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The Brief: April 25, 2011
“Though the House has already thrown the first punch, the Senate will enter the ring this week to fight for billions of dollars in state funding. The budget fight — which this session has pitted a more moderate, though still Republican-controlled, Senate against a conservative House — will hit new dramatic heights this week, with the full Senate set to vote on a state budget for the next two years…”
(View full article here).
Inside Intelligence: And on Redistricting…
“We got a light turnout in this week’s survey of insiders; must’ve been the budget and the holiday. Maybe they’re spooked by redistricting, the subject of the week. More than half — 53 percent — think lawmakers won’t finish the political maps, and that the chores will be left to the courts (in the case of congressional redistricting, and to the Legislative Redistricting Board (in the case of House and Senate districts). But the wheels are turning; the House will vote on a redistricting plan next week…”
(View full article here)
Data Breach Cost: $1.8 Million So Far
“Gwen Rowling worked part time as a filing clerk for the Texas State Securities Board more than two decades ago, trying to pay her way through college. A week ago, Rowling received a letter from the comptroller notifying her that she was one of the 3.5 million Texans whose personal information — including names and Social Security numbers — was publicly accessible for more than a year because of a major data security lapse. ‘I had seen the news reports, but I didn’t imagine I would be part of it,’ Rowling said. Since the breach was discovered March 31, the comptroller’s office has racked up a $1.8 million bill as it attempts to rectify the situation… ”
(View full article here).
The Brief: April 26, 2011
“A seemingly benign piece of legislation, up for debate in the House today, has exposed an unlikely rift among lawmakers.State Rep. Senfronia Thompson‘s so-called puppy mill bill, which would impose new regulations on dog and cat breeding operations, last week sparked a fight among House members after Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, used parliamentary tactics to knock the bill — as well as two others — off a fast-track vote…”
(View full article here).
Outside Groups Lobby Texas Budget Writers
“Various special interest groups have been pushing their budget ideas since before the legislative session began. Now, with the House budget already passed and a Senate version set for debate this week, the battle over which budget is right for Texas has intensified — and, in one case, taken to the airwaves. In a TV commercial produced by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative state-policy think tank, the group highlighted its wishes. ‘It’s time for us to wake up and remind them who they work for,’ the commercial says. ‘Texans want a fiscally responsible conservative budget. Texas works because freedom works, and defending Texas is defending freedom…’”
(View full article here).
Senate Democrats Weigh Whether Blocking Budget is Worth the Risk
“In the coming days, Democrats will get their best opportunity this year to slow the Legislature’s proposed remedy for the state budget shortfall. But that opportunity comes with risks. Senate Democrats can stall the cuts-heavy approach that Republicans are taking to solve the budget shortfall by voting not to bring the chamber’s proposed budget up for debate. It takes two-thirds of the Senate to bring up a bill, which means at least two of the chamber’s 12 Democrats must be on board…If the Senate budget passes, House and Senate negotiators will hammer out a final product in conference committee. Two Democrats, Sens. Royce West of Dallas and Juan ‘Chuy’ Hinojosa of McAllen, voted for the Senate budget when it came out of the Finance Committee last week. ‘If we don’t pass a budget, we will be in a special session,’ Hinojosa told the Rio Grande Guardian. ‘The two-thirds rule will not apply, and (Republicans) will ram House Bill 1 down our throats, and it is going to hurt a lot of people and cripple our education system…’”
(View full article here).
Texas Driver’s License Fee May Go Up $8
“Texans would shell out $8 more for a regular driver’s license to help pay for additional staff, updated technology and new facilities aimed, in part, at cutting wait times at DPS offices under a proposal in the state Senate. If approved, Houston could gain three “mega centers” and see driver’s license bureau staffing nearly double under legislation being pushed by Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands. ‘It’s a huge problem just for everyday Texans,’ Williams, chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee, said of the driver’s license logjam. ‘I think I get more complaints about this in my office than anything else.’ The driver’s license changes are in two pieces of legislation that have cleared committees and are awaiting full Senate consideration…”
(View full article here).
State Workers: We’re Ready to Bolt Over Cuts
“Significant changes to pay and benefits for Texas’ employees, if enacted by legislators, could drive thousands of workers into retirement or jobs outside state government, survey results released Monday show. About 20,500 state workers — or 14 percent of the workforce outside higher education — responded to the online survey, conducted by the Texas Public Employees Association. About 57 percent of the respondents eligible for retirement said they would jump ship in the wake of pay cuts, increases in health insurance costs and other benefit changes now under consideration by lawmakers. Among those respondents not of retirement age, nearly one-third said they would look for work outside of state government. Another 28 percent would wait until the economy improves and then bolt…”
(View full article here).
Patrick: No Holdup on Abortion Sonogram
“Holdup? What holdup? Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, says he’s got the votes to send abortion sonogram legislation back to the House — but the timeline for doing it depends on how quickly the Senate passes the budget. Under the version of HB 15 being considered by the Senate, women seeking an abortion would have to receive a sonogram ahead of time, and they would have to listen to a doctor describe the fetus in detail. Though some conservative groups have continued to lobby for a sonogram bill tougher than the version under consideration in the Senate, Patrick said that’s not delaying a vote. He said the Senate will likely take up his bill late this week or early next week, after the chamber gets through the budget…”
(View full article here).
The Brief: April 27, 2011
“The Senate will soon take up a budget bill with one proposal that has garnered some high-powered opposition. As reported by the Austin American Statesman, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, said Tuesday that he ‘disagreed’ with senators’ decision last week to draw $3 billion from the Rainy Day Fund, the state’s $9.4 billion emergency savings account. The Senate, this session acting as a moderate check on the conservative House, has been searching for sources of revenue…”
(View full article here).
House Draws New Lines After 16 Hours of Debate
“One Houston House member said that after Wednesday-Thursday’s redistricting marathon he ended up with a district that runs through the middle of an apartment complex. An East Texas Republican complained that he’s never met 70 percent of his new constituents. And a San Antonio lawmaker warned that a lawsuit is in the offing after the House approved a Republican-drawn redistricting plan for the next decade. Making the case for legal action is one reason state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, and his Democratic cohorts forced a legislative endurance contest that began on the House floor at 11 a.m. Wednesday morning and seemed, at times, it might take a decade to end. It was nearly 3 a.m. Thursday before lawmakers batted away the last of Martinez Fischer’s proposed amendments and approved House Bill 150, sponsored by state Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton. The vote was 92 to 52…”
(View full article here).
Ogden: Still No Budget Deal
“Senators left a meeting this morning looking no closer to an agreement on the budget — and Finance Chair Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, said the method of financing remains the sticking point. ‘If we’re not going to use the Rainy Day fund when it’s raining, we might as well get rid of it,’ Ogden told reporters after this morning’s caucus. ‘This is what it’s for.’ The budget was originally slated for debate today, but negotiations broke down on Wednesday night. Ogden needs 21 votes in the upper chamber to bring the budget up for debate…”
(View full article here).
Texas Governor: Disaster Could Blow Hole in Budget
“With massive wildfires taking a toll on a strapped state budget, Gov. Rick Perry warned Tuesday that another natural disaster could leave the state “bankrupt” unless lawmakers show fiscal restraint. Because of those financial threats, the Republican governor said it would be irresponsible for the Legislature to use money out of the so-called Rainy Day Fund to soften the blow from staggering budget cuts proposed by state lawmakers. A Senate proposal would take $3 billion out of the reserve account, fattened with oil tax money, to cut less from nursing homes, public education and other core state programs. Perry made it clear that he was dead set against the idea…”
(View full article here).
Texplainer: What Does It Cost to Fight Texas Wildfires?
“So far, the estimated cost for fighting the wildfires is $49.2 million for this fiscal year, according to Robby DeWitt, a finance official with the Texas Forest Service, the state’s lead wildfire response agency. In recent weeks, as the fires have gotten worse, costs have mounted at a rate of over $1 million per day. Those costs will be shared among the state, local and federal governments, with the state likely to pay the bulk of the cost. In February, the Texas Forest Service asked the Legislature for an emergency appropriation for costs incurred since last session, and it has since been sending updated figures to the Legislative Budget Board each week as the fires continue…”
(View full article here).
The Brief: April 28, 2011
“After a 16-hour debate that stretched past 2 a.m. this morning, House lawmakers gave early approval to a map that would reshape their political districts. As the Tribune’s Ross Ramsey reports, the vote, 92-52, followed a day of drawn-out wrangling that centered largely on the fate of minority districts. ‘I recognize that some members are not going to be pleased with the results of the map,’ Rep. Burt Solomons, the Carrollton Republican who chairs the Redistricting Committee and drafted the proposal, warned members at the beginning of the day…”
(View full article here).
Where Are Rick Perry’s Emergency Items?
“With fewer than five weeks left in the regular session, none of Gov. Rick Perry’s emergency items — voter ID, sanctuary cities, sonograms for women getting abortions, a federal balanced budget amendment, and eminent domain protection — have made it to his desk. Perry says he isn’t concerned, however, telling reporters this week that lawmakers have plenty of time to pass the bills. ‘We have 34 days left in the legislative session,’ he said. ‘I’ve done this before. I don’t get too preached up with 34 days to go.’ While some emergency items are in fact rolling along, one of the most controversial could languish in the House Calendars Committee until the sun sets on the current session…”
(View full article here).
David Dewhurst: The TT Interview
“With less than five weeks left to go in the session, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst sat down with the Tribune to talk about his future political plans, the status of the budget in the Senate and in the biennial parley between the Senate and the House, redistricting and the tug-of-war over the Rainy Day Fund. An edited transcript follows.…”
(View full interview here).
Senate Approves Medicaid Savings Bill
“The Senate unanimously approved Sen. Jane Nelson’s bill to find extensive cost savings in Texas’ Medicaid program, the primary health care provider for children, the disabled and the very poor. ‘Ultimately what we care most about are the patients,’ said Nelson, R-Flower Mound. ‘Our goal is to make sure none of our Medicaid patients are hurt or negatively impacted by anything we do.’ The measure expands Medicaid managed care into South Texas, where it has long been carved out — expected to save the state $290 million over the biennium. It pulls prescription drug sales into the managed care program and requires most Medicaid patients to use medicines on a state preferred drug list, at a projected savings of $51 million a biennium. And it ensures people with disabilities receiving attendant care services at home are using a Medicaid contractor, saving an estimated $28 million a biennium…”
(View full article here).
House Tentatively OKs New Juvenile Justice Agency
“Texas youths who get crossways with the law could soon find themselves under the supervision of a new state juvenile justice agency whose main mission is to keep young offenders close to home and quickly headed in a more positive direction. The Texas House on Thursday tentatively approved a bill by state Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Plano, that would abolish the Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission and establish a Texas Juvenile Justice Department that would deal with young offenders. It’s a move that the Texas Sunset Commission recommended as a cost-saving measure. But Madden and state Sen. John Whitmire, who worked together on the bill, have said their goal is loftier than saving money. The new agency would continue efforts the state started in 2007 to revamp its approach to juvenile justice…”
(View full article here).
The Brief: April 29, 2011
“Comptroller Susan Combs, whose office exposed the personal data of millions of Texans, struck a decidedly new tone Thursday. A contrite Combs said she now takes full responsibility for the data exposure, which left the personal information, including Social Security numbers and birth dates, of 3.5 million Texans publicly available online for a year. “We’re the last door. We’re it,” Combs told Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune. “And as head of the agency, I am responsible…”
(View full article here).
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