ustxtxb_obs_1959_04_18_50_00003-00000_000.pdf

AUSTIN The Senate casually debated its version of the general appropriations bill without discussing major items of expenditure and voted approval of the measure substantially as it came out of the Senate Finance Committee. Longest debate centered on the salary to be paid Insurance Commissioner William Harrison. Sen. William Fly said, “I’m proud of the Texas Senate, and I don’t like to see the Texas Senate run over, and I say the integrity of the Senate is at stake here … We need to make some changes in the administration of this department.” Fly was joined by Hardeman, who criticised Will Wilson for ruling the Governor could appoint Harrison in the first place without Senate consent. “The Attorney General ought to keep his nightstick and raid Galveston rather than try to run this government by opinions of law.” Sen. Parkhouse countered, “I don’t think the Senate should have the power to confirm every state administrative officer. E l e v e n members ofi this Senate should not have so much power. This is not such a great House of Lords that everybody in the state government must do what they want or get their salary cut.” Hademan moved to table the motion “and table the Senator from Dallas, too.” They did, 19 to 5, with Parkhouse, Gonzalez, Secrest, Willis, and Ratliff dissenting. The Senate version of the appropriations bill calls for $302 million in general revenue, some $30 mllion below the House figure. In the same day, the Senate batted down a labor-endorsed measure protecting bus unions A RUSH OF LEGISLATION I by Sen. Gonzalez and a union restricting bill on political spending by Sen. Parkhouse. The Senate approved a cut in bus license fees which will cost the state highway fund $350,000 the next two years. The vote was 24 to 3. Since the House also passed the bill, all it needs is the Governor’s signature. By votes of 25 to 6 and 26 to 5, the Senate okeyed and sent to the House Sen. Hazlewood’s bill to reduce policemen’s and firemen’s hours. that on the new lakes being created by dams, “private parties are buying up all the land. This bill just allows the working man who can’t afford to buy land and a cottage to have access to public lakes on Sunday.” The House committee on constitutional amendments reported favorably, 6-5, a bill by Rep. Jimmy Day permitting the garnishing of 20 percent of a person’s wages. Rep. Eckhardt, dissenting, told the committee it was “far better to restore imprisonment for debt than pass this bill. At least they feed you in jail.” Important bills were passed during the week by the House: The motor truck industry’s bill to raise truck highway load limits from 58,000 to 72,000 pounds passed over Rep. Dewey’s objections that it was special interest legislation the people wod oppose three-to-one. The final vote was 82-53. The day before, the truck lobby gave a big feed for House members. Educational Courses Limit Bill Heard The Week in Texas OAlice voters rejected 200 federal urban renewal housing units, 571-156. In Houston, a consultant to the mayor said Houston is the only major U.S. city without an urban renewal program. OThe president of the Hockley County Farm Bureau warned against “unionized agriculture because we can’t raise our prices to meet the rising cost of labor.” OAn electrical contractor said in Houston he was offered a $4,000 bribe by another electrical contractor to lay off bidding on a school district job in Brazosport but rejected the offer …. Atty. Gen. Will Wilson brought suits accusing four more Houston loan firms of usury. OThe State Board of Health announced it is asking resigned State Health Cmsr. Henry Holle to return $468 in “state money” raised from entertainment and service functions. Holle said it was “non-state funds.” The board wants back, among other amounts, $222.50 for catering service for a cocktail buffet at Holle’s home for 100 guests. OHouston Post estimated Har ris County unemployment at about 29,000, almost six percent of the total labor force …. Houston Teachers’ Assn. reported that among 25 districts with over half a million people. Houston ranks 23rd in starting salaries for teachers ODallas County grand jurors re-indicted an alleged Negro rapist because t h e preceding grand jury did not have a Negro member. Year of Texas History Sen. Dorsey Hardeman’s bill to require a full year of Texas history in high school and another full year in college was passed. by the Senate, with the effective date July 1, 1961. “We are neglecting the most colorful history of any state, including Alaska and Hawaii,” Hardeman said. A fight shaped up immediately in the House; students at the University of Texas began organizing opposition. The Senate approved an inquiry the suitability of public school curricula, Sen. Fly saying he wants to know about charges that some schools offer courses in baton twirling, ceramics, and dancing. The Senate approved a bill to make Midwestern University at Wichita Falls a state supported college, 17 to 13. Also advanced to final reading in the Senate: Sen. Krueger’s bill regulating gasoline stations’ advertising of bargains to figures eight by ten inches in size on gasoline pumps. The legislators permitted late introduction of bills to prohibit nudist camps, but not without somewhat wistful jokes. In the House, for example, Rep. James Turman, Gober, said a reported nudist camp in his district is thought to be “a black eye to Fannin County … spelled F-a-nn-i-n.” ‘This is a pretty broadbased deal, isn’t it?” asked Rep. Fenoglio, Nacona. Turman also said, “The fences are high and guarded well. And that’s our problem,” and the House buckled in laughter. The bills may not have much chance of passage because of delays caused by double entendres. REA Bill Dead The conservative House state affairs committee, in a mood of high hilarity, killed a series of bills by packing them off to the Attorney General for decisions as to their constitutionality. Included were the REA bill, and a bill to give the State Parks Board the right of eminent domain to build roads to state owned lakes. The REA measure, authorizing electric co-ops to continue to serve rural areas annexed by cities, was brought back from a hostile sub-committee by Chairman Carl Conley, Raymondville, with a request it be sent to the Attorney General. “If you don’t want to send it to the Attorney General, I’ll take it back into sub-committee,” he smiled. Rep. Alonzo Jamison, Denton, said “This bill has gotten the runaround all session, so that nobody has to vote on. it.” Jamison then called for a record vote on the motion to send the bill to the Attorney General. The motion carried, 12-6. Voting “no” were Reps. Jamison, Daily, Hollowell, Frank McGregor, Cannon, and Turman. Voting “aye” were Cory, Blanchard, Oliver, James, Strickland, Max Smith, Ramsey, Watson, Roberts, Slack, Thurman, and. Lary. Menton Murray voted present. The State Parks Board measure was sponsored by Reps. Harrington and Oliver. Oliver said Party Bill Advances The party registration bill, limited to conventions, was sent to the Senate by a vote of 106 to .39. By a vote of 118-18 the House approved Rep. Coley’s bill to curtail absentee voting and prevent others from influencing absentee voters. The House gave Rep. Malcolm pre-school courses for non-English speaking students. He said it might cost $1 million but could save much more than that. Final vote was delayed till April 20. The House and Senate both approved the measure to authorize state-paid advertising of Texas. \(On the Senate side, advertising man George Parkhouse, senator from Dallas, led the opposition, condemning his industry for what The cost is expected to be some $100,000 a year. A constitutional amendment to authorize complete retrials on the evidence of all administrative decisions of state government was approved by the House, 122-17. A constitutional amendment to exempt vehicles from property taxes failed to get enough votes to pass; advancing the age for legislative service was rejected, too, after Rep. Zeke Zbranek, 29, said, “We youngsters are accused of being wet behind the ears, but I tell you it is better to be wet behind the ears than dehydrated behind the ears.” Efforts of Rep. Sam. Parsons, Henderson, to carry the ball on the Senate-passed bill banning Sunday sale of automobiles ran into stout roadblocks erected by Reps. Zbranek, Seeligson, Daily, and Allen, and was postponed a week. Small loan legislation has been reported out by a House cornmittee which includes regulation; a limit of 36 percent on loans of $100-$300, 24 percent on $300-$600, 12 percent on $600-$1,000, and 10 percent on $1,000-$3,000; and about 90 percent for loans less than $100 proposed by Rep. Huffman. The flekible rate bill on casualty insurance is now dead for the session. A Senate sub-committee has made no move to report on it. The explosive Bell bill making various controversial election changes suffered a slow-down Thursday. Sponsoring Rep. Harold Parish, Taft, laid on the Speaker’s desk a resolution to suspend the rules to permit the bill to be taken up at any time. Rep. Dean Johnston, Houston, began working the floor against such a step, and in short time the House was a-buzz with awareness the matter was pending. An adjournment motion prevailed, AUSTIN Rep. Maud Isaacks’s bill putting a lid on the number of education courses required for teacher certification went to House State Affairs sub-committee this week following lengthy hearings which showed a majority of the committee members generally in sympathy with its provisions. With only three weeks of the session remaining, however, it is unlikely that the bill can pass. The measure as now written. specifies that the the State Education Agency can require “no more than 12 hours in education courses” as a requirement for teacher certification. The state agency now generally requires 24 hours. Miss Isaacks, a retired teacher, said she introduced the bill because “It is well known that graduates of teachers’ colleges rank lower than graduates of other colleges. Some of our best students are being denied a basically challenging educational program.” Referring to what she called the “tremendous over-emphasis” of education courses to the exclusion of subject matter courses, the El Paso representative read to the committee a list of education courses currently being offered in a major Texas college. They included, “Practicum in Elementary School administration;” “Introduction to Educational. Tests, Measurements and Evaluation in the Elementary School;” and “Introduction to the Curriculum in the Secondary Schools.” “Imagine, a whole semester’s course in how to give and grade a test to children!” Miss Isaacs said. She added she couldn’t find the word “practicum” in Webster’s Dictionary so couldn’t advise the committee what the course was. She cited another education course entitled “Classroom Management in the Elementary School” that was described in the catalogue as “the use of records and group techniques to improve BULLETIN Tax excitement mounts in Austin. This morning 31 representatives, including conservatives Hughes, Johnson, and Lewis of Dallas and such liberals as Hughes of Sherman, Hinson, and Eckhardt, met at Gov. Daniel’s invitation for a prolonged breakfast and hammered out a new tax package, to be substituted for the selective sales tax bill. It provides for Daniel’s gas tax, the allocation. franchise change, a raise to 2.3 percent on all utilities’ gross receipts; and, on the sales tax side, a penny on cigarettes, 20 percent on tobacco, Daniel’s raise on liquor, 2 percent on car sales, and a penny on soft drinks, $173 million a year in all, half from business, half from sales. Speaker Carr was reported upset by this startling initiative from the Mansion; his men prepared a substitute of their own, it was said. The 31 in this morning’s meeting are free to offer amendments to their package, and today amendments being readied included a chemical company tax, Eckhardt’s tax on the oil majors, the Jamison-McGregor income tax limited to corporations, the Johnston, net profits tax, and a loan company tax. The fight is sure to start Monday. human relations in the classroom.” Dr. Walter Brown, University of Texas professor, appeared in behalf of the Isaacks bill and quoted from an analysis of education courses by the late Dr. Edgar W. Knight, professor of Educational History at the University of North Carolina: “Proliferation has been encouraged by the managers and staffs of the teacher education institutions, presumably in cahoots with the certifying bureaus of the state departments of education. In this fact, friendly critics see tendencies toward what would promptly be stamped as crass and vulgar racketeering in less humane activities. It is this condition that causes students to say, generally after they have \(earned education were forced to take were so overlapping and repetitious as to be almost immoral.” Dr. Brown said an examination of 18 colleges showed education students averaged 31 semester hours of education courses, which “does not leave enough for subject matter courses.” Most out-spoken attack on the bill was delivered by L. P. Sturgeon, public relations director of