Items of Interest Compiled by Arnold Public Affairs

Below are some general items of interest pertaining to the latest political developments and important events:

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More Balance Needed in Texas’ Budget Approach, Bond Rating Agency Says
“Texas’ cuts-only approach to its budget shortfall won’t solve the state’s long-term fiscal problems, according to Standard & Poor’s, a major bond rating agency. ‘We believe that a balanced approach that includes both revenue enhancements and expenditure cuts has a higher potential of success in preserving the state’s long-term structural budget balance than a strategy that relies solely on expenditure cutbacks,’ wrote S&P credit analyst Horacio Aldrete-Sanchez in a report released last week. Though S&P is not likely to join the Texas Forward coalition, the analyst’s language mirrors that of the education groups, health and human service advocates and faith leaders that have decried the deep budget cuts…”
(View full article here).

Senate Committee Targets Payday Lending
“For Cynthia Reynosa, a $500 payday loan meant she could help her mother, suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, pay her high insurance deductible. But the interest she paid over the next six months totaled $1,200 — more than twice what she’d borrowed. ‘I was thinking I would find the money wherever I would have to find it, so she wouldn’t have to suffer anymore,’ Reynosa testified during a Senate committee hearing today. If a set of bills filed by Sens. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, and Royce West, D-Dallas, passes this session, consumers like Reynosa who take out short-term, high-interest loans could be protected…”
(View full article here).

TPPF, State Leaders: Medicaid Growth Is “Unsustainable”
“The Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, joined with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Public Health Chair Lois Kolkhorst this morning to offer solutions to the state’s Medicaid cost crunch. They suggested Medicaid, which currently makes up 28 percent of the state budget, will grow to nearly half of the state budget in the 2014-15 biennium, a spike they said is completely unsustainable…”
(View full article here).

UT/Texas Tribune Poll: Mixed Signals on Budget Cuts
“By a margin of more than 2 to 1, Texas voters believe that lawmakers should solve the state’s massive shortfall by cutting the budget, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll, but their enthusiasm dissipates when asked if they support specific cuts. ‘We really want to slash the budget, but not anything in it,’ says pollster Daron Shaw, a professor of government at UT…”
(View full article here).

Zerwas Proposes Spending Up to $8Billion From Rainy Day Fund
“The House subcommittee chair says this morning, ‘I think that my district is reflective of most out there and they think it’s raining.’ Rep. John Zerwas, the anesthesiologist and Richmond Republican on point for formulating the health and human services portion of the House budget, said today he would be in favor of spending up to $8 billion of the Rainy Day Fund to cover the revenue shortfalls in the current biennium as well as the next. To do otherwise, he suggested, would invite a ‘spanking’ from his constituents…”
(Quorum Report subscribers can view full article here).

Tom Leppert Announces Senate Bid
“It’s official. Republican Tom Leppert, who stepped down as Mayor of Dallas this week, is joining the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2012. He announced his plan during a Friday taping of Dallas station WFAA’s Inside Texas Politics. You can read the full story on the station’s website… ”
(View full article here).

In Texas, Gambling’s Odds Have Improved
“Gov. Rick Perry was for legalized gambling before he was against it. In 2004, the governor added video lottery terminals at racetracks to the list of issues he would allow lawmakers to consider during a special session — when the governor controls what’s on the agenda. They ultimately didn’t produce any legislation, but it was an indication that Perry wasn’t hostile to expanding the state’s legal gambling…”
(View full article here).

Bill Would Make Hiring Illegal Workers a Felony
“A Texas bill that would make it a state felony to knowingly hire an illegal immigrant, unless the person is a domestic worker, has faced some opposition from critics who say it would crack down on businesses while allowing households to use such workers.Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Houston, authored the bill that would penalize those who knowingly or recklessly hire or contract with an undocumented worker…”
(View full article here).

Texas Senate Calls for Balanced Budget Amendment in U.S. Constitution
“The Senate, taking a break from Texas’ own budget problems, Wednesday passed a joint resolution calling on Congress to stop deficit spending and approve a new amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring a balanced federal budget. Under the resolution, approved 24-7, Congress will first be asked, and then if nothing happens, the Senate wants a constitutional convention to be called solely to pass a balanced budget amendment…”
(View full article here).