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May 2002
Texas
Eagle Forum News & Notes
TEXAS RUNOFF
Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk became the first black nominee for statewide
office in Texas, winning the Democratic Senate nod with 58% of the vote
over schoolteacher Victor Morales. He now faces an uphill battle against
GOP nominee John Cornyn to fill the seat of the outgoing Republican Phil
Gramm.
The most surprising runoff came in the 26th District where Republican
voters turned thumbs down on Scott Armey's attempt to succeed his retiring
father, House Majority Leader Dick Armey. Despite being outspent 8 to 1,
gynecologist Michael Burgess rolled up 55% of the vote over Armey. In
large part, young Armey was downed by a string of attacks in the Dallas
Morning News suggesting he used his position as Denton County Judge to
provide jobs, funding and other favors for friends.
As he did in a losing effort in the neighboring 7th District two years
ago, Houston banker Peter Wareing spent more than $1 million but failed to
win the Republican run-off in the newly carved 31st District. Wareing was
beaten by retired District Judge John Carter of Williamson County, who
rolled up 57% of the vote. Wareing was damaged by his move into the new
district, and GOP voters' dislike of his long string of donations to
liberal Democratic candidates.
Burgess and Carter are considered shoo-ins in their respective districts
this fall.
Source: Human Events, 4/15/02
RATLIFF PROPOSES STATEWIDE PROPERTY TAX
Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff wants to replace the existing school
finance system with a statewide property tax. According to Harvey Kronberg
of the Quorum Report (4/3/02), Ratliff's plan includes:
- Legislature will levy a dedicated statewide property tax of $1.40
per $100 of valuation on all property statewide exclusively for the
operation of the schools. The state would also use general revenue
funds.
- All money goes to the state, which then redistributes the dollars.
- Abolish local school board authority to levy property taxes for
maintenance and operations. Local school boards can do up to 10 cents
per $100 of taxing for local enrichment.
- Limited state funded support for debt service on school facilities.
- Supplemental statewide property tax to fully fund the teacher's
health insurance plan at a level comparable to state employees.
- The plan would require a constitutional amendment (2/3 vote by the
Senate and House) and then put on ballot.
TEXAS COURT REFUSES TO REVIEW SODOMY LAW CASE
The state's highest criminal appeals court has refused to hear a challenge
of the state's sodomy law. The Lambda Legal Defense Fund, who had formally
asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to review the constitutionality
of the Texas ban on homosexual conduct, said the decision is likely to be
appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The case revolved around two Houston
homosexuals who were arrested and charged with deviant homosexual conduct
when found having consensual sex. Bill Delmore, the assistant prosecutor
in the Harris County District Attorney's office, said he expected the
court to refuse to hear the case because most of the legal issues were
resolved by the 14th Court of Appeals, which upheld the law.
Source: The Dallas Morning News, 4/19/02
COURT REVIVES PRAYER LAWSUIT
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans sent the 1999 lawsuit
filed by Santa Fe senior Marian Ward back to the Houston court of U.S.
District Judge Sim Lake, who dismissed the case in August 2000. Ward said
the school district had no right to prevent her from leading a prayer
before Santa Fe High School football games. The appeals court originally
agreed with Judge Lake's ruling, but reversed itself, saying that case law
indicates such suits shouldn't be entirely dismissed if a person is making
a claim for "nominal damages" for the constitutional violation
allegedly suffered. Ward, now a college sophomore, was pleased with the
ruling and said, "I am glad that I will finally get a decision on the
merits of my case, which will hopefully help schools understand that it is
just as unconstitutional to prohibit student faith-based speech as it is
to require it."
Source: The Dallas Morning News, 4/13/02
REVISED EDUCATIONAL ETHICS CODE ELIMINATES PARENTS!
On Friday, May 3, the State Board of Education (SBOE) will be asked to
accept or veto the revised Ethics Code proposed by the State Board for
Educator Certification (SBEC). While the number one stated objective of
pubic education in Texas law is "Parents will be full partners with
educators in the education of their children," the SBEC eliminated
the entire section on "Ethical Conduct toward Parents." When an
SBOE member asked if the mission was an oversight, SBEC director William
Franz admitted it was deliberate. Although the SBEC and teacher groups say
the Ethics Code has been strengthened, many parents are concerned. For
example, one proposed statement says, "The educator shall not reveal
confidential information concerning students unless disclosure serves
lawful professional purposes or is required by law." Does this mean
that educators will withhold student confidences from parents unless
required by law? The ambiguity, many parents fear, could lead to abuse.
Source: Free Market Foundation's Weekly Issues Alert, 4/25/02
SIBLEY AND KRESS HIRED BY UT REGENTS TO IMPROVE IMAGE
The University of Texas System is crafting a public relations campaign to
smooth out the wrinkles in its legislative relationships and raise its
national stature. To further that plan, the system has hired two
high-powered legal consultants-former state senator David Sibley and Sandy
Kress, an education advisor to President Bush. Sibley, a Waco Republican,
who was considered among the Legislature's more influential members,
resigned from his seat in January and began working as a consultant for
the UT system on Feb. 1. His six-month contract to advise the system on
how to deal with lawmakers will pay $8,000 per month, plus expenses. Kress
has a five-month contract to help design a system approach to improve
public education. His salary is for $15,000 a month, plus expenses. Kress,
former Dallas school board president and a lifelong Democrat, was
appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as his administration's
senior education advisor.
Source: Austin American-Statesman, 4/18/02
DELAY TAKES HEAT FOR REMARKS ABOUT BAYLOR AND A&M
U.S. Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX), speaking recently at a church conference in
Pearland, TX church, was asked where Christians who believe in creationism
should send their children to college. Not realizing he was being taped by
the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, DeLay
replied, "Don't send your kids to Baylor and don't send your kids to
A&M. There are still some good Christian schools out there-good, solid
schools. Now, they may be little, they may not be as prestigious as
Stanford, but your kids will get a good, solid, godly education." Mr.
DeLay, who also suggested that parents should pressure universities to
"throw the PC out and bring God in," later apologized and said
his comments were taken out of context.
Source: The Dallas Morning News, 4/19/02
THE "IRON" GATEKEEPER
White House counselor Karen Hughes announced April 23 that she was
resigning this summer and returning to Austin. She said she wanted to
spend more time with her high school-aged son and granddaughter. She will
continue to advise President Bush but will not be on the payroll. Hughes,
Karl Rove and Joe Allbaugh were known collectively as the "Iron
Triangle" because of their dominant influence over Bush's policy and
political operations. With Hughes leaving and Allbaugh heading up the
Federal Emergency Management Administration, Rove will be the only one
left in the West Wing.
Source: The Lone Star Report, 4/26/02
A&M NARROWS SEARCH FOR PRESIDENT
Several newspapers reported that the Texas A&M System Board of Regents
has narrowed the search for a new president down to two people: U.S.
Senator Phil Gramm and former CIA Director Robert Gates. It is widely
believed that Gov. Rick Perry supports Gramm and both Presidents Bush
support Gates. The Houston Chronicle's Ron Nissimov reported the
regents were aligned five for Gates and three for Gramm, with Gramm's wife
Wendy abstaining.
Source: The Lone Star Report, 4/26/02
KOMEN FOUNDATION GIVES MONEY TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD
The Susan B. Komen "Race for the Cure" takes place throughout
the year across the nation to raise funds for breast cancer research. With
several medical reports indicating a link between abortion and breast
cancer, some groups are alarmed that many Komen Foundation affiliates have
given thousands of dollars to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion
provider in the U.S. According to the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer
(www.abortionbreastcancer.com),
27 out of 33 worldwide studies done over the last 43 years have implicated
abortion as a risk for breast cancer, as well as, 13 out of 14 studies on
American women have also shown abortion as a risk factor. Planned
Parenthood's website: (www.ppfa.org)
advises women considering terminating a pregnancy that there is "no
currently demonstrated health risk from abortion that would warrant basing
a decision on that factor alone."
Source: Free Market Weekly Issues Alert, 4/8/02
TRUANCY COURTS CONSIDERED
A plan to go before the Dallas City Council would establish truancy courts
to help deal with increasing absenteeism in the school system. County
Commissioner Mike Cantrell said, "We hope the school district and
county can prevail upon the city to…give us the ability to handle these
cases in a timely and consistent manner." With few exceptions, Texas
students must attend school until they are 18. They are supposed to have
no more than three unexcused absences in a four-week period, or 10 in six
months to receive credit and comply with state law. After sending a
warning letter, a school district can file charges against the student and
parent with punishments including fines of up to $500 for each full or
partial day missed. Dallas County Justice of the Peace Thomas Jones, who
handles all of Dallas ISD truancy cases, says he has a backlog of 30,000
cases and hears 800 cases a week.
Source: Houston Chronicle, 4/26/02
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