Texas Early Voting

House OKs school financing

AUSTIN — The special legislative session nearly collapsed into disarray Tuesday when the Senate went home early and the House initially killed a must-pass school finance bill.

But after first rejecting legislation imposing a $4 billion cut on public schools, House Republican leaders immediately called a caucus meeting and convinced 16 colleagues to change their votes, salvaging the final hours of the special session, which ends today.

After voting against the bill, Rep. Phil King , R-Weatherford, asked for another vote, explaining to his colleagues that misunderstandings over the bill had been cleared up.

“Our understanding of the bill has changed,” King explained.

House Democratic leader Jessica Farrar , D-Houston, joked that a few of her GOP colleagues suffered broken kneecaps after a 79-64 vote against Senate Bill 1 — the must-pass legislation — miraculously turned into an 80-57 vote for it.

Farrar predicted a voter backlash in the wake of school funding cuts — in the range of 6 percent — and a companion bill allowing school districts to furlough teachers and to cut their pay.

“It's going to take time for people to see the ripple effect,” Farrar said of the funding cuts she expects will result in schools closing, teacher layoffs and larger class sizes.

“They will be shocked, and they will have buyer's remorse from the last election,” Farrar said, recalling how voters elected 101 Republicans out of 150 House members.

House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts , R-Waxahachie, disagreed about a voter backlash.

“People in my district didn't want to raise taxes. They wanted us to live within our means, and I think we have done that,” Pitts said.

But Pitts, House sponsor of SB 1, conceded voters might not support the legislation resulting in teacher furloughs and pay cuts.

“I heard an outcry from my district and constituents on that. We can't keep slapping our teachers,” Pitts said.

All of the House Democrats have voted against public education cuts. Some Republican legislators have joined them.

“Every day we get closer to election, it gets harder to make these cuts. You have been spending time at home. People are talking to you. Parents are talking to you. It changes your reality,” said Rep. Mike Villarreal , D- San Antonio, who has suggested alternatives to such deep cuts. “When you spend time outside the bubble of Austin, you see the world differently.

Texas Today: Early voting update

Project organizers will host an informal and informational come-and-go public reception and webathon from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Saturday at the Shilo Inn Ballroom at 3701 S. W.S. Young Drive in Killeen. The event will provide Killeen-area residents, businesses, civic and veterans groups with the opportunity to come by and visit with project organizers and learn more about the memorial. The event is being held in conjunction with Saturday's Join Hands Day, the nationwide day of doing good for others. The Join Hands America Webathon will be providing periodic updates at www.joinhandsamerica.com and individuals , businesses and service organizations wanting to contribute or make fundraising inquiries are invited to call in, visit the website or drop by webathon headquarters at the Shilo Inn Ballroom. Live updates will be presented on the joinhandsamerica.com website periodically throughout the event. The toll-free call in number is (888) 836-9877. Kdhnews.com allows readers to comment on stories; the views expressed here are not those of the Killeen Daily Herald or its affiliates. When posting comments, please keep it civil, and respect one another. See our commenting and disclaimer policy here. Please note that your IP address will be recorded when posting a comment. Some comments may be reprinted in the newspaper.

America votes!, a guide to modern election law and voting rights

Encyclopedia of American political parties and elections

Texas Politics Today

Texas Politics Today 2009-2010

Learning by voting, sequential choices in presidential primaries and other elections