Public School Funds Top List Topics at Special Session (TX)
June 13, 2011
State Rep. Rene O. Oliveira, D-Brownsville, gave an update on activity in the Legislature, first noting that public school funding took center stage the past week during the special session of the Legislature and that, into the wee hours of Friday, the House adopted SB 1, the fiscal matters bill that under-funds public schools by $4 billion.
“It’s shameful that we leave more than $6 billion in the Rainy Day Fund while our public schools go under-funded. It is bad business sense from a workforce standpoint, and reprehensible from a human standpoint to leave money on the table that could be spent on our schools. Unfortunate ly, we are taking a step backward for equity in funding our schools while hurting the neediest children in our state, many of whom are residents of the Rio Grande Valley,” Oliveira said.
Oliveira also reported that the House adopted SB 7 on Thursday. He said the bill, which is estimated to save the state $290 million, repeals provisions prohibiting health maintenance organizations (HMOs) from providing Medi-caid services in Cameron, Hidalgo or Maverick counties.
Before awarding a contract in South Texas, HHSC would have to give extra consideration to a managed care organization that was locally owned, managed and operated, if one existed, or to an organization that complied with the mandatory contracts provisions outlined in the Government Code, he said.
The bill also would require each MCO to have a medical director and other personnel to assist providers and re-cipients in the service area, according to the House Research Organization.
“This is going to limit the ability of Valley Medicaid patients to find a health care provider, and we may lose some doctors to other parts of the state as reimbursement rates are decreased,” said Oliveira. “We’ll also see an increase in emergency room visits which does nothing but drive up medical costs. Women, children and the eld-erly will be most severely affected. This also adds another layer of bureaucracy to an area already fighting to keep up with growing patient demand.”
Oliveira said that this coming Tuesday, congressional redistricting maps would be debated in HB4.
On Wednesday, HB 5, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association reform bill, will go before the House. The windstorm association is a semigovernmental organization that serves as the insurer of last resort for the coast. Oliveira said that often, private insurers will refuse to issue policies or charge much higher rates in areas subject to tropical storms and hurricanes.
< ;br>“Coastal property owners should not continue to be treated unfairly. Reforming how coastal communities are insured will go a long way toward protecting local property owners who face the threat of a major hurricane or tropical storm every year,” Oliveira said.
The House adjourned until Tuesday when lawmakers will make another run at the education bills through the week. “The big fight will be over the teacher contract bill,” Oliveira predicted.
Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Perry urged lawmakers to remove the Internet sales tax language from SB 1. “I believe this provision risks significant unintended consequences, including a loss of Texas job opportunities and weaken-ing of our state’s competitive advantage,” the governor said.