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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A Texas Debate: When is a Tax Not a Tax?
“If you’re a political lip-reader, taxes are not the same as fees, or surcharges, or exemptions, deductions and wagers. Texas lawmakers are scrounging for cash, and for ways to generate state revenue without breaking their promises not to raise taxes, which would trigger waves of opposition in the 2012 elections. By one count, the anorexic budgets proposed by the House, the Senate and the governor include around $150 million in new fees. That’s a financial speck, relatively speaking…”
(View full article here).
Lawmakers Want State, Not Federal, Insurance Connector
“Rep. John Zerwas, R-Simonton, is no fan of “Obamacare.” But he told his House colleages this afternoon that if they don’t set up a health insurance exchange — one of the tenets of the reform — by 2014, the federal government will do it for them. The so-called insurance connector would effectively serve as a public marketplace a la Travelocity or Orbitz, where consumers could shop for health insurance…”
(View full article here).
Voter ID Gets Tense Hearing
“The controversial voter ID bill came before the House Select Committee on Voter Identification and Voter Fraud this morning — and it was a tense scene. Even supporters of the measure had to grapple with some tough public testimony from people who endorse the bill on anti-illegal immigration grounds. ‘The danger of voter fraud is the illegals that come into this country and vote fraudulently,’ said David Carter, an elections volunteer from Temple. ‘Photo ID kills that problem’…”
(View full article here).
Will Smoking Cuts Add to Health Care Costs?
“Finding ways to cut health care costs is all the rage under the Pink Dome — and curbing smoking is a proven way to do it. But both the House and Senate budget proposals slash tobacco cessation programs by more than 80 percent, or $20 million over the biennium. Health care advocates say such cuts would devastate programs that deter children from smoking and eliminate regional efforts that have curbed tobacco use among adults…”
(View full article here).
Experts, Business Owners Weigh In On Smoking Ban
“Lighting up in bars, restaurants or other workplaces across Texas will be a way of the past if state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Lake Dallas, gets her way. Crownover has again introduced a bill that would prohibit smoking in indoor areas of most businesses, health care facilities and sporting venues. Smoking would still be allowed, though, at outdoor venues like patios. Although she believes in limited government, Crownover said 53,000 people die each year in the U.S. from second-hand smoke, and that is unacceptable…”
(View full article here).
Small, Large Businesses Split on Texas Budget Fixes
“Approaches to budget cutting have divided lawmakers and their constituents, but as Erika Aguilar of KUT News reports, tension is brewing between two other worried groups: small and large businesses…”
(View full article here).
Deuell: Make Cuts, but Raise Taxes Too
“State Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville, would rather raise taxes a little bit than make the cuts lawmakers are considering now, he said this evening. Deuell has been a proponent of a 10-cent increase in gasoline taxes for some time — since before his Republican primary and general election victories last year — and said he would support a broader sales tax too. He also said the state should use “most” of the $9.4 billion Rainy Day Fund… ”
(View full article here).
Texas Abortion Bill Tentatively Passes the House
“Thursday’s debate on Stephenville Republican state Rep. Sid Miller’s abortion sonogram bill, House Bill 15, began shortly after 2 p.m. It ended shortly after 9 p.m. The bill passed to third reading on a vote of 103-42, which means one easy step remains before it heads to the Senate. ‘Anytime you abort a human life, that’s probably the most tragic procedure that could ever be performed,” Miller said. “If we can save human lives, that is an emergency.’ In fact, the abortion sonogram bill is one of a handful of legislative issues given “emergency” status by Gov. Rick Perry…”
(View full article here).
Guy Clifton: The TT Interview
“When Texas lawmakers talk about containing health care costs, it’s a good bet they’ve picked the brain of Dr. Guy Clifton, a Houston neurosurgeon turned health care policy expert. But the author of ‘Flatlined: Resuscitating American Medicine’ — who has guided Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on his pet payment reform legislation — says the Legislature’s effort to balance the budget by slashing Medicaid rates is misguided. Nor does he share Republican lawmakers’ ardent opposition to federal health care reform…”
(View full article here).
Lucio: I’d Raise the Soft Drink Tax
“On Monday, state Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville, said he would rather raise taxes than make the cuts under consideration. Now, state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, has introduced legislation to increase the tax on soft drinks by a penny per ounce…”
(View full article here).
Numbers Tell of Who’s Vulnerable in Redistricting
“You don’t need a new map to find the political trouble spots in Texas. The population numbers released by the Census Bureau last week don’t reveal exactly which federal and state officeholders are threatened by any reapportionment of seats, but they show what regions have grown or withered. With deeper analysis come more specific numbers that show, on a closer scale, what’s sprouting and decaying. And now, the mapmaking is underway. In any conversation about who is vulnerable in the redistricting process, the four freshmen from West Texas always rise to the top of the list…”
(View full article here).
The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for March 3, 2011
“’Gov. Rick Perry doesn’t want to use the rainy-day fund, but state Comptroller Susan Combs told budget-writers today she sees no way for lawmakers to meet the deficit in the current budget through cuts alone’…’The United States has formally asked Mexico to turn over to the suspected murder of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata for trial in an American court, President Obama told a news conference today at the White House’…’Proponents of slot machines at Texas race tracks are making their move at the Capitol by filing bills Thursday that would allow the additional gambling’…”
(View full article here).
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