Legislative Advertising by Texas Eagle Forum, P.O. Box 795354, Dallas, TX 75379.

Senate Set to Strip State Board of Education of Constitutional Authority

A bill by Senator Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) that would strip the State Board of Education of its constitutional authority over the state's Permanent School Fund was approved by the Senate Finance Committee on an 8-2 vote. Senate Joint Resolution 20, and its companion enabling legislation SB512, would place the Permanent School Fund under the purview of a five member board, with two members appointed by the governor and one each by the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the State Board of Education.

A studied analysis of the situation favors keeping control of the fund with the State Board of Education. Under its watch, the PSF has grown to nearly $20 billion while supplying the state with a steady stream of cash for school textbooks and other educational purposes. It seems that the real reason for stripping the State Board of its management duties over the PSF is to allow cash hungry legislators to dip their hands into the state's best performing endowment fund without an independent elected body blowing the whistle on them. Replacing the State Board with a team of unaccountable bureaucrats would certainly make raiding the PSF easier in the future, and would produce the added effect of writing the State Board completely out of the Constitution-their PSF management duty being their only Constitutionally assigned task.

**ACTION ITEM**

SJR20 and SB512 are good examples of truly bad legislation that have unfortunately found their way through the thicket of the committee process and now stand a good chance of passage. Both bills have been scheduled for a vote before the entire Senate on Monday, April 9. Please contact your Senator today and ask him to vote against SJR20 and SB512.