Early bills give glimpse of legislative agendas
By April Castro
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 The Texas of the future will be tougher on illegal immigrants, sexual predators and women seeking abortions if the Legislature approves a slew of legislation filed Monday, the first day for lawmakers to formally propose new laws before the upcoming session. Hundreds of bills filed Monday gave a glimpse at the issues that could dominate the 140-day session, from immigration reform to private school vouchers. One lawmaker even proposed making the bolo tie the official state tie of Texas. Lawmakers have until March 9 to file bills. Illegal immigration will be a major issue this year if early proposals are an indication. Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, proposed a crackdown on the entitlements afforded to U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, including public education. His proposal also would prohibit the granting of state employment, public assistance and professional licenses to all children of illegal immigrants. Berman also proposed an 8 percent fee on all out-of-country money transfers. Remittances last year accounted for $20 billion in foreign income to Mexico, the country's second leading source of foreign income after oil. Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, filed legislation authorizing the Texas attorney general to sue to recover costs incurred by the state from illegal immigration. His legislation also proposes demanding that the federal government enforce federal immigration laws. "Texas bears a disproportionate burden from illegal immigration because we share a 1,254-mile border with Mexico," Solomons said. "These undocumented illegals put a burden on our health care system, our judicial and criminal system, and law enforcement, all of which is ultimately paid for by the citizens of Texas. This is not fair." Some legislation has already been proposed multiple times. For instance, a handful of lawmakers are pushing a requirement that all public schools have at least one automated external defibrillator on hand for high school sporting events. Several lawmakers also proposed property tax relief legislation for homeowners who are older than 65 or disabled. Some lawmakers also want to reduce the maximum amount that property values can increase every year for taxing purposes. The cap stands at 10 percent, but lawmakers have proposed reducing it to as little as 3 percent per year. Other lawmakers are asking for a comprehensive reform of prosecution, punishment and supervision of sex offenders. Republican Sen. Bob Deuell of Greenville has proposed mandatory minimum sentences of 25 years, lifetime monitoring of those convicted of sex crimes against a victim under the age of 14, increased penalties for multiple offenses and an increase in the statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases. Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, proposed a bill that would require school officials to place students who are registered sex offenders in alternative classrooms. The bill was prompted by the attempted sexual assault of a teacher by a high school student last month at Austin's Reagan High School. Rep. Frank Corte, a San Antonio Republican, proposed legislation that would change the informed consent in an abortion law. It would go from an option to a requirement that women be given abortion literature to review at least 24 hours before the procedure. Some lawmakers also have proposed that their own votes on legislation be recorded and made available to the public. Sen. Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat, filed a bill that would raise the minimum wage in Texas to $7.15 an hour in two steps and allow for future increases based on inflation. About 5,400 bills were filed in the House and Senate last year, but only a fraction of those were adopted and became law. What's the rush? Count Donovan Burton as the early bird at the Texas Capitol on Monday. Burton, an aide to Rep. Frank Corte, R-San Antonio, arrived just after 5 a.m. to land first in line to pre-file legislation with the House clerk's office when it opened. Burton, who drove in from his Cedar Park home, sprinted into the building after noticing another Capitol-ite walking ahead of him. "I was in a big rush to go upstairs," he said later Monday. Corte got coveted low number assignments for his proposals — House Bills 16 through 26 and House Joint Resolution 11, a proposed constitutional amendment. Although bills aren't considered in numerical order, a low bill number can boost a bill's chances in lawmakers' minds. A low number slapped on a measure shows "you've been working on it for a while," Burton said. For each of his proposals, Corte likes "to get it out there, and get the full debate on it." On the Senate side, an aide to Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, ended up first in line for filings. Lawmakers convene the second Tuesday in January. No hurries that day, though. By law, the 140-day session gavels in at noon. — W. Gardner Selby
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