Child’s Play
April 3rd, 2007 at 6:52 pm
It was a long hard slog but the House passed a bill late this afternoon that would restore about 100,000 kids to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The final vote was 126-16. HB 109 makes up for some of the damage done by the Legislature in 2003, when Republicans slashed the program. That bit of nastiness cost some Republicans their jobs in recent elections.
Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) was all smiles after fending off, Teflon-like, nearly 30 amendments to his bill from both the left and the right. Rep. Garnet Coleman and other Democrats argued for restoring CHIP to pre -2003 levels and offered several amendments to that effect. “For almost five years now we have asked this legislature to fully restore the CHIP program and our constituents have asked us to do that,” argued the ever-voluble Coleman. Turner continually rebuffed any changes to his carefully-crafted compromise bill. “Let’s be careful that we don’t sacrifice the good in search of the perfect that may never be,” he warned Coleman.
As expected, Speaker Craddick kept the promise he made to his stable of loyal Democrats in January, allowing HB 109 off the House floor. Turner and other Craddick Dems proved that, at least on this day, their support for Craddick in the speaker’s race counts for something.
But the real test will be whether Craddick tries to get HB 109 through the Senate, where the bill’s prospects look bleak. The two big dogs in the upper chamber - Senate Finance Chair Steve Ogden and Lite Gov. David Dewhurst - have said repeatedly that they oppose extending CHIP eligibility to 12 months. That’s the heart of HB 109.
But just for today, Democrats had words of praise for Craddick. Even Rep. Senfronia Thompson, went to the back mic to praise Craddick’s leadership. “I want you to recognize that I am complimenting you,” she said.
It was certainly a feel-good day in the House. But it remains to be seen just how much leadership the speaker will put forth on CHIP. If the bill dies in the Senate, will anything really have been gained?
April 3rd, 2007 at 11:26 pm
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