Texas legislative session kind to El Paso projects
June 4, 2007
Getting startup funds for the four-year Texas Tech University medical school was the No. 1 goal for both the city and the county. After nearly three years, lawmakers approved $48 million for the school to hire staff and faculty.
Written by Brandi Grissom, El Paso Times
AUSTIN -- El Paso lawmakers accomplished many of the city's and county's priorities despite rancor and discontent that held sway during the final days of the legislative session. "At end of the day, El Paso was able to withstand the landmines and sniping," state Rep. Norma Chávez, D-El Paso, said. Getting startup funds for the four-year Texas Tech University medical school was the No. 1 goal for both the city and the county. After nearly three years, lawmakers approved $48 million for the school to hire staff and faculty. El Paso County also got four new courts, the Texas Department of Transportation approved negotiations for a $350 million contract to build the city's Inner Loop, and lawmakers authorized funding for a visitor's center at Franklin Mountains State Park. "Overall, we're very pleased," said Mayor John Cook. Bills that would allow the city to create a storm water district and to limit building in arroyos to prevent some of the disasters that occurred when rain flooded El Paso last year also were approved. Chávez, who helped write the state budget, said about $9.1 million would be available to help local governments recover from flood damage. Increased dollars for children's health care programs that landed in the budget this session will likely have the biggest affect in El Paso, said state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso. El Paso is among the most uninsured cities in the nation. Lawmakers approved $90 million to add more than 120,000 children to the low-cost Children's Health Insurance Program. They also set aside more than $700 million to improve access to health care for Children's Medicaid patients. "El Pasoans will see many more doctors, clinics and hospitals open and willing to take care of families," Shapleigh said. State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, said the University of Texas at El Paso, also faired well this session. The school received about 7 percent more money this session than last, said Richard Adauto, assistant to UTEP vice president for institutional advancement. Some things that lawmakers didn't do were also good for El Paso, some local legislators said. A proposal that would have required voters to show photo identification at the polls failed, and anti-immigrant bills were stymied. Legislators also killed an attempt to limit the number of students admitted to the state's top universities under the top 10-percent rule. The rule allows students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school class to attend the university of their choosing. State Rep. Chente Quintanilla, D-El Paso, said the rule has helped increase the number of minority students enrolled in schools like the University of Texas at Austin. There were some disappointments this session, though. Lawmakers again rejected the Tigua tribe's pleas for permission to reopen Speaker Rock Casino. A bill by Chávez that would have allowed tribes to gamble failed with a 66-66 vote. "That was my biggest disappointment," she said. But she added the close vote would show federal lawmakers that Texas is undecided about tribal gambling, not against it, which could improve the Tigua's chances for federal authorization. Bills also failed that would have helped El Paso school districts hire more teachers for thousands of new students expected when 24,000 troops come to Fort Bliss. Shapleigh filed proposals that would have made hiring counselors and retired teachers easier for school districts that receive an influx of students because of base realignments. Those bills passed the Senate but died in the House. Luis Villalobos, a spokesman for El Paso Independent School District, said the district would need to hire more than 500 new teachers in the next five to six years. He said they would try again in 2009, when legislators reconvene, to get more flexibility in hiring. "It is a situation we know is looming on the horizon," Villalobos said. "It's not here yet." Counties were once again denied ordinance-making authority that El Paso County Judge Anthony Cobos said would limit the growth of colonias. State Rep. Chente Quintanilla, D-El Paso, had filed legislation that would give counties limited authority to regulate development. He said he recalled the bill after constituents called with concerns about it. For El Paso state Reps. Paul Moreno and Pat Haggerty, one of the biggest let downs of the session was that attempts to kick House Speaker Tom Craddick out of office failed. The rebellion against Craddick that occurred in the last week, Moreno said, was the biggest accomplishment of the entire 140-day legislative session. "That was enough for me," he said. "That was enough." Brandi Grissom may be reached at bgrissom@elpasotimes.com;(512) 479-6606. Legislative session at a glance Highlights
State Rep. Norma Chávez: Passage of $48 million to hire staff and faculty at the medical school. She served on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee and helped ensure the removal of a measure that would have made Texas Tech University officials come back next year to get legislative approval for $18 million. "I have really had to play a very delicate role in both the House and Senate."
State Rep. Pat Haggerty: Passage of a bill that will allow inmates at state prisons restricted use of pay telephones. "It gives them the opportunity to stay connected to their families outside of prison, rather than make people in prison their family," he said. Haggerty said it was the fifth session in which he tried to pass the measure.
- State Rep. Paul Moreno: Seeing legislators try to oust House Speaker Tom Craddick in a rowdy revolt. "It showed we now have some sort of integrity, and we are willing to do what has to be done," he said.
- State Rep. Joe Pickett: Playing an integral role in the passage of legislation that will implement a two-year moratorium on private contracts for toll roads as well as other transportation legislation. "It's something I have been working on over a decade, and I know the stuff, and I'm going to continue on it," he said.
- State Rep. Chente Quintanilla: Voting against a bill that would limit the number of students who graduate in top 10 percent of their high school class that universities must admit and seeing it fail. "So many of our kids have now discovered UT-Austin and A&M," he said. "This will improve the livelihoods of individuals that will then come back to El Paso."
- State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh: Seeing the approval of legislation that will expand enrollment in the Children's Health Insurance Program and improve availability of care for children's Medicaid patients. "El Pasoans will see many more doctors, clinics and hospitals open and willing to take care of families," he said.
Letdowns
- State Rep. Norma Chávez said the failure of legislation that would have allowed the Tiguas to resume gaming at Speaking Rock Casino was the biggest disappointment of the legislative session for her.
- State Reps. Pat Haggerty and Paul Moreno said that Craddick remaining House Speaker was their biggest disappointment.
- State Reps. Joe Pickett and Chente Quintanilla said they didn't have any disappointments from the session.
State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh said seeing the House descend into chaos over its leader was the biggest disappointment for him during the 80th legislative session.
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