High Plains Report

Critics assail Perry's pick to head state education board

But supporters call Bryan dentist fair and true to principles

By Jason Embry
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Gov. Rick Perry named Bryan dentist Don McLeroy as chairman of the State Board of Education on Tuesday, a choice that created immediate controversy.

With thanks to our friends at the venerable Quorum Report...see a note about Lubbock's Bob Craig near the end.

www.quorumreport.com

INSIDE STORY OF SHIRLEY NEELEY LEAVING TEA

Too close to education community for the Governor?

Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley was a victim of the Governor Office's decision to keep an iron-grip on education policy by creating a state agency run by two people.

This was the brainchild of the Governor's Office back in 2004 - some say the idea came directly from chief of staff Mike Toomey - to give Neeley the title of Education Commissioner and let Deputy Commissioner Robert Scott run the agency. If you've ever looked at the agency's organizational chart, that point becomes abundantly clear. All roads at the agency point to Scott.

BY ERIC FINLEY
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

State Sen. Robert Duncan was upbeat Wednesday following the end of lawmakers' time in Austin, saying the legislative session was a great one for West Texas.

Among the Lubbock Republican's reasons:

• $130 million in new money for Texas Tech.

BY Enrique Rangel
Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - To no one's surprise, the Texas House on Wednesday easily gave final approval to a bill that would give the state public schools the option of including Bible classes in their curriculum.

For Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, the passage of the bill he authored was a victory. But as Chisum admitted, the bill his colleagues unanimously approved is not the bill that he had initially written. 

Lubbock Avalanche Journal

"This is Robert Duncan, your state Senator for West Texas.  On Monday, April 16, the Senate passed legislation that will be very significant for Texas and West Texas.  Senator Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio - a Texas Tech law school graduate by the way - passed legislation that would require congressional redistricting to be determined by a bipartisan panel appointed by the House, Senate and the Governor's office.  That bill, if passed, will take the contentious redistricting issue out of the highly charged partisan environment of the Texas Legislature, and move it to a commission that can make decisions based more on the science of redistricting than the purely political trade-offs.  While it is not perfect, it is certainly a step in the right direction. 

BY ENRIQUE RANGEL
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL AUSTIN BUREAU

AUSTIN - He may live far away from the Mexican border, but state Rep. David Swinford knows firsthand how illegal immigration impacts a community and the entire state.

Thousands of illegal immigrants live in his district, especially in Cactus, where the biggest employer is Swift & Co., the meat packing plant raided by U.S. immigration authorities in December.

But the Dumas Republican has also been a legislator long enough (16 years) to know that immigration is a federal issue, even if he thinks Washington has done a lousy job protecting the southern U.S. border.

 Sen. Robert Duncan

Generations of Texans have made a living from the land. The beauty of Texas’ natural landscape and abundant wildlife is a significant part of our larger-than-life identity. From tall mountains and big skies to rich soils and tropical beaches, Texas is composed of wondrous natural vistas. And, as our world becomes more urban and people are more stacked up instead of spread out, it’s critical that in Texas, we can still appreciate wide open spaces.

I grew up in a rural community. Protecting and preserving our wild and rugged landscapes is of paramount concern.

We cannot permit our state parks to fall into ruin. The Texas Parks & Wildlife legislative appropriations request asks us to funnel another $171 million into our parks system. I certainly support the concept of appropriately funding this system. It’s a decision we’ll consider closely in the Senate Finance Committee.

In this radio address, Senator Duncan discusses the positive impact the west Texas Regional Public Defender Offices for capital murder cases would have on the area, including how this program will help save counties money and will provide a higher quality of criminal defense to the indigent in these cases. 

South Plains lawmakers submitting proposals for new legislation

BY ENRIQUE RANGEL
AUSTIN BUREAU

AUSTIN - State representatives Joe Heflin and Delwin Jones have filed one bill each while State Sen. Kel Seliger has filed three.

On the other hand, representatives Warren Chisum and Carl Isett have already filed 16 and 12 bills and resolutions, respectively.

But "who is counting?" asks Jones, a Lubbock Republican, as he gently pats the back of a reporter with a grin on his face.

According to a news release from State Representative Carl Isett (R-Lubbock), the Lubbock legislator will file his Taxpayer Protection Act for the fourth session in a row.  The Taxpayer Protection Act is the basis for one of the recommendations in the report by the Governor’s Task Force on Appraisal Reform.The report recommends lowering the allowable increase in tax revenues received by local governments from 8% to 5% of last year's revenues.