Houston Democrats

BUDGET
Wrangling begins over 3 bills
Committees from both chambers came together for the first time Tuesday with two different versions of the state budget and two different ideas for how to spawn about $3 billion more for public schools.

Negotiations could be hampered by uncertainty over two other bills: one to revamp public kindergarten through 12th-grade education and a tax-raising bill that would pay for property tax relief and, on the Senate side, changes to schools.

"They're all tied together, ultimately," said Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, who wrote the Senate budget and is working on that chamber's version of the tax bill. "We'll have to have agreement on all three bills before we can have agreement on any of the three."

Unlike the school and tax bills, the budget is the only legislation that Texas lawmakers are legally bound to pass. The conference committee has until the last week of May to present one finalized version to each chamber.

Child abuse prevention
A council would be created to help prevent child abuse in Texas under a bill the House passed Monday.

House Bill 1685, sponsored by Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, calls for creating the Interagency Council for Building Healthy Families. Representatives of state agencies would serve as members of the council and would have to come up with an inventory of state child abuse prevention programs, among other duties.

The idea behind the legislation is to get agencies to collaborate on evaluating existing programs and figure out ways to improve how they work together.

The Department of Family and Protective Services would preside over the council.

ELECTIONS
ID proposal sent back for fix
A bill that would require voters to bring photo identification to cast a ballot in Texas was sent back to committee Tuesday because of a technical error.

Rep. Mary Denny, R-Aubrey, said she expects her bill to be back for debate by the full House next week.

Proponents of the legislation say it will prevent voting fraud. Critics worry that it will take away the voices of those who already face the most challenges getting to the polls.

GAMBLING
Sponsors don't have votes
Gambling proponents appear to be 11 votes shy of winning House approval of a proposed constitutional amendment.

Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview, one of the sponsors of gambling measures, said Tuesday that 82 to 89 House members would support some kind of gambling expansion, including video lottery terminals at racetracks and casinos.

"I'm not going to put a bill on the floor that's going to bloody up the members if we're not close" to the 100 votes needed to pass a constitional amendment, Flores said. Such an amendment would still need Senate approval, by a similar two-thirds margin, plus voter approval.

HOMELAND SECURITY
Boosting anti-terror efforts
The Senate, by a 29-0 vote, passed a bill meant to improve security against terrorism.

Senate Bill 9 would double the number of agencies involved with the state's Home Security Council. It also requires the governor's office to create a statewide radio and computer system.

Local health officials also would be added to the state's health alert network, but that expansion is dependent on federal money being available.

The law increases the penalties for trespassing on secured sites such as refineries, chemical and power plants and other "critical infrastructure."

The legislation, however, does not mandate background checks for seaport workers. The bill's author said he did not want a conflict with a pending federal background check program.

TRANSPORTATION
'Bush Country,' officially
The Texas House moved decisively Tuesday to remedy the widespread confusion about what state President Bush is from, passing House Resolution 137 on a voice vote.

The resolution, if the Senate and governor go along, would require the state to change the signs at the 66 highway entrances to Texas, adding that the state is "proud to be the home of President George W. Bush."

There was an amendment added that stipulated that at the end of Bush's residency in the White House, the signs will be changed to add the names of the three other native or adopted Texans who served as president: Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson and George H.W. Bush.

Adding the President Bush message to the eight interstate, 27 U.S. highway and 31 state highway signs would cost the Texas Department of Transportation $28,560, according to TxDOT spokesman Mark Cross.