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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The Brief: April 18, 2011
“State budget writers should look this week to take steps toward finalizing a budget that currently seeks to gut billions from current spending levels. But the fight coming doesn’t look like an easy one for either chamber. The San Antonio Express-News reported Saturday that the Senate version of the budget for the 2012-2013 biennium would ease up a bit on the cuts to vital services – specifically education and health care – the House proposed earlier this month…”
(View full article here).
Soda Tax Could Raise $1 Billion Per Biennium
“Republican lawmakers have vowed to close the budget hole without a new tax. But that hasn’t stopped Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, from proposing a penny per ounce tax on soft drinks. At a Senate Finance hearing this morning, he suggested his measure could bring in billions of dollars to the state, while curbing consumption of sugary drinks linked to childhood obesity and diabetes. ‘I have become convinced we cannot cut our way out of the financial hole we find ourselves in without devastating the services millions of Texans rely upon,’ he said. But while public health experts testified that the measure would dramatically curb the purchase of soft drinks, and limit the calories and caffeine young people consume…”
(View full article here).
Lawmakers Seek to Crack Down on Junk Food As Obesity Epidemic Worsens
“An epidemic of obesity, bringing higher medical costs and shorter life spans, has prompted a diverse mix of Texas legislators to target junk food and sugary sodas as enemies in the battle of the bulge. One House measure would ban food stamp users from buying cookies, candy and “sweetened beverages” with their Lone Star cards. Two other bills call on the federal government to restrict or eliminate low-nutrition items from food stamp purchases. And measures in both houses would add a penny tax per ounce of soda with the twin goals of reducing consumption and raising $500 million to $2 billion a year — estimates vary — for a state budget strained by a massive shortfall…”
(View full article here).
Op Ed: How to Bridge the Budget Gap
“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ve told lawmakers repeatedly that the task of balancing our state’s budget this go-round would be difficult but doable. Now, as the clock counts down to the end of the regular session on May 30, it’s fair to ask our leaders to meet our needs, not our wants. The House and Senate budgets may seem worlds — or billions of dollars — apart in their budgets for state spending over the next two years. To bridge the $6 billion to $7 billion gap in their versions of the budget, there’s a workable solution that does not include any new taxes.…”
(View full article here)
Solomons Map Could Solidify GOP Hold on Districts
“A proposed map for redrawing Texas House district boundaries could help fortify the Republicans’ majority in the lower chamber in 2012. Plugging in the returns from the last presidential election shows how the changes in the new map, proposed by Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, reshape numerous House districts across the state in a way that could protect most of the Republicans’ two-thirds majority… ”
(View full article here).
Inside Intelligence: With Money Short…
“This week, we asked the insiders about taxes and budget cuts — the order of the day. Some lawmakers have talked about revising the state’s business margins tax, and 57 percent of the insiders think they should do that. Only 12 percent think it ought to be left alone, and 30 percent would scrap it and replace it with something else. But if you read their comments, they don’t appear to think the Legislature will do anything dramatic about the tax this session…”
(View full article here).
State Consumer Offices Under Fire
“It’s a tough time to be a state-paid advocate for consumers in Texas right now. This legislative session, three state offices that help average Texans in disputes involving corporate giants have been targeted for closure or reduced roles:…”
(View full article here).
The Brief: Top Texas News for April 19, 2011
“Senate leaders on Monday delivered one of their strongest attacks yet on the House’s stark budget proposal. As reported in the Austin American-Statesman and The Dallas Morning News, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Steve Ogden, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said the Senate wouldn’t back down from fighting the types of cuts outlined in the House’s recently passed budget proposal, which would slash billions of dollars in state services. Ogden framed the fight in stark terms. ‘The debate is whether you want to save public education and whether you want to save nursing homes or not,’ he said…”
(View full article here).
Senators Look for Money Without Saying “Taxes”
“State senators have unveiled a list of almost $5 billion in cash-flow tricks, property sales and fees that could be used to ease cuts in the state budget, but it’s not enough to completely close the gap between what they have available and what they hope to spend. The Senate Finance Committee is wrapping up its most pressing work this week, planning to vote on a proposed 2012-13 state budget, a $4.3 billion package to eliminate the deficit in the current budget, and some or all of the revenue measures suggested today as a way to help pay for all of it…”
(View full article here).
Texas Data Exposure a Political Setback for Combs?
“You don’t have to search very long to find someone upset about the data snafu that exposed personal information of about 3.5 million Texans. Some think Comptroller Susan Combs, whose office mistakenly leaked the data, should resign. Others have said she should be placed under house arrest until the attorney general finishes his investigation. Neither is likely, but she is an elected official, so some have begun targeting her next election. ‘Well, I don’t think she has a political future anymore,’ said Jason Stanford, a Democratic political strategist. He said it wouldn’t take much imagination to come up with an attack ad to run against Combs in her next race…”
(View full article here).
Liveblog: A Conversation With Lance Armstrong
“We liveblogged this morning’s Triblive with Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor who was instrumental in creating the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, and is now pushing smoke-free workplace bills in the Legislature. Armstrong knows adversity; in 1997, he was a 25-year-old cyclist battling testicular cancer that spread to his brain and lungs. In recent years, he’s been dogged by allegations of doping. Despite lingering controversy, none have been confirmed…”
(View full article here).
CDC: Southern States Lag in Smoking Bans
“Though secondhand smoke leads to nearly 50,000 U.S. deaths among nonsmoking adults every year, no southern state, including Texas, has adopted a smoke-free law for worksites, restaurants and bars, according to a new Centers for Disease Control report. This regional disparity, unveiled in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, comes as Texas lawmakers are debating implementation of a statewide smoking ban, one that would outlaw smoking in workplaces and other public places like bars and restaurants. The number of states with comprehensive smoke-free laws rose from zero in 2000 to 26 states by the end of 2010…”
(View full article here).
The Brief: April 21, 2011
“The Rainy Day Fund, this session’s forbidden fruit, is still tempting some lawmakers. Sen. Steve Ogden, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said Wednesday that the Senate would need to withdraw $3 billion from the fund, the state’s emergency savings, to pay for the chamber’s 2012-13 budget proposal. The Senate, whose finance committee has spent this week in budget debates, has refused to vote for the House’s stark budget bill, which slashes billions in funding from services like Medicaid and public education…”
(View full article here).
Ogden Proposes Taking Another $3 Billion from Rainy Day Fund
“Members of the Senate Finance Committee kicked out a series of bills Wednesday intended to fund their chamber’s version of the state budget for the next biennium. Toward the end of the meeting, Chair Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, dropped the news many have been waiting to hear: He wants to attach a contingency provision to their spending plans that would withdraw $3 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to balance the budget for the next two years, provided other revenue can’t be found and the comptroller needs a last resort…”
(View full article here).
House Gives Early OK to Health Care Compact
“On Wednesday, House lawmakers put their initial stamp of approval on a health care compact — a partnership with other states to ask the federal government for control over Medicaid and Medicare in Texas. But opponents say the proposal won’t get much traction in Washington, where the Obama administration is unlikely to cede authority over the programs that provide health care for children, the disabled, the elderly and the very poor. House Bill 5 by Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, would give Texas, in conjunction with other states, governance over Medicaid and Medicare…”
(View full article here).
Senate Panel Approves $176.5 Billion Budget
“A $176.5 billion budget for the 2012-13 biennium — 5.9 percent smaller than the current budget but almost $12 billion larger than the version passed earlier by the House — won approval from the Senate Finance Committee Thursday morning and will come to a full Senate vote after the Easter break. And, unlike the House version, the Senate would use up to $3.1 billion from the Rainy Day Fund. The vote was 11-4…”
(View full article here).
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