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Day 67 of the 82nd Texas Legislature

LINE OF THE DAY
“We’re playing a game here with people, and I’m not going to be a part of it.”
State. Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Longview, on some of the proposed budget cuts to health and human services.

OBSERVED
Radioactive waste isn’t known as an import most people want near them. But as Forrest Wilder reports, Republican Rep. Tryon Lewis, is pushing legislation that critics say would make it easier for Waste Control to bring waste from out of state and would diminish the role of regulators. “They’re greasing the skids,” said one opponent of the legislation.  

BEST OF THE REST
Will the proposed budget cuts to education trigger more lost federal revenue? Yes—at least in one case. As the Austin American-Statesman reports, “The Austin school district has learned that it could be in jeopardy of losing $62.3 million in federal aid for teacher pay—the largest grant of its kind nationwide when it was awarded last fall—if state and local funding doesn’t come through as planned.” The implications may be big for school districts across the state counting on similar federal grants.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
It’s a quiet day at the Capitol, but rest up. The House is supposed to take up voter ID legislation Monday. If it’s anything like the Senate’s two-day circus, the debate should be quite a show.

Day 66 of the 82nd Texas Legislature

LINE OF THE DAY
“I don’t see any low-hanging fruit. It is a tough job.”
Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, to the San Antonio Express-News on his assignment to find more non-tax revenue to help close the budget gap.

OBSERVED
“Which is scarier? Gun-toting college kids or Sid Miller naked?” So asks Alexa Garcia-Ditta in her post on yesterday’s emotional House committee hearing on whether to allow concealed weapons on college campuses. Most people would probably say the latter. And indeed the committee approved the controversial guns-on-campus bill last night. 

BEST OF THE REST
The Senate unanimously passed Sen. Rodney Ellis’ eyewitness ID reform bill yesterday. Witness misidentification is the leading cause of wrongful convictions. Ellis’ bill would reform police lineup procedures. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal has more.  

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
We expect to hear a lot of talk about the 10th Amendment when the House Select Committee on Sate Sovereignty meets this afternoon to hear several bills opposing national health care reform. This should be a fun hearing.

Day 65 of the 82nd Texas Legislature

LINE OF THE DAY
“At Least My Gun Will Go to College.”
Sign held by a student at Dallas’ Booker T. Washington High School during a protest of Gov. Perry, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

FLOOR PLAY BY ABBY RAPOPORT
House budget writers reached a deal with the governor’s office yesterday to spend $3 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to balance the 2011 budget. But, as Alexa Garcia-Ditta writes in a guest Floor Play column, “We may have come a long way, but we have an even longer way to go—the state is still about $24 billion short to maintain its current services for the next two years.” 

OBSERVED
Yesterday’s budget bill was “one step forward, two steps back,” writes Dave Mann. That’s because Gov. Perry, while agreeing to use the Rainy Day Fund for 2011, took a hard line on using the emergency fund for 2012-2013. “Without the Rainy Day Fund, the 2012-2013 budget would implement cuts that might cripple the state.” 

BEST OF THE REST
The Houston Chronicle reports that Gov. Rick Perry has been making robo calls for Empower Texans—the right-wing group that tried to oust Speaker Joe Straus. Perry says in his message that voters should pressure lawmakers “not to raise taxes or grow government.” The speaker can’t be thrilled with these calls. 

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
The grim budget work continues today. The House Appropriations subcommittees on education, and health and human services will both be meeting. Those are the two highest profile—and most expensive—areas of the budget.

Day 64 of the 82nd Texas Legislature

LINE OF THE DAY
“Left at the altar, maybe.”
House Appropriations Committee Chair Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, on the governor’s staff never showing at his committee hearing yesterday

FLOOR PLAY BY ABBY RAPOPORT
Unlike the rest of Gov. Perry’s emergency items that are well on their way to his desk, it took two and a half months just for a sanctuary city bill to be voted out of committee. As Melissa del Bosque writes in her guest column, writing and passing immigration policy is tougher than Texas lawmakers might think. 

OBSERVED
We still don’t know how much of a profit energy companies made from last month’s rolling blackouts. But Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, is touting a bill this week that would require power-generation companies to return profits made from market manipulation to victims. But as Forrest Wilder reports, some argue the legislation borders on price regulation. 

BEST OF THE REST
Sen. Jane Nelson and her finance subcommittee assigned to cut $9.9 billion from Medicaid have suddenly been given greater responsibility. The Austin American Statesman reports that Nelson and her team have been tasked with finding all $16.1 billion in cuts from health and human services. Yikes. Good luck with that. 

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
After the governor’s office never showed up at his House Appropriations Committee hearing yesterday to show public support for his supplemental and Rainy Day Fund bills, chair Jim Pitts has said he needs committee votes by today to make a printing deadline. Let’s hope Perry’s people can make their date this time. 

Day 63 of the 82nd Texas Legislature

LINE OF THE DAY
“Bail out the bankers and bankrupt the teachers—we will still teach!”
John Kuhn, superintendent of Perrin-Whitt Consolidated Independent School District at the Save Texas Schools rally.

FLOOR PLAY BY ABBY RAPOPORT
At the Save Texas School rally 11,000 frustrated teachers, parents and advocates pushed the state to use the Rainy Day fund on education. But to actually fix the system, lawmakers might have to consider either creating or raising taxes, a fact that didn’t come up much.

OBSERVED
While the Republicans promise to balance the $27 billion budget shortfall without raising taxes, they are using hidden fees to do so. As Forrest Wilder reports, the losers are elderly and low-income individuals struggling to pay Texas’ high, deregulated electric rates. 

BEST OF THE REST
The Austin American-Statesman reports that the sanctuary cities bill may undergo some big changes. Certain portions dealing with public school enforcement may be stripped from the bill thanks to Democratic efforts. 

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
While the Republicans promise to balance the $27 billion budget shortfall without raising taxes, they are using hidden fees to do so. The losers are elderly and low-income individuals struggling to pay Texas’ high, deregulated electric rates.