Texas Weekly Update: Sept 4

VOTING UNDERWAY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

CSE is supporting passage of Prop 12 to limit non-economic damages on medical malpractice awards. This measure pits trial lawyers against your family doctor. Ambulance-chasing trial lawyers, pumping millions into defeat of Prop 12, have been implicated in a medical records theft ring. Click here for information

Early voting continues thru Sept 9 with election day Sept 13 on the 22 constitutional amendments. For a copy of the Amendments, click here.

Houston Debate Sept 10: Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Deborah Hankinson and State. Rep. Joe Nixon (R-Houston) will debate Proposition 12, the amendment to the Texas constitution capping non-economic medical malpractice awards, at the University of Houston Law Center at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 10. in Krost Hall Auditorium at the UH Law Center, is free and open to the public.

TEXAS REDISTRICTING UPDATE

Sen. John Whitmire has returned to Texas, opening the door for a quorum and a third called session. To his credit, he has said though he disagrees with redistricting, he believes the fight should be on the Senate floor, not hiding out in an adjoining state.

The second called session ended Aug 26 with the 11 Texas Democrat senators hiding out in New Mexico to avoid a quorum in Austin. The Governor has said he’s committed to calling another session to address redistricting. CSE’s position is firmly behind legislators showing up and voting – win or lose. Texas voters are not served by tricks and pranks used to avert the democratic process.

It will be interesting to see how the media treats Sen. Whitmire. When Republicans break rank, they have been hailed as statesmen.

• Political districts usually are redrawn every 10 years to reflect population changes recorded in the U.S. Census.

• State lawmakers are charged with drawing U.S. House district lines. But a politically split Texas Legislature failed to do so after the 2000 census, so a federal court drew the districts now in effect.

• From those districts, Texas voters last year sent 17 Democrats and 15 Republicans to the U.S. House.

• Now that Republicans control the state Legislature, they are pushing for new districts that would boost the number of Republicans in the Texas congressional delegation to at least 20.

754 NEW TEXAS LAWS TAKE EFFECT

Back when Senators actually reported for duty, the legislature passed a slew of new laws. Though we are always dubious of new laws, this is not always a bad thing…among those laws passed were measures to made it illegal to perform medical procedures under the influence of drugs or alcohol (HB 1592); taking a gift or fee for referring legal business if you are a judge (SB 532); having sexual relations with your under-18 students if you work at a school (HB 532).

The good news is the Legislature balanced the budget without a tax increase, a feat few other states have been able to do. The bottom line is: the size and scope of state government has been reduced thanks to the leadership in the 78th Legislature. For more on bills that became law Sept 1, visit www.capitol.state.tx.us/ on the Web.