By J. Lyn Carl, GalleryWatch.com
Austin, TX –
Motions to instruct the Senate conferees on HB 3, the property tax relief bill, were offered on the Senate floor Wednesday, but both failed adoption. And HB 3 sponsor Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) was quick to point out that those offering the motions probably did not even vote for the bill on the floor.
Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos (D-Austin) offered a motion to instruct the Senate conferees to maintain the increase in homestead exemptions to $30,000 that were passed in the engrossed version of the bill that came out of the Senate.
While Ogden argued those kinds of changes in the bill would cause the bill not to be balanced, Barrientos continued to lobby for his motion.
"Increasing the homestead exemption is tax relief," he said. He said this will instruct conferees to keep the exemption and will thus produce a bill that is "more fair and will provide more tax relief."
It was also pointed out by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst that motions to instruct are not binding.
Sen. Eliot Shapleigh (D-El Paso) offered a motion to instruct the Senate conferees to remain within the bounds of the sales tax rate set in the Senate version of HB 3 and not increase the rate beyond 6.75 percent.
Ogden said he has continually introduced and fought for a bill that does not increase the sales tax by more than one-half cent. However, he said accepting the instruction offered by Shapleigh "would leave us no negotiation room."
"You didn't even vote for the bill," Ogden said to Shapleigh. "If we accept this instruction, would you vote for the bill?"
Shapleigh remarked that he has made his feelings known for a long time on the sales tax issue. He said the legislature is talking about taking the state to the highest sales tax rate in the country. The Senate, he said, has been very firm on not going over a one-half cent increase. He said the purpose of his motion to instruct is "a very clear message to the Senate conferees."
Ogden told members they should allow the Senate conferees as much flexibility as possible. He rubbed a little salt in the wound by noting, "Maybe the votes on this issue will not be votes for the bill. We're being asked to instruct by members who didn't even vote for the bill. That seems very inconsistent to me."