Perry vetoes pre-K expansion, college health change | Senator Eliot Shapleigh

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Perry vetoes pre-K expansion, college health change
June 20, 2009

Gov. Rick Perry vetoed 37 pieces of legislation Friday, including measures to hold pre-kindergarten programs to new standards, change the way students pay for health care at colleges and allow the City of Austin to restrict home prices near commuter rail stations.

Written by Jason Embry, Austin American Statesman

Perry also signed a $182 billion, two-year state budget, while at the same time erasing $289 million in spending approved by the Legislature. But almost all of that money was eliminated because it was contingent on bills that the Legislature ultimately did not pass.

he pre-kindergarten measure that Perry vetoed would have put in place new quality standards for pre-kindergarten classes, including teacher training and class-size limits. The classes serve children who are homeless or in foster care, have a parent in the military, have limited English-speaking skills or whose families are low-income.

The cost of the bill, which at one time was $623 million so that half-day programs could expand to full-day, was reduced to $25 million in grant money for districts that already have full-day programs but were slated to lose state funding. With the veto, those districts will still get the money, but the quality standards will not take effect.

"It's a bad day for public education and for Texas' youngest and neediest children," said Rep. Diane Patrick, R-Arlington, the bill's author.

But Perry said more children could be served by expanding an existing pre-kindergarten program rather than creating a new one.

The college-health bill would have required schools with 20,000 or more students — including the University of Texas and Texas A&M — to bill insurance companies for health care at student health centers when students had coverage. It also would have required them to contract with the three largest health insurers in their region to offer coverage to uninsured students. Public university students — even those with health insurance — generally pay for health services through tuition or fees and whatever their campus clinics charge, which is often less than $25 for routine visits.

The bill "would likely increase health service costs for college students and their families without increasing the level of service or care," Perry said.

The veto list also included a measure by Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, which would have allowed the City of Austin to set a ceiling on the cost of some housing within 1 mile of commuter rail stations. "The market should be allowed to thrive without unnecessary government interference," Perry said.

Another measure with local impact that Perry killed was Senate Bill 434. It would have created a pilot program in Travis County allowing buses to use the shoulders of congested highways. Perry said the measure would eliminate emergency lanes, creating a public danger.

He also vetoed a child-abuse bill that critics said would have violated families' rights.

Supporters of Senate Bill 1440 say it would have helped abuse investigations by clarifying the criteria state officials must meet to get a court order to enter a family's house, transport a child or review children's medical records.

"SB 1440 would have improved our ability to protect Texas' most vulnerable citizens and enabled us to fulfill our moral obligation to help those who cannot help themselves," said Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, the author of the bill.

But opponents — including a coalition of conservative, libertarian and family-rights groups that organized a veto campaign in the past two weeks — say it would have given Child Protective Services too much power, allowing state investigators to enter homes without evidence of abuse.

Perry wrote in his veto statement that the bill "overreaches and may not give due consideration to the Fourth Amendment rights of a parent or guardian." He directed state officials to study the issue.

Perry had received 17,373 calls and letters against the measure and 455 supporting it as of 4:30 p.m. Friday, said Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle.

The total number of vetoes was Perry's second-smallest in a regular session since he became governor in 2000. Though Perry can still veto bills through Sunday, he is not expected to do so.

Because there were more Democrats in the Legislature this year than there have been since 2002 and because moderate Republicans held more sway in the House than in recent years, there had been speculation that Perry's veto list would be much longer.

Of course, a number of proposals died in the final week of the session, when Democrats slowed down the legislative works to kill a measure requiring more voter identification at the polls.

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