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CARMEN'S CORNER: Cell Phones OFF, CHIP is IN and School Supplies will be Allowed…
- By Carmen Watkins
- Published 05/26/2009
- Editorial and Opinion
- Unrated
Carmen Watkins
Carmen Watkins is president and CEO of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston.
View all articles by Carmen Watkins
The Texas Legislative session is getting closer to an end with a number of initiatives headed for the Senate for vote. Texans operate under a biennial legislative session, so if your favorite bill missed this year’s deadline, it could be two years before it has a chance of resurrection. Now in the last days of the legislative session, there will be a fair share of political haggling and many bills could still be attached to other pieces of legislation.
That is in fact, the real forte of many elected officials, to make the unseen appear. Some of the bills that still have life will surely impact the status quo, they include;
Cell phone bills
House Bill 55—Bans people driving in an active school zone from using cell phones and other wireless devices unless, they use hands-free devices or are in an emergency.
House Bill 662—Prohibits drivers younger than 18 from talking or texting on a cell phone, except in an emergency and it has been amended to include that hands-free devices would also not be allowed.
PAC Funds
House Bill 2511—Will attempt to define how political action committees can spend corporate and union money.
CHIP
House Bill 2962—Will for the first time allow families that don’t qualify under income guidelines to qualify for the Children’s Health Insurance Program with a “buy-in” option that would give them a chance to pay premiums to sign up for it.
Schools
House Bill 1801—Will expand the current sales tax holiday to include school supplies.
House Bill 999—Will prevent local school boards in Houston and Dallas from closing public schools without giving communities notice and a public hearing. Additionally, campuses targeted for closure due to academic shortcomings would receive all necessary resources identified by a campus intervention team and would have two full years to put those resources to use before the local school board could order the campus closed.
The Senate has already passed bills that will require photo identification of voters, limit tuition increases at public universities, allow concealed firearms on college campuses and ban Texas restaurants from using trans-fats in their foods. Those will go to the House for approval.
And already on the governor’s desk, House Bill 1736, is an add-on to Texas Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) original bill that will increase compensation from the state for people who were wrongly imprisoned from $50,000 to $80,000 per year of incarceration but, would no longer provide health insurance.
Carmen
That is in fact, the real forte of many elected officials, to make the unseen appear. Some of the bills that still have life will surely impact the status quo, they include;
Cell phone bills
House Bill 55—Bans people driving in an active school zone from using cell phones and other wireless devices unless, they use hands-free devices or are in an emergency.
House Bill 662—Prohibits drivers younger than 18 from talking or texting on a cell phone, except in an emergency and it has been amended to include that hands-free devices would also not be allowed.
PAC Funds
House Bill 2511—Will attempt to define how political action committees can spend corporate and union money.
CHIP
House Bill 2962—Will for the first time allow families that don’t qualify under income guidelines to qualify for the Children’s Health Insurance Program with a “buy-in” option that would give them a chance to pay premiums to sign up for it.
Schools
House Bill 1801—Will expand the current sales tax holiday to include school supplies.
House Bill 999—Will prevent local school boards in Houston and Dallas from closing public schools without giving communities notice and a public hearing. Additionally, campuses targeted for closure due to academic shortcomings would receive all necessary resources identified by a campus intervention team and would have two full years to put those resources to use before the local school board could order the campus closed.
The Senate has already passed bills that will require photo identification of voters, limit tuition increases at public universities, allow concealed firearms on college campuses and ban Texas restaurants from using trans-fats in their foods. Those will go to the House for approval.
And already on the governor’s desk, House Bill 1736, is an add-on to Texas Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) original bill that will increase compensation from the state for people who were wrongly imprisoned from $50,000 to $80,000 per year of incarceration but, would no longer provide health insurance.
Carmen