extremely poor communities along the Texas border, many of which are without such basic services as plumbing and electricity.

HB 775 by Rep. Gonzales will ensure that ORCA grant money given to certain political subdivisions be set aside for installing street lights. SB 827 by Sen. Zaffirini and Sen. Ellis creates a statewide classification system to identify colonia areas and track the progress of state-funded projects in those areas. SB 1202 by Sen. Lucio and Sen. Ellis expands the number of people and projects that can coordinate to improve conditions in the colonias.

3 & 2. Better Care for Sexual Assault Victims & Survivors

Law enforcement agencies are not required to request a forensic medical examination for victims of sexual assault, supposedly because many people request examinations that were not assaulted. Forensic medical examinations can collect evidence concerning the assault, which can help both in curing the victim and catching the criminal.

HB 544 by Rep. Naishtat and Rep. McClendon states that any victim of a sexual assault that requests an examination within 96 hours of a sexual assault must receive the examination, unless the request comes from a person with repeated false claims and there is no evidence of assault.

Another bill I wanted to point out is HB 677 by Rep. Thompson, which is aimed at improving emergency room conditions for sexual assault survivors. It requires the state's department of health services to coordinate and implement uniform policies across all emergency service health care facilities, to ensure that any victim of sexual assault receives prompt, professional care and attention.

1. Meth Prevention

Five years ago, 1,821 people in Texas were treated for methamphetamine abuse. Last year, that number had jumped to over 11,000. The skyrocketing use of meth, especially in rural areas of the state, poses serious health and safety risks to local communities.

HB 164 by Rep. Berman and SB 66 by Sen. Nelson both create tougher drug laws to help reduce and prevent the manufacture and use of methamphetamine drugs.