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| The Riddle Report March 31, 2009 |
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It took much longer than any of us anticipated, but the House is finally on a regular schedule, hearing bills every day on the floor. It seems every session we feel like we are behind the expected pace, yet we always seem to catch up. The real question is this: is it a good thing or a bad thing if we pass less legislation than normal? On the one hand, fewer laws usually means less intrusive government. On the other hand, good bills and bad bills both tend to die when we fall behind. Like my mother always told me: "There's no piece of pie sliced so thin that it doesn't have two sides!"
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THE BUDGET PROCESS
The House Appropriations Committee finished our work on the budget last week, and we expect the Senate to take up their version of the bill tomorrow on the Senate floor. Because the House and Senate alternate every session as the originating chamber for the budget, the House is expected to take up Senate Bill 1 (the appropriations bill) next week before we break for Easter. After the House is finished making our changes as a full body, the bill will be referred to a conference committee made up of five members from each chamber.
The conference committee will negotiate the differences between the two versions of the budget, report the final version to the House and the Senate, and then both chambers will either approve or deny the bill. It should be noted that if we do not pass a balanced budget by the end of session, we automatically trigger a mandatory special session. There continues to be talk amongst some members that we should intentionally push the budget into a special session, because they are concerned that we will not have enough clarity on the stimulus spending to make an educated financial decision for the state.
However, as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, I can say with confidence that we have been as thorough and cautious as possible in writing the budget. There is plenty to debate in terms of what we should and should not be funding, but to continue to second guess ourselves over the revenue sources is a waiting game we can't afford to play right now. We have a responsibility to do our jobs in the time we have been given, just like everyone else in the state has to show up to work and finish their jobs on a deadline. We do not need to waste a single penny of taxpayer dollars on a special session if we'll just roll up our sleeves and get to work. My subcommittee reported our recommendations back under budget and ahead of schedule, so I know it can be done!
Speaking of hard work, I do want to say a special thank you to a group of constituents in my district who have spent countless hours over the last year working on recommendations for the state budget. There is so much information to be absorbed regarding the structure of the budget, I would never have been able to properly educate myself on a process this vast without the time they volunteered to research and watch-dogging. Because of their tireless dedication, we have been able to fund important security and law enforcement priorities while still staying under budget. This is just one example of how a small group of concerned citizens can make a tremendous difference on a statewide level. I cannot thank them enough for all the work they have done.
VOTER ID
Besides all the talk surrounding the budget, the other biggest issue so far this session has been the Voter ID debate. The Senate passed their version of the Voter ID bill two weeks ago, and the House is planning to hear it in committee sometime next week. The bill would require either one form of photo identification, or two forms of non-photo identification in order to vote.
I have been a strong proponent of this bill since it's inception, and been an author of it twice, including this session. As the daughter of a Marine who fought for our freedom on Iwo Jima, I cannot stomach the idea that anyone's vote would be cancelled out by someone who is voting illegally. Last session, the House passed the bill but it stalled in the Senate. This time, the Senate got the job done. Now it's time for us to do the same in the House!
LOCAL OPTION APPRAISAL CAP
I wanted to give you a quick update on the progress of HB 46, my Local Option Appraisal Cap bill. Two weeks ago, I testified in front of the Ways and Means committee along with dozens of other concerned citizens about the need for appraisal caps, as about half a dozen appraisal cap bills were heard throughout the day. My bill was the only local option bill, but the testimony for all the bills came out the same way. Citizens who have to work pay the ever-increasing tax burden all came out unanimously in favor of appraisal caps. However, the cities and local governments who need to see your taxes increased to satisfy their appetite for spending all came out unanimously opposed to appraisal caps. One city official even testified, on the record, that they need appraisals to increase because otherwise they'd have to raise people's tax rates, and that gets them unelected.
Which, of course, is the whole point. If politicians are going to take your money, they should have to get your permission to do it. And if you're going to have to pay, you should have some say in what the rate is. So far, the committee chair has not been impressed with this argument, claiming that if the bill is going to endanger state revenue by collecting less taxes, we can't pass it this session. At this point, it seems that this logic will keep the bill from being voted out of committee, but I'm not done fighting for it yet.
Thank you for allowing me to update you again on life here at the Capitol during this 81st Legislative Session. 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,
Debbie Riddle
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Posted on Apr 01, 2009 12:02pm by admin
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