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Deanna Frisk, Advocacy Director Brandon Spenrath, EditorDeanna@cscusa.biz bspenrath@lwvtexas.orgWelcome to the 2007 Legislative Newsletter. Future newsletters will contain information on bills that LWV-TX is tracking, supporting and opposing, League Advocacy Papers, names of senate and house committee chairs, and committee membership along with dates and information on our coalition partners' lobby days and activities. We may also include articles that examine the issues on which we are working. We hope you find the Newsletter informative. If you have questions or comments, please let us know.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. LEAGUE LOBBY DAYWe are looking forward to lots of League members attending this important day. We hope to have someone from each of our local Leagues to visit their legislators. It is on Tuesday, January 30th. We will have breakfast at the Capitol with our members of the legislature. The reservations are coming in and we will let you know who from your area will be there. Please get your reservation in now before the deadline. Priority issues for lobbying are: 1. Coal-Fired Power Plants 2. Medicare & C.H.I.P. Funding 3. Recorded Votes 2. AIR QUALITYLaura Blackburn (Houston) We are fortunate to be building on work from the last session with regard to air quality. With the current emphasis on the State Implementation Plan (SIP), particularly in those areas that are not meeting the SIP, I expect air quality to be much more of an issue in the 80th Session. Furthermore, much interest has been generated about the 17 proposed coal-fired power plants in Texas, so I expect several bills (and much grandstanding—by both sides) to deal with that issue. The bills that have been introduced so far are: SB 93 (Gallegos) SUPPORT is essentially the same bill that Senator Gallegos introduced in the 79th Legislative Session. This bill provides for fence-line monitoring, studies of health effects of highly reactive volatile organic compounds (HRVOCs), setting effects screening levels (ESLs) for air contaminants at a level that does not increase the risk of cancer in a person exposed to the air contaminant by greater than one chance in 100,000 and requires the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to assemble an independent panel to review the commission’s ESLs and to recommend standards relating thereto. This would be a significant step forward for Texas. SB 124 (Ellis) SUPPORT requires the state of Texas to adopt “Phase II of the California Low-Emission Vehicle Program” beginning with 2009 models. This bill has the support of many mayors (particularly those in non-attainment areas) and is allowed under the federal Clean Air Act. HB 440 (Hernandez) SUPPORT is similar to SB 93 by Gallegos except the ESLs are to be set at a level that does not increase the risk of cancer in a person exposed to the air contaminant by greater than one chance in one million. HB 547 (Farrar) SUPPORT is the companion bill to SB 93 by Gallegos. HB 548 (Farrar) SUPPORT is the companion bill to SB 124 by Ellis.
3. CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORMMaxine Barkan (Austin) Campaign Finance Reform is part of five issues called MAKING DEMOCRACY WORK: A Texas Agenda. A group of statewide organizations including the League, Common Cause, Texans for Public Justice, Public Citizen, Baptist Christian Life Commission, and Gray Panthers have agreed to advocate for these issues. The Campaign Finance Reform part of the Agenda includes:
HB 110 (Strama, Co-Sponsor Villarreal) SUPPORT under the Texas Fairness Act, would limit contributions from an individual in an election cycle to candidates in several categories: (1) for statewide offices including the executive branch, $2,000, state senator, $1,000, state representative $500, State Board of Education, $1,500. Strama’s bill would also prohibit repayment of loans or extensions of credit from campaign funds, an issue the League has advocated for a number of sessions. HB 110 would also address expenditure limits by candidates with voluntary compliance. The U. S. Supreme Court has said that mandatory limits on expenditures are subject to the freedom of speech amendment. HB 111 (Villarreal, Co-Sponsor Strama) SUPPORT referred to as the “Clean Elections Act.” Both Reps. Villarreal and Strama introduced this same bill in the last session that did not make it out of committee. HB 111 would limit individual contributions to a candidate, officeholder, or political committee in an election cycle to $100,000. Recipients of the contributions would be required to return any funds above that amount to the donor. Both bills would restrict minors from making contributions that presumably would have been collected by adults in the name of the minor. Villarreal puts a limit of $5,000 on such contributions.
Gloria Suarez Sasser (San Marcos) The 80th session of the Texas Legislature has begun and legislation concerning Capital Punishment is slow in coming. The League of Women Voters of Texas will focus on the issue of execution of the mentally retarded this session; in 2001 the United States Supreme Court ruled that the execution of the mentally retarded was unconstitutional. Since then the Texas Legislature has failed to pass comprehensive legislation that would define a fair and unprejudiced method for determining whether a defendant is mentally retarded. The method of determination of mental retardation the League favors is pre-trial. This is an issue that we will continue to focus on. The League of Women Voters-United States at convention this past summer voted to concur with League of Women Voters-Illinois to support the abolition of the Death Penalty. We will work toward this goal as legislation is presented HRJ 23 (Naishtat) SUPPORT: Calls for a moratorium on the execution of persons convicted of capital offenses. The bill would grant the governor the power to issue an order to prohibit the Department of Criminal Justice from performing executions on or after the effective date and until the order is revoked. In addition we would like to see added to this bill a study of the capital punishment system conducted by the state.
Marlene Lobberecht (Houston Area) The following Child Care Priorities vary in priority order from the Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition (TECEC): 1. Support Early Childhood Education Professional Development- Improve the recruitment, retention, training and quality of early childhood professionals. Professional development would indirectly impact the fundamental education foundation and improve quality care to all children in state licensed or regulated programs. The quality of the program is directly correlated to the quality of the child care provider/professional teaching and caring for the children. SB 50 (Zaffirini) SUPPORT it addresses this issue completely. 2. Expand Access to Voluntary High Quality Pre-kindergarten. 3. Improve Safety and Quality of Care for Infants and Toddlers through Workforce Development Provider Reimbursements.
6. HEALTH CARE FOR OLDER TEXANS Maria Johnson (Austin Area) The legislative priority for this session is for increased and adequate funding in programs that provide health care for the elderly. Increased funding should reduce waiting lists for services as well as take into account the increase in the number of older adults who will be eligible for services because of the growth of the number in the elderly population. Adequate funding should provide adequate provider rates to support a high quality of health care for older adults. Many health care programs for older Texans are closely tied to federal programs. Medicaid provides federal matching dollars when state dollars are spent. The budget for health care programs will be closely watched throughout the session to ensure funding.
Linda Hanratty (Tarrant County) After years of legislative inactivity, the 80th Texas Legislative session has a number of bills on this now hot issue. These are all pre-filed bills since the Legislature is just beginning its work. HB 28 (Berman) OPPOSE: Would exclude state services to children born in this state after this law goes into effect whose parents who are not citizens or nationals of the U.S. and who have entered the U.S. without inspection and authorization of an immigration officer ( illegal aliens). This would cover benefits provided by the state or a political subdivision of the state including a grant, contract, load, professional license, or commercial license, employment, retirement, public assistance, health care benefits, public housing, instruction in primary or secondary education, instruction from a public institutional of higher education, and unemployment benefits. The League supports education, housing, and emergency care for immigrants. All children born in this state are given the option of American citizenship with all its benefits. This bill seeks to remove those benefits. HB 121 (Delisi) SUPPORT: Would require state agencies to report the cost of services and benefits provided by unlawful immigrants. The League supports the mandated compilation of statistics regarding immigrants’ use of state services. HRC 11 (Solomon) SUPPORT: Would direct the Office of the Attorney General of Texas to pursue all available remedies, including but not limited to initiating a lawsuit or joining other states in a suit against the United States Attorney General, to demand the enforcement of all existing federal immigration laws by the federal government and to recover any money owed Texas by the federal government for costs incurred by the state in dealing with illegal immigration. The League supports economic assistance to those areas of the state disproportionately impacted by immigration. This funding should come primarily from federal, state, and private sources. SB 151 (Shapleigh) SUPPORT: would prohibit discrimination relating to immigration status or nationality of a person needing or receiving emergency medical care. The League supports state funding for emergency health care (including obstetrical delivery).
8. LAND USE & FUNDING FOR STATE PARKS Deanna Frisk (Comal Area) Priorities are to give counties more authority over land use to help solve water problems and to support more funding for state parks. HB 446 (Flores) SUPPORT: would repeal the law enacted in 1993 which capped the amount of sporting goods taxes given to Parks & Wildlife to 27 Million/year. HB 6 (Hildebran) SUPPORT: will credit to Parks & Wildlife all revenue, less allowable costs, received from the following sources.
**Click here for the League's Legislative Priorities for the 80th Legislature**
HOW TO WRITE GOVERNMENTS OFFICIALS: Remember, one person can make a difference! Remember to: · Write legibly; type if possible. · Be courteous and responsible. · Be sure you are writing to an elected official who can help solve your problem. · Write to your representative or official, not one from another district unless you are communicating with members of a committee holding hearings on your issue. · Address your elected official properly: State Senator The Honorable (full name) Texas Senate P.O. Box 12068 Austin, TX 78711-2068
Dear Senator (last name):
State Representative The Honorable (full name) Texas House of Representatives P.O. Box 2910 Austin, TX 78768-2910
Dear Mr., Mrs., Ms (last name)
· Personalize your letter. Form letters are not very persuasive. · Know the issue and make your point in one page. · Identify a bill by number and popular name if possible. · Write to say you approve of actions, not just to complain or oppose.
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