Craddick: Deadlocked Legislature should just go home
With most Texas schools only weeks away from starting the school year, it's time for legislators to go home and end their deadlocked effort to reform school finance, House Speaker Tom Craddick said Thursday.
"At this point in the special session neither chamber has been able to pass any legislation, and it does not appear that they will," Craddick said. "We are wasting time and money, and it is unproductive to prolong this process. I suggest we sine die, continue working together to reach an agreement, request the Texas Education Agency send us a list of reforms they can carry out without the Legislature changing the statutes, and wait to review the Supreme Court's ruling before formally meeting again."
Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said they would like to continue the special session, but Dewhurst conceded that if Craddick and the House are going to throw in the towel nothing can be accomplished. The Senate is currently caucusing.
State leaders on Thursday discussed the possibility of executing an emergency plan to ship textbooks to waiting school districts. Six million textbooks are sitting in warehouses in Dallas and Lubbock, and state leaders are considering something unprecedented to get them shipped: Sending the publisher an IOU. Many question that route, so Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano has filed SB 38, a bill dedicated exclusively to textbook funding. Both chambers are expected to vote on SB 38 next week.
Texas makes substantial gains in federal highway bill
Congress has passed an oft-delayed transportation bill that promises to bring an average of $800 million annually in new funding to Texas. The bill, which has been signed by the president, also funnels $669 million specifically to high priority projects in the state.
The $286 billion transportation bill, dubbed SAFETEA-LU, calls for Texas to eventually get back 92 percent of all federal gas taxes it sends to Washington, an increase from the current 90.5 percent level.
"Texas scored some impressive victories in SAFETEA-LU that add horsepower to the new transportation programs Governor Perry and the Texas Legislature have put into law," said Ric Williamson, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission. "The bill took a long time to complete, but it was worth the wait."
Not only does the new federal transportation bill allocate more money for Texas roads, it also provides some certainty. The last federal transportation bill expired in 2003 and government officials and contractors have spent the past 22 months uncertain about which planned projects would get funding.
Governor's Criminal Justice Division to receive $22M grant
The Office of the Governor's Criminal Justice Division (CJD) is slated to receive a $22.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce drug use, trafficking and other crimes resulting from illegal drugs. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas (pictured) said CJD will decide how exactly to disburse the funds, which originated from the 2005 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant.
"The efforts of the Criminal Justice Division serve as a beacon for crime prevention and drug enforcement," Hutchison said.
University of Houston to embark on $600M fundraising drive for expansion
With shrinking financial support from state lawmakers, officials at the University of Houston plan to initiate the school's largest fundraising drive ever -- $600 million to endow professorships and pay for building improvements on its four campuses.
The five year fundraising campaign, which is in the earliest stages, is needed to keep up with growth and higher standards in the academic world, officials said. Ten years ago the state provided 43 percent of UH's funding. The university received about 35 percent of its dollars from the state this fiscal year.
Drug tests catching on at Texas schools
There is yet another test for many Texas children to pass - drug tests. The list of school districts that randomly test for illegal drug use has grown significantly in recent years - some spending as much as $150,000 annually on the effort. At least 50 districts across the state report having mandatory tests of student athletes, band members and others involved in school-sponsored activities. The concept is gaining so much momentum that the federal government is currently offering drug-testing grants to selected schools. Schools interested in applying for a federal grant can click here.
Dallas to consider new powers for mayor
Dallas' City Council agreed Wednesday to put a "stronger mayor" charter referendum on the November ballot. The ballot measure would allow the mayor to hire and fire the city manager, and a simple majority of the council would be able to remove the manager. Dallas' mayor, currently Laura Miller (pictured), would also work with the city manager to prepare the budget and hire the police and fire chiefs if the proposal passes.
The council would also hire the city auditor and the finance and budget overview officer - a new position - to serve as a check on the mayor's new powers.
Shoppers embrace annual sales tax holiday, some urge lawmakers to expand exemptions
While it isn't on the Legislature's current agenda, many residents, retailers and advocacy groups are again pointing out that there is a serious flaw with Texas' annual back-to-school sales tax holiday, which starts today and expires Sunday. The tax holiday, which essentially covers most clothing and footwear under $100, doesn't cover things such as school supplies and backpacks. Among the 10 states that have sales tax holidays this year, most make school supplies tax exempt, according to the National Retail Federation.
Despite the perceived flaw, Texans are expected to flock to stores this weekend to dodge sales tax. The Texas comptroller's office predicts that Texas consumers will save $47.4 million in sales tax this weekend.Click here for a list of products included in the sales-tax holiday.
Adams appointed vice chairman of Higher Ed board
Gov. Rick Perry has appointed longtime board member Neal W. Adams to be vice chairman of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Adams (pictured) is taking a spot vacated by Robert Shepard, who became chairman of the board last month. Adams is a Bedford resident. The 15-member board was created by the Texas Legislature in 1965 to "provide leadership and coordination for the Texas higher education system to achieve excellence for the college education of Texas students."
School bus drivers in Texas to get a crash course in terrorism
A new terrorism training program is working its way into Texas and it focuses on one of the most vulnerable of potential targets: school buses. In the next two years, about 44,000 Texas school bus drivers are slated to go through the School Bus Watch program, which is being facilitated by the National Association for Pupil Transportation.
More than 2,000 Texas school bus drivers, mostly in Houston, have already gone through the training, which urges drivers to cautiously scrutinize things that are usually overlooked - such a backpack left under a seat or a broken flap on a fuel tank. Dallas Independent School District is scheduled to train its 1,400 drivers in September. Program administrators said the school bus training is offered free to school districts that request it.
Texas renews commitment to clean energy
Gov. Rick Perry signed into law earlier this week Senate Bill 20, which will increase the production of clean energy - such as wind, biomass and solar power - in Texas.
Senate Bill 20, authored by Sen. Troy Fraser (pictured) and sponsored by Rep. Phil King, requires that about 5 percent of the state's energy come from renewable sources by 2015 and sets a goal of 10 percent by 2025. The bill further helps diversify the state's sources of energy by requiring that 500 megawatts be produced by renewable sources other than wind, such as biomass and solar power.
Lens on State Government: Procurement of Commodity Technology Products & Services
Among the post-session traditions are the analyses that various groups produce. One such report is the House Research Organization's Vetoes of Legislation, which was published last week. This report includes a digest of the 19 bills that were vetoed by Governor Perry, his stated reason for each veto, and each bill author's response. The governor's line item appropriations vetoes are not included, but will be in a separate report.
Another key post-session activity is agency implementation of bills passed during the session. Today's focus is on one such bill, HB 1516.
As noted in the June 17th Lens on the Legislature article, HB 1516 was a broad technology bill that, among other things, gave the Department of Information Resources a broader role in the procurement of "commodity items." DIR previously had such a role with regard to software, but the bill expanded their role to include the procurement of hardware and services (including seat management). It also directed that agencies must provide DIR with planned procurement schedules for commodity items before their operating plans could be approved.
HB 1516 is effective September 1st, but implementation actions are well underway. In June, DIR held a series of legislative briefings with agencies and initiated an Interagency Commodity Workgroup. The workgroup will continue meeting this month to formulate recommendations to DIR on issues such as the following:
- The classification of all CISV codes as IT commodity items;
- A process for agencies to request exemptions;
- New contract opportunities; and
- Resolutions for existing contract gaps.
Their recommendations will be submitted before September 1st. DIR is also working with other state agencies in cases where duplicate contracts exist and is working with TBPC on the final disposition of the TxMAS contracts.
Last week, DIR hosted a well-attended vendor forum to review the goals and timelines. The PowerPoint presentation from that forum is available online.
DIR has also published draft rules regarding purchases of commodity items. The proposed new chapter 212 of the Administrative Code has three subchapters covering definitions, required purchases, and exemptions. The DIR board may adopt these rules at its August 14th public meeting, so they could be effective on September 1st when the statutory changes take effect.
[Editor's Note: Previous articles by Len Riley are available online.]
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