For Immediate Release - 05/24/99:

"Things Are Really Rolling At The Session."

Things are really rolling at this stage of the session. Thursday the House Public Education Committee heard 175 bills including our important Robin Hood tax-reducing legislation. It was a marathon session! Chairman Paul Sadler is taking a very methodical and studied approach to his committee's (Public Education) responsibility to develop the financing plan for Texas' public schools. According to political veterans, this session is unique in that the Appropriations Committee, instead of making specific spending authorization in the biennium budget, took a $3 billion block and handed it over to Chairman Sadlers' Committee to devise the plan. Teacher pay raises, social promotion, vouchers and Robin Hood property tax relief are all on Chairman Sadler's shoulders. These are some of the most visible and controversial of Governor Bush's legislative agenda and the most closely watched. Some are beginning to suggest the previously unthinkable, that if it doesn't pull together with meaningful tax relief, the Governor may call a special session. I find that hard to believe, but this session has an unpredictable tempo and anything is possible with so many new pressures on our Governor.

Our Robin Hood Bill that seems to be getting the most traction, and as of Wednesday, the Governor's support is HB 612, which will give approximately $245 million of property tax relief for Texas homeowners. This bill will benefit 260 school districts, including giving DISD $20 million, RISD $13 million, and HPISD $12 million in property tax reimbursement.

On other issues before the House, we are currently considering 30-40 bills a day. Some recent notable bills include

• HB 1161, 1676 and 1945, by Representative Junell, Chairman of Appropriations, were passed, implementing the programs to use the funds generated from the Tobacco Settlement. These bills reflect an agreement between Dan Morales, Senate Finance Chair Bill Ratliff, and Junell to establish special programs and endowments for health care and medical center research.
• HB 1152 by Representative Driver was heard on the House floor on Thursday. This bill would have authorized a municipality to place cameras at red lights, and photograph a car license plate upon the driver running the light. Over an hour of debate ensued between both conservatives and liberals claiming intrusion on individual freedoms. Eventually, the bill was tabled by the author after 12 amendments were placed on the bill, ultimately rendering the bill ineffective.

Other News . . . The House Committee on State Affairs heard the parental notification bills on Monday. The bills will be left pending for a week or so, but the Committee is expected to take a vote soon.

Important Issues Facing the Legislature . . . Transportation Safety Issues

We will be considering legislation over the next few weeks concerning a number of different issues regarding youth transportation safety. Senator Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) has filed SB 411 which would prohibit persons 18 years of age or younger from riding in the beds of pickup trucks. Current law prohibits children younger than 12 from riding in the bed of a pickup if the vehicle is traveling faster than 35 mph. This bill would also remove the low speed exemption .

Another proposal would require youth riding in the back seats of vehicles to wear seat belts. Senator Mike Moncrief (D-Ft. Worth) has proposed SB 60 to require persons under age 15 to wear seat belts when they are riding in the back seats of vehicles. A similar proposal, HB 30 by Rep. Tony Goolsby (R-Dallas), would require all persons, regardless of age, to wear safety restraints in the back seats of vehicles.

As always, I encourage you to contact to my office with your thoughts about these issues. Please contact my office at P.O. Box 2910, Austin, Texas, 78768-2910, or E-mail me at kenn.george@house.state.tx.us.