Republicans want to see Texas redistricted
BY JACKSON ALLERS
.....U.S. Representative Democrat Gene Green from Houston held a press conference this week denouncing a redistricting map that would eliminate Democratic seats in Congress.
.....The effort is being spearheaded by U.S. House Majority leader from Sugarland Tom Delay. His political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, is pressuring Texas lawmakers to redraw the districts completed by a federal court in 2001. More.
Nuke waste might find home in Texas
BY RENEE FELTZ
.....Senate bill 824 and its companion House Bill 1567 are in motion at the state capital, inviting radioactive wastes into Texas by proposing to license a private company to dump the nation's Department of Energy waste.
.....The measure passed the House today, meaning 250 million cubic feet of waste per decade could be delivered to Texas. This is equivalent to 400 football fields.
.....Although the bills do not specify a license holder, the only applicant is Waste Control Specialists, a firm that invests millions yearly in campaign finance. More.
Activists continue to spread message about Dow
BY SHANNON YOUNG
.....In a follow-up to a story previously reported by KPFT-News:
.....Two women survivors of the Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal, India arrived in Houston last April to raise awareness about the toxic legacy left by the abandoned pesticide factory after the chemical company's flight from the region in the wake of the world's worst chemical disaster. The gas leak killed over 8,000 people in the first three days. Of the half-million people exposed to the poison gas, over 150,000 are chronically ill. Dow acquired 100 percent of Union Carbide in February of 2001, but has refused to accept responsibility for the cleanup of the contaminated site.
.....After kicking off their public awareness tour in Houston, the women traveled to Austin where gas-affected survivor Rasheeda Bee was a keynote speaker at the 21st annual Beyond Pesticides conference. After visiting a Louisiana town severely affected by DOW pollution, the women went on to New York, where they began a hunger strike in the city's financial district. More.
Senate votes to replace 'Robin Hood' system
BY PETER SULLIVAN
..... On Tuesday, the Texas Senate voted unanimously for a plan to replace the so-called 'Robin Hood' school funding system. The Robin Hood system, began in 1993, uses property taxes and other means to give equal funding to every student in the state.
.....Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and other supporters of the replacement plan say schools should be equitable, but school finances rely too heavily on local property taxes. More.
|
|
 |
|
Lege' may affirm horse slaughterhouses
BY RENEE FELTZ
.....A bill pending before the state senate is stirring up emotions among horse lovers. The bill could pave the way for more horse slaughterhouses if it passes. Renee Feltz has more:
.....Currently, Texas is the only state with horse slaughterhouses... Beltex in Kaufman County, and Dallas Crown in nearby Tarrant County... But the legality of these is questionable. Texan Mary Nash lives across from the Dallas Crown Horse slaughter plant:
....."For years I've been seeing these horses arrive in coffins, in these cattle haulers. Lean, healthy fat horses being taken to slaughter. I knew this was crazy, but I didn't think there was anything I could do to stop it. Until last summer, I found out about the John Cornyn attorney general's opinion that said it was a crime in Texas to slaughter horses for human consumption. I was so thrilled. And so the next thing that happened was the Tarrant County prosecutor started investigating Beltex in Fort Worth, which is in Tarrant County, to try to shut them down. Meanwhile, my state representative Betty Brown has filed a Texas house bill that would legalize the criminal activity of these horse slaughter plants. So that's why we're in Austin, we're trying to stop Betty Brown's horse slaughter bill that's making its way to the capital of the state of Texas." More.
Prisons to receive less money from state
BY RENEE FELTZ
.....Cuts in prison spending are among the hard decisions made by state lawmakers this week.
.....Texas Senators recommended spending $812.1 million in 2004-05 on various prison services including utilities, food, maintenance and agriculture. This means millions of dollars in cuts from current spending levels, and will mean a reduction of over $6 million from the food budget.
.....Media spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Larry Todd explains:
....."We asked for a bare-bones amount of money for purchase of groceries, but that had to be cut. And so when the budget is cut, that means we have to cut in our operations. And unfortunately, it falls in the food area. ..." More.
Home owner activists dread lege's decisions
BY JACKSON ALLERS
.....HADD, Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings, a consumer lobby group for home builder accountability, is worried about a bill due for a vote in the Texas Senate next week.
.....In HADD's words, Senate Bill 383 will "strip what little remaining protection homeowners have when dealing with an expensive construction defect."
.....But lawmakers supporting the legislation say this is nonsense.
.....The Senate's companion bill, House Bill 730, made it through the Texas State House of Representatives last week, and co-author, State Representative from Fort Worth, Republican Phil King, explains its intent:
....."Part of the problem is that we do not have state-wide building standards, and more importantly than that is that we do not have state wide performance standards ..." More.
Tulia bustees have long legal road ahead
BY MIKE REED & RENEE FELTZ
..... The 13 inmates currently in prison as a result of the tainted Tulia drug busts would most certainly welcome passage of a bill allowing their release on bond pending an appeals court deliberation, but ultimate freedom from their legal nightmare appears to be years away.
.....Keith Hampton, lobbyist for the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association outlined what likely lies ahead:
....."All of these people will have criminal records that can be called up on any computer and will be dogged by that until this whole process winds through ..." More.
|
