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I'm all for property tax reform...

Ameer wrote:

allow parents to use taxpayer money to send their children to private schools.

I want to use public transportation money to buy myself a private car.

This is what happened to college tuition. Throw free government money in and it (tuition, health case, cars etc) happens to magicly seems to go up that same amount! Go figure!

We should really stay on topic!

Ameer wrote:

allow parents to use taxpayer money to send their children to private schools.

I want to use public transportation money to buy myself a private car.

We are forced to pay ISD property taxes every year since we've lived in Texas and have never had, nor ever will have, any family member in the local schools. Why can't we have a say in these taxes we are forced to pay for the public schooling of the spawn of other folk? Just askin'.....

1911 10MM wrote:Someone needs to file HB 560 and push it. If they are going to discuss bathrooms they need to discuss HB560!

560 is dead. Even with a special session. Got 0 attention by legislators in regular session. No chance in a special session.

Maybe they'll learn to quit pickin' around so much on unimportant bull that has nothing to do with anything for the first half of the session.

HB 560 didn't die because nobody cared. It got killed intentionally and deliberatly by people who didn't want it to see the light of day while in committee. The bill never went up for public discussion. Somebody killed it and what stinks is we don't know who and they aren't being held accountable. The folks on the committee know that any gun friendly bills that get put before an open vote before the legislature and the senate will pass. So the bill got killed through some underhanded method.
That is what is so aggravating is that popular bills like this can be killed so quietly and anonymously. Even the TSRA were quiet as this bill got silently squashed. Alice Tripp never acknowledged that HB 560 was dead. The Committee it died in gave us no explanation, and the particular people who had it killed aren't talking about it.

Liberty wrote:HB 560 didn't die because nobody cared. It got killed intentionally and deliberatly by people who didn't want it to see the light of day while in committee. The bill never went up for public discussion. Somebody killed it and what stinks is we don't know who and they aren't being held accountable. The folks on the committee know that any gun friendly bills that get put before an open vote before the legislature and the senate will pass. So the bill got killed through some underhanded method.
That is what is so aggravating is that popular bills like this can be killed so quietly and anonymously. Even the TSRA were quiet as this bill got silently squashed. Alice Tripp never acknowledged that HB 560 was dead. The Committee it died in gave us no explanation, and the particular people who had it killed aren't talking about it.

For the most part I agree that there seemed to be so little effort to even try to advance this bill, from the fact that so few signed on as co-sponsors to the lack of discussion in Committee. They all knew that 1911, would not pass, so it was put forward as a "sacrificial" bill to appease gun owners, so they could say, "well, we tried"
This entire session seemed to be bent on not doing anything that may cause controversy, either from fear of losing the upcoming elections, or just lack of will power to put up a fight. Even the Bills the Governor and LT Governor wanted passed, were not pushed through because of lack of backbone. The few bills that did pass for LTC holders, like reduced fees, were not ones, that would have much opposition.The Freedom Caucus, near the end of the session, showed some backbone, but by then it was too little, too late. All of my reps have been duly notified of my displeasure, but none have responded with anything, but lip service.
I will definitely be looking to find representatives to replace mine, if there are any who actually share my concerns. JMHO

The Annoyed Man wrote:Maybe they'll learn to quit pickin' around so much on unimportant bull that has nothing to do with anything for the first half of the session.

It's annoying to see dozens of House and Senate Continuing Resolutions honoring or recognizing this or that, yet now the taxpayers have to foot the bill for special session to get important budget and operating bills passed.

Perhaps the law needs to be changed so that the legislators receive no income during Special Sessions that are called to address bills that they didn't get to during regular session.

bblhd672 wrote: Perhaps the law needs to be changed so that the legislators receive no income during Special Sessions that are called to address bills that they didn't get to during regular session.

It makes no sense to pay them for not getting things done. They could easily just ignore certain bills just so they can get paid more to "work" a little longer. It's a waste of taxpayer money.

just called my reps......pressed them to resurrect items if possible. It appears if its not germane to the posted items it will be a long shot
i argued my few bills that are important could be squeezed in under teacher pay, sb 1588 remove vehicle inspections, use the released funds from transportation to teachers pay

either way it good to see them called back, IMO this past session really dropped the ball on doing the work of the state.

aero10 wrote:

bblhd672 wrote: Perhaps the law needs to be changed so that the legislators receive no income during Special Sessions that are called to address bills that they didn't get to during regular session.

It makes no sense to pay them for not getting things done. They could easily just ignore certain bills just so they can get paid more to "work" a little longer. It's a waste of taxpayer money.

Texas legislators are among the lowest paid in the nation. I suspect with high probability that 100% of them would make more money doing their regular jobs over what they get paid for a Regular Session, and if it's not 100% then it's 98%. Nobody is stringing out the Regular Session just so he can go back to Austin in June or July. They get NOTHING in salary for attending a Special Session.

A legislator gets $7200 salary per year, so $14,200 for a two year term, regardless of how many session days there are, plus all the non-session politicking and constituent service stuff. So no pay for a Special Session.

They also get $190/day for each session day Regular or Special, plus for any day they are on Legislature business, e.g. committee or special studies or whatever between sessions. If you look at what it costs to stay in a decent hotel in Austin, plus eat, that per diem is not a gold mine.

I would be surprised if any legislator gets more than about $50K for a two-year term.

They do get a rather nice pension deal they become eligible for after eight years as a legislator. I don't know the current numbers but it is tied to judicial salaries somehow and amounts to about $1200 or $1500 for each year's service as a legislator after eight years -- starting at age 50, if they "retire" and are not currently serving as a legislator.

Human society and politics being what they are, no doubt some other opportunities and business relationships become available as a result of being a legislator.

However, I can see no financial advantage whatsoever to trying to string out a Regular Session into a Special Session.

Oldgringo wrote:Why can't we have a say in these taxes we are forced to pay for the public schooling of the spawn of other folk? Just askin'.....

That's why my property taxes should only go to fund public schools where the school board is elected. At least I have some say there during elections. Taking my property taxes and giving them to some corporation where I don't get to vote for the board.....well that's a lot like the taxation without representation what lead to a bunch of shooting 240 years ago.

Just saying.

Oldgringo wrote:We are forced to pay ISD property taxes every year since we've lived in Texas and have never had, nor ever will have, any family member in the local schools. Why can't we have a say in these taxes we are forced to pay for the public schooling of the spawn of other folk? Just askin'.....

I fully understand this sentiment, but although I'm in the same situation I just tell myself I'd rather pay for education than more prisons.

TexasJohnBoy wrote:I'm all for property tax reform...

Hear! Hear!

Special Session begins today.