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| The Riddle Report, March 17, 2009 |
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Ever since I began chairing the Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, it seems like I haven't had the time to sleep or eat, much less update you on our progress!
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THE BUDGET
The subcommittee has been a challenging and rewarding experience so far. I have been blessed with wonderful committee members, and we have all been working very hard to make sure that our law enforcement agencies are properly funded. It is a long process, and we're probably not quite halfway done. But I am pleased to say that we have identified millions of dollars of savings that will make it possible to fund priorities such as border security and an overhaul of the Texas Youth Commission, and all while staying within conservative budget guidelines.
There has been a lot of talk around the Capitol regarding the possibility of a special session related only to the budget. One the one hand, I believe we can avoid this situation if we just buckle down and work hard over the coming months. At the same time, given our precarious financial situation, there is nothing wrong with being as careful as possible to ensure that taxpayer money is not wasted and we balance the budget with the greatest care and caution.
Currently, we are expecting to hear the full Appropriations Bill immediately after Easter weekend. There are constitutional deadlines which force us to either move forward with an Appropriations Bill, or face a special session. If I receive any more concrete information on this issue, I'll be sure and share it with all of you.
LOCAL OPTION APPRAISAL CAPS
As focused as I am on the budget right now, this week is exciting for me for other reasons. Tomorrow morning, I will lay out HB 46 before the Ways and Means committee. This is a bill I have been filing since 2005, yet I have never received a hearing because the previous chairman opposed Appraisal Caps in all forms. Finally, the time has come to let the legislature know about the need for appraisal reform in District 150.
House Bill 46 would allow counties to hold elections to determine their own appraisal cap, anywhere from three percent to 10 percent. In my mind, this is the ultimate solution to the ongoing appraisal cap debate. I understand that many of my colleagues would not be reelected if they mandated an appraisal cap any lower than 10 percent for the entire state. But areas such as mine are desperate for relief from appraisal creep and cannot receive it because of concerns from legislators who live hundreds of miles away. Under my proposal, the people of each county would be able to make their voices heard and set their own caps. It takes the decision out of the hands of legislators in Austin and into the hands of local taxpayers, where it belongs.
The bill has widespread bi-partisan support, and I believe it has an excellent chance of being passed out by the committee and put before the entire floor this session. It does require a constitutional amendment, which has to be approved by 100 of the 150 members of the House. I will continue to gather signatures on the bill, but I believe this could be the breakthrough so many of us have waited years to see!
HOUSE CALENDAR RUNNING BEHIND
Even though I'm staying busy with Appropriations and working my own bills through committee, we have still yet to hear a bill on the House floor this session. This is highly unusual. By this point in most sessions, we are typically hearing at least a half-dozen bills every day, a pattern which usually begins mid-February. However, we also had a record number of bills filed in the House, more than 4,600. These factors combined can only mean a huge logjam at the end of session, which spells certain doom for most of the bills passed out of committee.
Now, from a conservative standpoint, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Ultimately, it means less legislation is likely to pass, which keeps costs down and government smaller. The only thing to watch is to make sure that it is the bad bills being killed and not the good ones. In a legislature split right down the middle between Republicans and Democrats, there could be some big fights towards the end of May over which bills we actually hear!
Whether session is moving fast or slow, I am still here in Austin to make sure your voices are heard in the House. Please continue to write and call me with any questions or concerns on any issue that are important to you! And if you're going to be in Austin this session, please give my office a call at (512) 463-0572 and let me help you set up a tour and a time to visit me. My door is always open to you!
Sincerely,
/s/
Debbie Riddle
State Representative
District 150
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Posted on Mar 18, 2009 05:50am by admin
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