East Texas

By ADAM RUSSELL
Staff Writer

Despite the 81st Legislative session ending with the probability of the governor calling a special session, local legislators said the session was a success.

Sens. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler; Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville; and Bob Deuell, R-Greenville; and Reps. Leo Berman, R-Tyler; Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola; Dan Flynn, R-Van; Tommy Merritt, R-Longview; and Chuck Hopson, D-Jacksonville; re-cently weighed in on the session, its successes and failures and special session likely to come. The one success the East Texas delegation agrees on is the only item legislators are constitutionally required to pass each session -- the budget.

Facing tough economic conditions, sinking state sales tax revenues, a dwindling surplus and a forecast of a $9 billion shortfall heading into the 2011 session, legislators said they delivered. "I said at the beginning that we had one item on the agenda and that was passing the budget. We passed a very good budget," Eltife said. "The budget itself deserves an 'A' and the session a 'B-minus' because of some of the political antics that took place during the session that got us sidetracked." The "antics" Eltife referred to were the loss of five legislative days late in the session created by House Democrats who stalled seeking to kill a voter identification bill.

Eltife said the tactic killed good bills and delayed others, including the Sunset provisions that will require a special session. Those provisions can be sorted out during a short special session, Eltife said.

Eltife said the budget effectively addressed public and higher education and public safety needs, and did so without putting the future budget in jeopardy.

Berman said the availability of about $1.9 billion in additional funding to public education and increasing grants for higher education within a fiscally conservative budget, which avoided dipping into the state's Rainy Day Fund, was a major accomplishment.

Nichols said that although a special session will be needed to complete major legislative business, the regular session went "very well."

He said small businesses in the region and about 40,000 statewide will benefit from the franchise tax exemption being increased from $300,000 to $1 million for the next two years.

He said an adjustment in 2006 hurt small businesses and that going into this session, lawmakers recognized the need to help.

"Small businesses are the backbone of the economy," he said. "They are the ones that create jobs. It's always good for the economy when you help businesses perform better."

Merritt said the session should be rated by what was accomplished for East Texas and that the region fared well. He said the East Texas delegation worked together, improved the region's statewide standing, protected valuable natural resources and advanced local transportation initiatives.

"If you look at it from a regional perspective, we worked together on issues such as protecting our water and water rights from the urban areas," he said. "Power shifted from West to East Texas, the delegation was well represented on committees, including several chair positions, and that is significant for the region."

Ousting incumbent House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, represented a significant power shift, Merritt said.

Craddick was replaced by speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, at the onset after 12 House Republicans, with the help of 74 Democrats, forced out the speaker.

Merritt, one of the 12 dissidents, said replacing a speaker "that ruled with an iron fist" with a "smart," "fair," "even-tempered" and "more permissive speaker" was a significant accomplishment for the state. Others legislators viewed the change differently.

Berman said that, because the shift in power was executed by several moderate Republicans aided by Democrats in the House, there was little doubt conservatives suffered.

From a Senate perspective, Nichols said that the House "got off to a slow start" because of the change.

And Hopson said an inexperienced House speaker and inexperienced committee chairs did not speed the process along.

"Anytime there is a new speaker incoming it slows things down," he said.

The session was further encumbered by delay tactics in the House and ended without passage of two critical Sunset provisions regarding state agencies, legislators said.

Without passage, TxDOT and the Texas Department of Insurance would cease to exist beyond Sept. 1, 2010. Gov. Rick Perry said he will call a special session but has not given a date or a list of items to be handled during the extra session.

Several House Democrats stalled for days to kill a controversial voter identification bill pushed by Republicans in both chambers.

Hundreds of bills died due to the delay and many others, including the Sunset provisions, failed to reach a vote before the session ended.

Flynn said the biggest disappointment this session was the failure to address voter identification.

"I did 26 town-hall meetings all over the state of Texas, and the one question that came up in every one of them whether it was in El Paso, the Rio Grande Valley in the Panhandle, East Texas, Dallas or Houston, it was that we need to have voter ID," he said. "For it not to even be heard on the House floor was a major disappointment to me and, I think, a major disappointment to the constituents."

Deuell, who worked on Article 2 of the state budget, which dealt with health care, said the session was "strange" because of the delays but that he and legislators he has talked to said they had "never worked harder before."

He said the session increased investments in job training, creation of jobs and education.

Deuell said those investments will pay dividends for the state, which already is the envy of the nation.

"We've put more money in education in general," he said. "Anytime you (invest in training and education) it has to help."

Eltife said one of the disappointments of the session was the inability to address a cost-of-living increase for retired teachers. He said legislators did approve a $500 supplemental check to retirees but that he and other legislators will try on retirees' behalf next session.

Hughes said that aside from funding public education, legislators also addressed accountability within the system and the failure of "high-stakes tests," specifically Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS).

He said legislators made "real progress" this session, moving toward a more comprehensive accountability standard that includes end-of-course exams, teacher evaluations and measuring student improvement.

"We have to have some accountability statewide. We understand that," he said. "If the taxpayer is paying for it, we have to have accountability so we can see how we are doing, and measure and make sure our kids are learning."

Hughes said accountability shouldn't mean lowering the standards for public education.

He said he believes House Bill 3 addresses standards with measuring tools such as examining college readiness.

Hughes said considering all the interests involved in the legislative process, the session was overall positive.

"There's always potential for bad things to happen in a session, so anytime we can minimize the bad things, that is good, and if we can get a few good things done ...even better," he said. "I think we did that this time."