Items of Interest 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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Infographic: Rainy Day Politics In Texas
“We’ve heard a lot of talk lately about the Rainy Day Fund: Should legislators tap it to cover this year’s $4.3 billion deficit — and should they resort to it again to help close a massive shortfall in the next biennium’s budget? As state House and Senate lawmakers undergo the contentious process of drafting their 2012-13 budgets, the Tribune has created an infographic to help Texans understand the intent of the Rainy Day Fund, what it takes to withdraw from that savings account, and the political arguments for and against using it…”
(View full article here).

Texas Task Force to Battle EPA Regulations
“Texas is summoning all of its political firepower to do battle against the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Federal and state lawmakers announced the creation of a Texas task force to slow the agency’s effort to tighten restrictions on Texas manufacturers. Twenty-three Republicans in the U.S. House and two senators plan to work on the issue with the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house and various committee chairmen. …”
(View full article here).

Report Calls on Lawmakers to Boost Stimulus Monitoring
“In 2009, when the federal government began pouring billions into Texas via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or “stimulus package,” the Legislature made a visible effort to monitor its implementation — or at least the House did, setting up a special committee to monitor the funds. Two years later, money from the three-year federal stimulus is still flowing to the Lone Star State, but interest in the Legislature seems to have declined. Speaker Joe Straus did not resurrect the House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding, and the heavy hand at its helm — former state Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco — failed to win re-election…”
(View full article here).

Texas Lawmakers Send Budget Bill to the Floor
“Wednesday proved a pivotal day for lawmakers in the budget-writing process. As the House Appropriations Committee voted along party lines to move the 2012-13 budget bill to the floor for a vote, Senate lawmakers hinted they are looking to spend more than their counterparts on public education — setting the stage for a budget battle. HB 1, the House version of the general appropriations bill, proposes a $164.5 billion budget for the 2012-13 biennium, a 12.3 percent decrease from the current biennium. State general revenue would drop by 5.4 percent, from $82 billion to $77.6 billion. After the 18-7 vote in House Appropriations, Committee Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, confirmed to reporters that the bill includes a 10 percent cut to Medicaid provider rates and a 34 percent cut in nursing home funding…”
(View full article here).

Firm Offered to Pay Off Loan to Quash Bill, Craddick Tells House Panel
“Rep. Tom Craddick, who is sponsoring a bill to toughen regulations on payday and car title lenders, told a legislative committee Tuesday that a lending company offered to pay off the loan of a financially struggling constituent two years ago if he would withdraw a regulatory measure he was pushing at the time. The Midland Republican, who is the longest-serving member of the Texas House and a former speaker, appeared before the House Pensions, Investments and Financial Services Committee to testify on his latest measure… ”
(View full article here).

Opponents of Medicaid Cuts Warn of Devastating Ripple Effect
“Proposed steep cuts to state Medicaid spending threaten to force medically fragile children and adults with disabilities away from home care and into nursing homes and other institutions, health care advocates said at Capitol rallies Tuesday. At the same time, however, the 33 percent cuts proposed for Medicaid-funded nursing homes will force agencies to close across Texas, limiting options for thousands of the state’s elderly, advocates warned. The ripple effect of the cuts — estimated at $7.6 billion to almost $10 billion, or roughly one-third of Texas’ Medicaid spending — will endanger lives, kill jobs, strain the state’s economy, and cost Texas more money in the long run, they said…”
(View full article here).

Health Insurance Exchange Bill Bottled Up In Committee
“John Zerwas wants to make one thing perfectly clear – he is a big opponent of last year’s federal health care reform law, which he consistently refers to as Obamacare. At the same time, though, the Republican state representative from the Houston area is equally adamant that the state should take the lead in implementing a health insurance exchange. That’s even though the exchange would be the primary tool in enrolling people in insurance plans under the revamped health care system envisioned by the reform law. Zerwas says that the state would be inviting too much federal influence into the state if it doesn’t take the lead on designing and implementing an exchange. That’s because the feds would implement an exchange on their own if Texas declines to do so. But he’s finding it an uphill struggle to make that case to the conservative grassroots in his party who are equating the exchange with Obamacare. Zerwas told QR today that his bill authorizing an exchange is bottled up in committee. And with the Governor’s Office sending him the message that his bill wouldn’t survive a trip to Gov. Rick Perry’s desk, Zerwas is saying that the exchange bill isn’t going to leave committee anytime soon… This is despite some widespread support among key stakeholders in the Capitol community for Zerwas’ legislation, HB 636. Some of those supporters include the Texas Association of Business, the Texas Hospital Association, the Texas Association of Health Plans, the Texas Medical Association, the Texas Restaurant Association and the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute. Another of Zerwas’ colleagues, State Sovereignty Select Committee Chairman Brandon Creighton, said that HB 636 could prove important in helping facilitate another challenge to Obamacare – the interstate compact waiver. Zerwas acknowledged that with his research on the topic that he might have gotten into the policy weeds a little bit on this topic. ‘I assumed everybody would see it the way we see it,’ he said…”

Texas Senate, Facing Tight Budget, Hunts for Revenue
“The Texas Senate isn’t allowed to raise money. It’s right there in the state’s Constitution, which says all revenue bills must originate in the House. But there goes the Senate, sending Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, and a subcommittee of budgeteers on a hunt for “non-tax revenues” that could be used to put enough meat on the skimpy proposed budget to get senators to vote for it. To get the votes he needs to pass the budget through the Senate, Steve Ogden, the Bryan Republican who chairs the Finance Committee, needs to spend money the House won’t let him have. Next week, the Texas House is scheduled to debate a new budget that’s $23 billion smaller than the current one…”
(View full article here).

Perry Fined $1,500 by Ethics Commission
“Gov. Rick Perry was fined $1,500 by the Texas Ethics Commission for failing to report rental income from a house in College Station, and for filing incomplete information regarding debts on the same property, in personal financial statements required by state law. ‘This was an inadvertent error, and as soon as it was realized, the governor’s personal financial statement was amended to include those items,’ Perry spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said in a statement. ‘The Commission has since assessed a fine, which has been paid.’ Perry did not, as the law requires, report income in excess of $500 from rent. According to the Ethics Commission…”
(View full article here).

Texas Committee Votes to Reduce Health Cuts
“Deliberation about what to cut — and whom to save — ended with a vote to restore $4.5 billion to state health agencies at a Senate Health and Human Services sub-committee hearing this morning. The issue now goes to the full Senate Finance Committee, which will debate whether to add the funds back into the Senate appropriations bill. State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, says this morning’s vote “represents our best effort to address our top needs first,” and will restore 505 full-time positions and funding for programs like Early Childhood Intervention and foster care. It will also, she says, significantly reduce cuts to reimbursement rates for physicians, hospitals and nursing homes. But some senators argue that funding should be restored for more services…”
(View full article here).

The Week in Texas Politics Recap: March 21 to March 25
“No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We’ve made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome…”
(View full article here).

Some Small Businesses Could Lose Tax Break, Legislator Says
“An estimated 28,000 of Texas’ smallest businesses might lose their exemption from paying the state’s primary business tax. The chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee says odds are 50-50 whether the Legislature can continue exempting businesses with less than $1 million a year in gross receipts. Without legislative action, the so-called margins tax would be levied against businesses making more than $600,000 in gross receipts. State Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville , who heads the committee where tax bills originate, said he and many other lawmakers want to make the small-business exemption permanent but that they have to find about $75 million a year to replace the lost revenue…”
(View full article here).

Texplainer: What is a “Point of Order?”
A point of order is a parliamentary action that points out a violation of the House rules. It is the House speaker’s responsibility to ensure that the rules are enforced, but the point of order allows legislators to interject and declare a violation that has been overlooked. Once declared, a point of order takes precedent on the floor, and the speaker must decide whether there has been a violation before continuing. If the speaker overrules a point of order, business continues as usual. If the speaker agrees that a rules violation has occurred, then the point of order is sustained, which can delay the passage of a bill until the error is fixed.
(View full article here).

Items of Interest 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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Appropriations OKs $3.1 Billion From Rainy Day Fund
“On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Rick Perry offered the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee the blessing he seeks to go forward with a vote that would authorize the withdrawal of $3.2 billion from the state’s Rainy Day Fund. Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, said on Monday he wanted the governor’s public support in order to “comfort” some members of his committee. In the press release issued just before 3 p.m., Perry’s office said he had reached an agreement with House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, and Comptroller Susan Combs to “close out the Fiscal Year 2011 budget gap by implementing $800 million in cuts, using $300 million from increased sales tax collections over the last few months, and using a one-time draw not to exceed $3.2 billion from the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund…”
(View full article here).

Inside Intelligence: A Special Session Is…
“Most of our insiders think the Legislature is headed for a special session after this regular session ends on Memorial Day. It’s not even close: 76 percent think this 82nd festival of parliamentary joy will go into overtime. That’s not the bad news, either. While 27 percent think there will be just one special session, 51 percent think there will be two or more…’”
(View full article here).

Ban Synthetic Drugs, Lawmakers Say
“Synthetic drugs and hallucinogenic plants shouldn’t stand a chance in Texas, lawmakers on the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee said today, as they considered a set of bills that would ban the substances. Five of the bills deal with synthetic marijuana, which is currently available at stores under brand names like K2, Spice or Ice. These products are typically labeled as incense but are sprayed with a chemical compound similar to THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana…”
(View full article here).

Committee Votes to Send Voter ID to Texas House
“The House Calendars Committee voted this evening to place the voter ID bill, SB 14, on the House calendar for Monday. Gov. Rick Perry declared the item an emergency issue just days after the Texas Legislature gaveled in two months ago. House members always have the option of suspending calendar rules to take up the matter before next week, but committee chairman Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, said he didn’t think that would happen…”
(View full article here).

Hispanic Republicans Back Voter ID
“The Hispanic Republican Conference has thrown its weight behind the controversial Voter ID legislation slated to hit the House floor next week. In a statement released today the caucus said the issue is essential to integrity at the ballot box, and its overwhelming support by the public indicates change is necessary. The legislation would require voters to present a form of approved identification, like a state-issued driver’s license or concealed handgun license, in order to cast a ballot…”
(View full article here).

Will Texas House Support Rainy Day Compromise?
“Does tapping the Rainy Day Fund have 90 House votes to move on to the Senate — and how much will the process of getting there damage the even bigger task for lawmakers of setting the next biennium’s budget?…”
(View full article here).

Lawmakers Push for Changes to Hospital Hiring Law
“The House County Affairs Committee today heard heated testimony on a number of bills targeting hospitals’ ability to hire physicians. Currently, law does not allow hospitals to hire doctors directly. Instead, doctors must set up an individual practice. Lawmakers laid out a number of different bills that would remove the corporate practice law from individual hospital districts, citing the need for doctors in rural areas in Texas. State Rep. Garnet Coleman’s House Bill 1700, for instance, would allow hospitals in counties with a population of 50,000 or less to hire physicians. Supporters of the current law say it keeps doctors’ medical judgment free of interference from the hospital, which have to worry about their bottom lines… ”
(View full article here).

Texplainer: What’s the Select Committee on State Sovereingty?
“The Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor both have the purview to create special committees when there’s a pressing issue facing the Legislature — and they don’t want to detract from the business of traditional standing committees. This session, through a combination of federal health care reform and federal EPA rulings, the issue of state sovereignty — protecting the state from mandates from Washington — is front and center. Between Tea Party rallies and Gov. Rick Perry’s anti-Washington message on the campaign trail, legislative leaders knew to expect a litany of state sovereignty bills, and wanted to have the appropriate place to debate them…”
(View full article here).

Federal Health Reform Clear Antagonist at House Hearing
“Federal health care reform was the clear antagonist at today’s meeting of the House Select Committee on State Sovereignty. Republican lawmakers laid out a dozen bills — and a handful of different strategies — to prevent implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in Texas, and allow the state to operate Medicaid its own way. ‘How nice it would be if we were an independent republic again,’ opined Dr. Steve Hotze, who heads Conservative Republicans of Texas and runs a health and wellness center in Houston. Hotze said the federal government has no authority to impose upon Texans what kind of health coverage to buy, and shouldn’t be ‘sticking its finger in our pie…’”
(View full article here).

Plan to Merge Agencies Worries Texas Safety Officials
“A money-saving proposal to combine state agencies that oversee police and firefighter training and local jail operations has public safety officials statewide worried about their future. After Gov. Rick Perry’s budget proposal to fold the state’s Commission on Jail Standards, the Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, and the Commission on Fire Protection into one agency, state Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Plano, filed a bill last week that would do just that. The individual agencies would be abolished, and a new agency, the Public Safety Licensing Commission, would be formed to take over their roles…”
(View full article here).

Working with consumer advocates, including our client, Texas Association of Goodwills, and credit service organizations, Texas State Rep. Vicki Truitt has filed 3 bills that will address predatory lending. Other legislators have already filed bills seeking to regulate payday and auto title lending, but Truitt’s bills seek to ensure that legitimate businesses can continue to operate.

Truitt chairs the House Committee on Pensions, Investments and Financial Services. In her press release, Truitt states that she does not want to “over-regulate…and drive business and jobs from Texas, but if there are rogue actors out there preying on innocent people, we need better recourse than what is now available.”

March 12, 2011, Courtesy of Jason Smith of Smith Capitol Strategies:

Today alone (bill filing deadline), members of the Texas House filed 550 bills, while the Texas Senate filed 301 bills.

This session (82nd), there were 3802 bills filed prior to the deadline (3/11/2011)  in the House and 1874 filed in the Senate.

During the last session (81st), there were 4697 filed prior to the deadline (3/13/2009) in the House and 2447 filed in the Senate.

Two sessions ago (80th), there were 3977 bills filed prior to the deadline (3/09/2007)  in the House and 1944 filed in the Senate.

Three sessions ago (79th), there were 3474 bills filed prior to the deadline (3/11/2005) in the House and 1789 filed in the Senate.

78th Session, 3550 in the House by 3/14/2003, 1859 in the Senate.

77th Session, 3624 in the House by 3/14/2001, 1754 in the Senate.

Its not that there are so many fewer bills filed this session, its that the sharp increase in the number of bills filed last session was an anomaly.

*These #’s do not include Joint Resolutions (JR’s)

Items of Interest Compiled by Arnold Public Affairs

Below are some general items of interest pertaining to the latest political developments and important events:

__________________________________________________________________

Perry Seeks to Slow Move Toward Rainy Day Fund
“Gov. Rick Perry, sensing that lawmakers are racing to take money out of the state’s rainy day fund to ease the impact of sweeping spending cuts, said Monday that they should use that money only as a last resort. After a closed-door meeting with the House Republican Caucus, Perry said he does not think the time has come to tap the fund, where more than $9 billion is expected to accumulate by the end of the upcoming budget period in 2013. But in doing so, he seemed to soften on his earlier position that lawmakers should not use that money at all. ‘I specifically asked them to look at all the different options before they would ever come to the point of saying, OK, that is an option,’ Perry said about the rainy day fund. ‘We’re not there…’”
(View full article here).

TribLive: Straus on the Rainy Day Fund
“At today’s TribLive conversation, Speaker Joe Straus stopped short of supporting the tapping of the Rainy Day Fund to cover the current biennium’s $4.3 billion deficit, but he left the door open…”
(View full article here).

Texas Lawmakers Look Beyond Cuts for Revenue
“Lawmakers struggling to soften deep cuts that would be required in the face of a massive budget shortfall and no-new-taxes sentiment are looking at options such as deferring billions in state payments, speeding up tax collections, taking ownership of unclaimed property quicker and offering amnesty on penalties to laggard taxpayers. ‘Right now, there is a tremendous amount of effort being invested in identifying new revenues that avoid being called a tax bill,’ said Dale Craymer of the business-based Texas Taxpayers and Research Association. ‘Politically, a lot of members have pledged not to raise taxes,’ he said. ‘Obviously, members are seeing the impact of the budget proposal, and there’s a desire to try and raise new revenue to protect the budget without violating the no-new-taxes pledge…’”
(View full article here).

After Red Tide in Texas, Tea Party Still Making Waves
“In November, Republicans rode to victory in Texas offering a familiar refrain: ‘no new taxes.’ Then the legislative session began, and the reality of cutting billions from state agencies and services set in. That’s when you started to hear some in the Republican majority, especially those with a couple of legislative sessions under their belt, begin talking about ways to reduce those tax cuts. ‘There’s no doubt that you know individuals who have been here multiple terms bring a perspective that younger members can’t,’ said state Rep. John Zerwas…”
(View full article here).

Will Texas Lawmakers Cut Their Own Benefits?
“As they talk of cutting pension contributions and raising premiums for state employee health care, having state employees pay to park in state garages, and mandating layoffs and furloughs at state agencies, what are lawmakers doing to their own compensation and benefits? It’s a mixed bag. They already trimmed their regular pay, in a roundabout way. Their health benefits work just like those for state employees, which means lawmakers shoulder the same added costs and/or lowered coverages they impose on state workers. Their retirement benefits — arguably the most lucrative benefit available to a state legislator in Texas — probably won’t change…”
(View full article here).

Furloughs Possible for State Workers
“State workers could face furloughs beginning in September, under a bill filed Wednesday that would allow state agencies to require employees to take days off without pay. The proposal, authored by House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, a key player in the state’s money matters, is presumably intended to make the balancing of agency budgets easier as Texas struggles with a massive budget shortfall for the next two years. The bill gives agency directors the optional authority to implement furlough programs with the consent of their governing boards. House Bill 2720 could affect more than 300,000 employees of state agencies and higher education…”
(View full article here).

Guest Worker Program for Immigrants Proposed
“A freshman lawmaker from Austin has proposed creating a guest worker program in Texas. While other Republican members of the Legislature are sponsoring measures to punish business owners who hire undocumented workers or push for law enforcement agencies to identify people who are in the country illegally, Republican Rep. Paul Workman said he would rather try to tackle the bigger issue. ‘There are millions of people living amongst us,’ he said. ‘The vast majority are just honest, hardworking people.’ Workman, who filed House Bill 2886 on Thursday, said the federal government has not dealt appropriately with illegal immigration, which is supposed to be its responsibility… ”
(View full article here).

“Loser Pays” a Winner in the Texas Legislature?
“Loser pays; everyone wins. It is the perfect sound bite in what could be the next tort reform battle in Texas: a push to require the losing parties in litigation to pay their opponents’ legal fees. Also known as the English Rule, because of its prevalence in Britain, the loser-pays approach, advocates say, is the cure for courts choked with the costs of ‘junk’ lawsuits.’ But opponents say it obstructs all litigation — without regard to merit — and keeps those with plausible legal claims from seeking justice…”
(View full article here).

Stubbornness Could Hold Up Abortion Sonogram
“The biggest hurdle getting an abortion sonogram bill passed this session may be good old-fashioned stubbornness. House Republicans have no interest in taking up the Senate version, which they say is too lax for their liking. Indeed, an amendment on the House floor that would’ve replaced that chamber’s sonogram bill with the Senate’s language went down in flames last week…”
(View full article here).

Items of Interest Compiled by Arnold Public Affairs

Below are some general items of interest pertaining to the latest political developments and important events:

__________________________________________________________________

A Texas Debate: When is a Tax Not a Tax?
“If you’re a political lip-reader, taxes are not the same as fees, or surcharges, or exemptions, deductions and wagers. Texas lawmakers are scrounging for cash, and for ways to generate state revenue without breaking their promises not to raise taxes, which would trigger waves of opposition in the 2012 elections. By one count, the anorexic budgets proposed by the House, the Senate and the governor include around $150 million in new fees. That’s a financial speck, relatively speaking…”
(View full article here).

Lawmakers Want State, Not Federal, Insurance Connector
“Rep. John Zerwas, R-Simonton, is no fan of “Obamacare.” But he told his House colleages this afternoon that if they don’t set up a health insurance exchange — one of the tenets of the reform — by 2014, the federal government will do it for them. The so-called insurance connector would effectively serve as a public marketplace a la Travelocity or Orbitz, where consumers could shop for health insurance…”
(View full article here).

Voter ID Gets Tense Hearing
“The controversial voter ID bill came before the House Select Committee on Voter Identification and Voter Fraud this morning — and it was a tense scene. Even supporters of the measure had to grapple with some tough public testimony from people who endorse the bill on anti-illegal immigration grounds. ‘The danger of voter fraud is the illegals that come into this country and vote fraudulently,’ said David Carter, an elections volunteer from Temple. ‘Photo ID kills that problem’…”
(View full article here).

Will Smoking Cuts Add to Health Care Costs?
“Finding ways to cut health care costs is all the rage under the Pink Dome — and curbing smoking is a proven way to do it. But both the House and Senate budget proposals slash tobacco cessation programs by more than 80 percent, or $20 million over the biennium. Health care advocates say such cuts would devastate programs that deter children from smoking and eliminate regional efforts that have curbed tobacco use among adults…”
(View full article here).

Experts, Business Owners Weigh In On Smoking Ban
“Lighting up in bars, restaurants or other workplaces across Texas will be a way of the past if state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Lake Dallas, gets her way. Crownover has again introduced a bill that would prohibit smoking in indoor areas of most businesses, health care facilities and sporting venues. Smoking would still be allowed, though, at outdoor venues like patios. Although she believes in limited government, Crownover said 53,000 people die each year in the U.S. from second-hand smoke, and that is unacceptable…”
(View full article here).

Small, Large Businesses Split on Texas Budget Fixes
“Approaches to budget cutting have divided lawmakers and their constituents, but as Erika Aguilar of KUT News reports, tension is brewing between two other worried groups: small and large businesses…”
(View full article here).

Deuell: Make Cuts, but Raise Taxes Too
“State Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville, would rather raise taxes a little bit than make the cuts lawmakers are considering now, he said this evening. Deuell has been a proponent of a 10-cent increase in gasoline taxes for some time — since before his Republican primary and general election victories last year — and said he would support a broader sales tax too. He also said the state should use “most” of the $9.4 billion Rainy Day Fund… ”
(View full article here).

Texas Abortion Bill Tentatively Passes the House
“Thursday’s debate on Stephenville Republican state Rep. Sid Miller’s abortion sonogram bill, House Bill 15, began shortly after 2 p.m. It ended shortly after 9 p.m. The bill passed to third reading on a vote of 103-42, which means one easy step remains before it heads to the Senate. ‘Anytime you abort a human life, that’s probably the most tragic procedure that could ever be performed,” Miller said. “If we can save human lives, that is an emergency.’ In fact, the abortion sonogram bill is one of a handful of legislative issues given “emergency” status by Gov. Rick Perry…”
(View full article here).

Guy Clifton: The TT Interview
“When Texas lawmakers talk about containing health care costs, it’s a good bet they’ve picked the brain of Dr. Guy Clifton, a Houston neurosurgeon turned health care policy expert. But the author of ‘Flatlined: Resuscitating American Medicine’ — who has guided Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on his pet payment reform legislation — says the Legislature’s effort to balance the budget by slashing Medicaid rates is misguided. Nor does he share Republican lawmakers’ ardent opposition to federal health care reform…”
(View full article here).

Lucio: I’d Raise the Soft Drink Tax
“On Monday, state Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville, said he would rather raise taxes than make the cuts under consideration. Now, state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, has introduced legislation to increase the tax on soft drinks by a penny per ounce…”
(View full article here).

Numbers Tell of Who’s Vulnerable in Redistricting
“You don’t need a new map to find the political trouble spots in Texas. The population numbers released by the Census Bureau last week don’t reveal exactly which federal and state officeholders are threatened by any reapportionment of seats, but they show what regions have grown or withered. With deeper analysis come more specific numbers that show, on a closer scale, what’s sprouting and decaying. And now, the mapmaking is underway. In any conversation about who is vulnerable in the redistricting process, the four freshmen from West Texas always rise to the top of the list…”
(View full article here).

The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for March 3, 2011
“’Gov. Rick Perry doesn’t want to use the rainy-day fund, but state Comptroller Susan Combs told budget-writers today she sees no way for lawmakers to meet the deficit in the current budget through cuts alone’…’The United States has formally asked Mexico to turn over to the suspected murder of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata for trial in an American court, President Obama told a news conference today at the White House’…’Proponents of slot machines at Texas race tracks are making their move at the Capitol by filing bills Thursday that would allow the additional gambling’…”
(View full article here).

From Harvey Kronberg’s Quorum Report:

DEUELL CALLS FOR TAX INCREASES, SPENDING RAINY DAY FUND

State Sen. Bob Deuell said today that the Republican-dominated Legislature should take a serious look at both raising taxes and raiding the Rainy Day Fund to minimize what are sure to be devastating spending cuts that threaten to undermine Texas’ social safety net.

“I’m advocating using the Rainy Day Fund – all of it,” the Greenville Republican told the Quorum Report andYNN during quick interview at the end of today’s Senate floor session. “I also think we should raise the gas tax 10 cents a gallon close loopholes in the sales tax.”

Deuell, who serves on the Senate Finance Committee and is vice chairman of Health and Human Services,acknowledges that his proposals run counter to prevailing sentiment of the state’s Republican leadership, and that even if lawmakers followed his lead, many of the proposals would be met with Gov. Rick Perry’s veto pen.

But Deuell said that he can see the likely affect of deep cuts to programs like Medicaid in both his private life as a physician and in his role as a state lawmaker.

“We’re looking at cuts to (programs for) blind kids, autistic kids, homeless kids,” he said. Even cutting so-called optional programs will have far-reaching ramifications, he said.

Later in the afternoon, members of ADAPT, an advocacy organization for Texans with disabilities, sent word that they were “occupying” the area outside Perry’s office on the second floor of the Capitol demanding that he drop his opposition to spending the Rainy Day Fund.

Deuell is not alone among Republicans in calling for tapping at least part of the Rainy Day Fund to either make up for the expected shortfall in the current fiscal year or to ease the impact of the projected $27 billion shortfall in the upcoming biennium. But his call for specific revenue-raising measures puts in him pretty rare company among the GOP.

He did make clear that calling for raising taxes does not come easy for him, but he did raise that possibility in his re-election campaign and still won easily.

“It’s not like I’m looking to raise taxes, but the guy who cuts my grass collects a sales tax and the girl who cuts my hair doesn’t,” he said. “What sense does that make.”

This article is available for subscribers on The Quorum Report site.

Republicans in both the House and Senate this week started discussions about finding new sources of revenue to go with spending cuts.  Among the ideas this week:  using some or all of the Rainy Day Fund, raising the gas tax, and closing the loopholes in the state’s sales tax.  In addition, gambling may have a better shot to pass than it has in previous sessions and sin taxes, including beer and cigarettes have started to get a hearing.