Weekly Newsletter: March 27, 2011
March 27, 2011
Dear Friends,
The week was an eventful one in the Texas House of Representatives!
SB 14, also known as the Voter ID bill — of which I am proud to be a cosponsor — was laid out for debate on the House floor on Monday. Although Democrats managed to delay debate until Wednesday and tried to weaken the bill through a series of amendments, which you can read about here , the House ultimately passed a strong Voter ID bill 101 to 48.
The Voter ID bill calls for residents before voting to show photo identification such as a driver’s license, state ID card, military ID, passport or citizenship ID. A person without an acceptable photo ID may cast a provisional ballot that would be counted if the voter returns with a photo ID within six days. It also would allow those without a driver’s license to obtain a state ID card for free as long as they state it is for voting purposes. The passage of this legislation is a huge accomplishment for the Legislature and the citizens of Texas, as it will help to ensure the integrity of our electoral system.
This week also marked the first round of discussions regarding the redistricting of Texas House districts. The Redistricting Committee heard testimony from various individuals on their desire to see specific districts protected and to ensure that certain populations are adequately represented. You can follow the redistricting process by visiting the Texas Redistricting website. This site will provide you with an overview of the redistricting process and will allow you to view proposed plans as they are made public.
Regarding my own legislation, House Bill 1343, which would allow for the more timely prosecution of mortgage fraud, it was unanimously voted out of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on Wednesday. Next week I will lay out a bill in the same committee to help drive down the number of property crimes plaguing many of us in North Texas and elsewhere. Under House Bill 1029, defendants convicted two or more times of burglary of habitation or burglary of motor vehicle will be required as a condition of posting bond to be monitored electronically. In addition, each bill I have filed has been referred to its respective committee. My staff and I have been busy requesting hearings on these bills and speaking with relevant stakeholders and committee chairs about the benefits of each bill.
On Thursday, I met with fellow House members from the Dallas area for our regular Dallas Area Legislative Delegation meeting. At the meeting, we were joined by numerous Dallas-area superintendents, including those from Dallas ISD, Richardson ISD, Irving ISD, Garland ISD, and Duncanville ISD to discuss the superintendents’ legislative priorities this session. It was great to get their feedback on flexibility in the classrooms and talk about ways in which we can improve our public schools. At the end of the meeting, I expressed my concerns that certain superintendents have recently accepted salary increases during this budget crunch; yet we are unfairly asking our teachers to make sacrifices. I also asked them to send me information on how each of their school districts are addressing inefficiencies, and I informed them of my legislation creating a voluntary school task force to examine the administrative inefficiencies in all school districts across Texas.
On Friday, I toured Richland College with its president Dr. Kay Eggleston, and I was impressed by what I saw of the beauty of the campus and what I heard of the quality of the education. I later gave brief remarks at a tree-planting beautification event at the Urban Tree Farm, an event which draws hundreds of volunteers and is sponsored by TXU Energy and Texas Trees Foundation. Earlier in the week, I was also pleased to join my colleagues in honoring the great Congressman Sam Johnson, who serves the 3rd District of Texas, when he visited the capitol.
Pictured left to right: Richardson City Councilmember Amir Omar, Rep. Stefani Carter & Addison City Councilmember Kimberly Lay.
Next week promises to be an equally exciting week as State Representatives will debate House Bill 1, also known as the budget bill, which assumes a $23 billion shortfall for the 2012-13 biennium. It is a $164.5 billion budget which is 12.3 percent smaller than the 2010-11 budget. Before taking up House Bill 1, however, we will consider House Bills 275 and 4. House Bill 275 makes up to $3.2 billion of the Economic Stabilization Fund available to spend in the current 2010-11 biennium, and frees up $4.3 billion to be used in the next 2012-2013 biennium. To access these funds, this bill must receive an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the members present in each house of the legislature as required by the Texas Constitution. House Bill 4 is the supplemental appropriations bill that addresses the current deficit.
As always, I’m honored to be your voice in Austin. Please stay in touch by visiting my House website.
Sincerely,
Stefani Carter
