State Parks Keep on Keepin’ On
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:54 am
Sleep tight parks lovers. Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville) says HB 12, the bill to remove the cap on the sporting-goods sales tax that could lead to full funding for the ailing state parks system, is still alive. Some feared tonight that the defeat of SB 1848, a fiscal bill that went down at the hands of Democratic Party Caucus Chair Jim Dunnam (D-Waco), could jeoparize parks funding. SB 1848 had been amended in committee to include the HB 12 language as a back-up in case HB 12 didn’t make it out of the Senate in time.
When SB 1848 died last night because of Dunnam’s point of order, Hilderbran ran over to the Senate to shore up support for HB 12. Hilderbran said he garnered a promise from Lite Guv Dewhurst to take up the bill first thing tomorrow. The Kerrville Republican said Dewhurst would honor a promise to hear HB 12 in exchange for the House passing SB 3, the omnibus water bill, which cleared second reading tonight.
The Senate version of HB 12 is “crummy,” Hilderbran says, but can be worked out in conference committee.
