For the first time in several cycles, many conservative lawmakers will have a common platform to run on and enact in 2008-09.

A town hall meeting at the Smith County Commissioners Courtroom in Tyler signaled the beginning of a movement that some conservative legislators hope will usher in a set of common policy goals in the next legislative session.

The Board of Directors of the Texas Conservative Coalition (TCC) released its “Renewed Pledge with Texans” on Wednesday, Oct. 1, hoping to build on what the group considers successes in policy since 2003. Members are working to get other conservative legislators to sign on to the pledge before the 81st Texas Legislature convenes in January 2009.

“With the rest of the nation stuck in an economic and fiscal ditch, bold steps are necessary to keep Texas the best state in the nation to raise a family, start a business, or earn a degree,” said Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler), in a press statement.

The pledge, Berman said, addresses illegal immigration, high property taxes, and rising health care costs. It’s an ambitious program. Among other things, the group plans to “cut property taxes until they are eliminated.”

The TCC plans to issue a post-session scorecard on how the individual legislators voted on the points of the pledge.

“With Washington mired in an economic crisis and political stalemate, the time is right for us to stand up and take charge of our future,” TCC President State Rep. Wayne Christian (R-Center) said in the press statement.

The 10-item “Renewed Pledge with Texans” touches on other major policy issues such as controlling illegal immigration, assuring election integrity, and improving public education.

“Our Pledge is designed to refocus and reenergize our fellow conservative legislators to unite behind policy ideas to keep Texas strong, growing and prosperous,” said TCC board member Dan Flynn (R-Van).

Berman said the goals of the plan would not be accomplished overnight, “but we intend to remain vigilant, determined, and unrelenting in our drive to implement conservative initiatives.”

“Conservatives have made great strides in protecting traditional values, holding the line on the budget and protecting against lawsuit abuse. I am very proud of our record of achievement,” said Rep. Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving), vice president of the TCC.

The goals of the Renewed Pledge with Texans are as follows:

• Reduce property taxes until they are eliminated by using surplus state tax revenues to bring relief to property owners; and freeze property taxes for military families.

• Require voter identification at the polls during elections and proof of citizenship when one is registering to vote.

• Curtail illegal immigration and resist Mexican drug cartels by training local law enforcement in federal immigration law and increase funding for border and homeland security; prohibit local government agencies from accepting the matricula consular (see p. 8) as a form of identification; and, make tax credits available to employers who verify that their employees are legal.

• Stop the Trans-Texas Corridor toll road project and assure that property owners are fully compensated for land taken for public use through eminent domain.

• Cut the rates of the margins tax on business; require a two-thirds majority of both houses of the Legislature to raise the margin tax rate; and exempt more small businesses from paying the margins tax.

• Improve and expand electric transmission infrastructure; implement fast-track permitting of new power facilities; invest in natural resource-based energy; and use System Benefit Fund revenues to help families with electric bills and the purchase of smart meters.

• Make more community college credits transferable to universities; encourage adult education and promote other postsecondary educational opportunities at career colleges and schools for aspiring blue-collar workers.

• Reduce health care costs through investment in electronic health records; require health plans, physicians, and hospitals to make cost and quality information available to the public; increase the availability of low-cost, mandate-free insurance; and offer optional health savings accounts to all public employees and high-deductible low-cost health plans to college students.

• Impose strict constitutional spending restraints to further slow the growth of state government; ensure that dedicated funds are spent for their intended purpose or return the money to taxpayers; return to a true “zero-based” budgeting process to force agencies to justify all spending requests each legislative session; close loopholes in welfare programs; increase resources for child support collection to reduce reliance on government programs; and end double taxation on phone bills by eliminating the sales tax on telecommunications fees and surcharges.

The agenda contains items that conservative lawmakers have backed for several sessions. It could, however, put these lawmakers on a collision course with Gov. Rick Perry. The Trans-Texas Corridor is one of the governor’s signature projects, and he vetoed the bill reforming eminent domain law largely at the behest of the Texas Department of Transportation.

On illegal immigration, the conservative lawmakers may also face challenges from their own party. Perry wants to change the subject from fighting illegal immigration to border security. Aggressive bills cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants have also run into procedural roadblocks in the Texas House of Representatives.

Still, the agenda is quite noteworthy. First, it shows there are conservative lawmakers willing to run as such. Under the reign of George W. Bush and Karl Rove issues often took a back seat to fuzzy, poll-tested sound bites. And second, lawmakers are willing to make promises on issues and drive policy discussions in the State of Texas.

Now the real fun begins: selling the agenda to Texas voters.

Comments (2)

Comment	smaller | bigger
Name
Write the displayed characters
Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.
	Add Comment