The following is a collection of news and notes from your State Capitol involving issues that affect House District 32.

Voter Identification Passes Out Of The House

The Voter ID bill otherwise known as Senate Bill (SB) 14 passed out of the House on March 24, 2011 after receiving a 101 yeas and 48 nays. The passage of the SB 14 marked an important vote for the Texas House of Representatives of the 82nd Legislative Session.

Currently under Texas law, to vote a regular ballot, sometimes voters are allowed to present a voter registration card to an individual working at the polling location. The poll worker then matches the name on the registration card with the list of registered voters in that precinct. Currently, there is no other statutory standard in place to verify the identity of the individual wishing to vote. This issue has caused many to question whether or not voter fraud is occurring. The objective of SB 14 is to require that an individual present a form of photo identification before that individual would be allowed to vote.

During last Wednesday’s debate, approximately sixty-three amendments were offered to make changes to the bill. The amendments ranged from changes which would allow an election judge to make exceptions for individuals in which they affirm to know personally (which did not pass), to allowing a valid identification card that contains the person’s photograph and is issued by a tribal organization (which did pass). Out of the sixty-three amendments which were brought up for discussion, only approximately fifteen received the necessary votes by the House to be added to SB 14.

Now that the House has passed its version of SB 14, the Senate has one of two options before them. They can either concur with the changes made by the Texas House or they can refuse to concur and require that a conference committee be formed, which would be composed of five members from the House and five members from the Senate. Upon the conference committee reaching an agreement, the members of the committee will issue a report to be considered for approval by both the House and the Senate. Once SB 14 receives the necessary approval of both the House and the Senate, it will then be on its way to the Governor’s desk to be signed.

Annual Budget Bill Heard In Committee

On Thursday March 24, 2011, the Committee on State Affairs heard House Joint Resolution (HJR) 33. HJR 33 is proposing a constitutional amendment to institute an annual state budget and to establish annual legislative sessions for budget purposes only. Under HJR 33, the Texas Legislature would meet annually on the third Tuesday in April for up to sixty days in a budget session. During a budget session, the Texas Legislature would only be a able to take up matters which pertain directly to appropriations or such emergency items that the Governor may provide to the legislature.

Currently the Texas Legislature meets every two years during a regular session to work on and pass out a state budget for the next two years. As this past fiscal year has indicated, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Comptroller and the legislature to forecast the state’s revenue intake, two years in advance. Last session, the legislature based the previous biannual budget on having approximately $3 billion more in funds than we ended up having. This deficit was in large part due to a decline in sales taxes in 2009 . An annual budget for the State of Texas will be better positioned for financial shifts.

If you have questions or comments regarding Voter ID or the annual budget bill, or any other bills which have been filed, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day”. The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment.”

He was right, that generation didn’t have the green thing in its day. Back then they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled them, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But they didn’t have the green thing back in that customer’s day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she was right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV or radio in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you.

When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn’t have the green thing back then?

Dr. Bill McLellan of Port Lavaca Veterinary Clinic and his aide, Jana Thomas, administer a shot to Lisa Stringo’s black lab, Dina, on April 5 at the Port O’Connor Fire Station. The annual Calhoun County Rabies Drive was held the week of April 4 though 9, at five locations throughout the county. Pets were immunized against rabies and other diseases at discounted prices. -Photo by Bill Tigrett

Hush Puppies

1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (or less)
1 1/2 cup corn meal
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons shortening (melted)

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and corn meal. Add remaining ingredients – onion, beaten egg, milk and shortening. Stir only until flour is damp.

Roll into balls or flatten.

Drop into hot fat. Cook until brown.

May add jalapeno, garlic powder or shredded cheese.

(Even more tasty if fried in the fish or shrimp grease.)

Submitted by Capt. Ed

The Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust (GBR Trust) Board of Trustees hired Steve Jester, a 20-year veteran in the fields of wildlife and land conservation, as the new executive director for the organization.

Jester, who earned his bachelor of science degree in agriculture at Texas State University and master of science degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences at Texas A&M University, will be responsible for the operation and management of the GBR Trust under the direction of the Board of Trustees.

“It’s great to be back in Texas, but more importantly, I am back here in a position where I will have an impact in land conservation and preserving areas that will protect habitats for wildlife for years to come,” said Jester, who recently completed a four-year stint in Wyoming as the Southwest Wyoming Program Director for Nature Conservancy after five years with the same organization in Texas and seven with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

“Steve brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in wildlife and land management, as well as a fresh perspective to the Trust, and we are looking forward to his contributions,” said Todd Votteler, Ph.D., executive director emeritus of the GBR Trust.

“We feel very fortunate to have been able to recruit Steve back to Texas,” said Roger Welder, president of the Board of Trustees for the GBR Trust, adding, “All of the trustees are looking forward to working with him and getting him involved in protecting these sensitive, precious areas that we value so much within the Guadalupe River Basin.”

The Trust is a charitable, non-profit 501(c)3 organization that was developed to conserve the land and water of the Guadalupe River watershed for its natural, recreational, scenic, historic and productive value. The mission of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust is to promote and encourage the conservation, stewardship and enjoyment of the land and water resources of the Guadalupe River watershed, while maintaining its unique and irreplaceable natural heritage. Additional information about the Trust is available at www.gbrtrust.org.

The GBRA was established by the Texas Legislature in 1933 as a water conservation and reclamation district. GBRA provides stewardship for the water resources in its 10-county statutory district, which begins near the headwaters of the Guadalupe and Blanco rivers, ends at San Antonio Bay, and includes Kendall, Comal, Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Gonzales, DeWitt, Victoria, Calhoun, and Refugio counties.