Education tops governor’s goals for 80th Legislature
Ed Sterling
A USTIN — Aides for Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom

Craddick addressed a small

group of newspaper editorial writers and publishers in a small forum Dec. 7 in Austin.

The three took turns talking about their bosses' goals for the upcoming legislative session, which begins Jan. 9.

Kathy Walt, Perry's special assistant for communications, said the governor is pleased that the outgoing 79th Texas Legislature's handling of school finance and property tax reform takes those issues off the back of the incoming 80th Legislature.

Education continues to be Perry's highest priority, so he'll be working with the Legislature to increase higher education accessibility and affordability, Walt

Other Perry priorities:

 Increase border security and reduce crime.

 Simplify the state's spending limit formula, which presently is tied to growth in citizens' personal income. Perry believes the formula should be based on population growth, instead, Walt said.

 Require state agencies to post detailed budgets online.

 Amend the state constitution so that surplus tax dollars would be returned to taxpayers.

 Require the state comptroller to publish the methodology for making revenue estimates.

 Require universities and other statesupported institutions of higher learning to publish detailed cost breakdowns for instruction and maintenance and operations.

 Deliver on promise of property tax cuts.

 Solicit more citizen input on ways to accomplish property tax appraisal reform.

Dewhurst to hit child predators

Rich Parsons of Lt. Gov. Dewhurst's office said his boss is calling the next session "the children's session" because of plans to lower the boom on adults who commit sexual offenses against children by passing tougher laws.

Dewhurst wants to pass a Texas version of "Jessica's Law" - a Florida law that increased penalties against sex offenders whose victims are children.

Dewhurst is proposing that a first-time offender convicted of a sexual assault against a child under age 14 would get a 25- year sentence and lifetime monitoring after release. A second-time offender would be subject to the death penalty.

Parsons said the 200,000 teachers and 300,000 support personnel in Texas' public school system would be subject to background checks under Dewhurst's child-protection agenda.

Speaker's rep focuses on budget

Appropriations bills must originate in the House, so Don Green, speaker Craddick's director of budget and policy, focused on money issues.

Green said Craddick believes the estimated $15 billion surplus projected by outgoing Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn is more like $7 billion.

Green briefed the audience on the list of the state constitution's spending controls. He pointed out the overlapping mandates that budget writers must consider, such as those based on the state's economic growth, the pay-as-you-go imperative, the welfare budget minimum and the debt service spending limit.

Adding to the complicated task of coordinating the many mandates, Green said, is the fact that the writers of the state constitution could not have anticipated the Legislature's recent shifting of $13 billion to $14 billion in funding responsibility from local government back to the state.

Green said the increased need for Medicaid spending as the state population grows and as medical costs increase presents another conundrum to be solved.

Teacher union releases report

The American Federation of Teachers released a report titled "Building Minds, Minding Buildings - Turning Crumbling Schools into Environments for Learning."

The Texas Federation of Teachers endorsed the report. Findings assert that such conditions as mold, high temperatures, overcrowding, poor air quality and vermin infestation in too many public schools must be addressed immediately as a top educational priority.

TFT president Linda Bridges said the AFT's comprehensive report on schools across the nation "confirms that the problem is widespread and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later."

Ed Sterling is director of member services for the Texas Press Association in Austin.