By J. Lyn Carl and Jennifer Bendery, GalleryWatch.com
Austin, TX –
With the Senate recessed until Monday and time running out on the Second Called Session, two new bills were introduced in the House today - Rep. Kent Grusendorf's (R-Arlington) HB 71, relating to public education and public school finance matters, and Rep. David Swinford's (R-Dumas) HB 8, relating to property tax relief and protection of taxpayers, certain taxes, fees, and property, and other matters relating to the financing of public schools.
Both were referred to the House Select Committee on Public Education Reform, which is slated to meet today at 3 p.m. to take up SB 8, Sen. Florence Shapiro's (R-Plano) public school reform bill that passed the Senate earlier this week. Both bills bill could be added to the committee's agenda for today.
In light of the new property tax relief bill being filed by Swinford, Craddick said while the House hasn't had the votes in the last week to pass a tax bill, he's "not convinced today" that there aren't enough votes to keep trying. He said he will continue to poll House members on the bill, HB 8, to see if it has the votes to pass. The Speaker noted that the bill does not include a payroll tax because Gov. Rick Perry does not support that approach. Instead, HB 8 centers on a $22,500 homestead exemption and a $1.29 property tax rate for 2005 and a $1.22 tax rate for 2006.
To facilitate the hearing of both bills, Craddick today issued a proclamation relative to two select committees he appointed at the beginning of the Second Called Session of the 79th Legislature.
The Proclamation reads in part, "The Select Committee on Public Education Reform shall also have concurrent jurisdiction with the Select Committee on Property Tax Reform over all matters pertaining to legislation, including constitutional amendments, to provide ad valorem tax relief and protect taxpayers, to increase the homestead ad valorem tax exemption, and to limit the ad valorem tax appraisals and rates of certain taxing units, and any other legislation proposing to raise state revenue or levying state taxes to finance the public schools of Texas."
The Select Committee on Public Education Reform initially was created to address public school reform issues while the Select Committee on Property Tax Reform was created to address property tax relief.
According to Alexis DeLee, Craddick's press secretary, the proclamation gives the Select Committee on School Reform jurisdiction over property tax relief issues as well as school reform issues so the property tax relief bill filed today could be taken up by the committee.
Craddick said HB 8 needed to be sent to a committee that already had a hearing scheduled.
The House will reconvene Tuesday to see what action the Senate has taken on House bills when the Senate reconvenes on Monday, he said. If there are enough votes to bring up the tax bill then, the House will take it up then, said Craddick. "If not, we won't." The Speaker added that he knows "our members will not vote for SB 8" in its current state.
When asked if he still considers the special session "a waste of time," the Speaker commended House members for "at least moving a few bills along," such as eminent domain and telecommunications reform. Craddick noted that he wouldn't be "wasting my time polling" if he thought the special session were already dead. Physically, there is still time for a tax bill to pass, he said. "I don't know if the votes are there, though."
Will there be a third special session if school finance doesn't pass in the dwindling days of the second special session? "If we do have one, we should wait until after the courts rules," said Craddick.