OPINIONS OF OTHER NEWSPAPERS
Legislature has work to get done
DALLAS MORNING NEWS

State lawmakers have passed the halfway point of the 2007 legislative session, having laid the groundwork for important progress in public policy. Lawmakers are lagging in other areas, however.

Before the 140-day session began in January, we specified seven areas of emphasis for monitoring legislative action, or inaction.

Here's an update on what our lawmakers are doing and what we expect of them. Education

Expectation: Resources to better recruit, train and reward good teachers, especially in critical areas, and to help reduce student teacher ratios in high school. Help students who are struggling to meet soaring college tuition. Fine-tune the school accountability system.

Progress: The House passed a budget that yanks funding for a broad-based performance-pay program for teachers before it gets fully under way. The money would be used instead to raise all teachers' salaries. We're not opposed to a pay boost, but Texas should try new, innovative methods of rewarding excellence and attracting math, science and bilingual instructors. We hope the Senate can find some middle ground.

Numerous bills target runaway college tuition, including a promising bill (SB 100), by Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano to cap a student's tuition at rates charged during his or her freshman year.

That measure needs a hearing and momentum.

Ms. Shapiro also is shepherding an ambitious revamp of the statewide TAKS testing system (SB 1031) including a switch to end-of-course exams in high school. The concept has buy-in from most education stakeholders and needs to proceed carefully. It will probably require a re-do of the school-rating system, a subject that a House measure (HB 3425) wants to tackle after this session with a special House- Senate committee. We're open to improvements as long as they don't backpedal on accountability. Transit

Expectation: Free up new revenue to build out the North Texas rail transit system by allowing voters in unserved areas to raise sales taxes and join DART and other existing transit cities.

Progress: Rep. Fred Hill of Richardson will call his transitfunding bill (HB 1084) up for a hearing tomorrow in his Local Ways and Means Committee. A measure by Sen. John Carona of Dallas (SB 257) awaits its first hearing. Both bills are in response to the wishes of dozens of city councils, mayors and civic organizations from across the region. The sponsors face heavy lifting to remove the obstacle of lawmakers' resistance to taxes. The rallying cry needs to be, "Let the voters decide." Immigration

Expectation: Although this is mostly a federal matter, Austin has a responsibility to be constructive and avoid complicating Washington's efforts to solve the thorny political problem.

Progress: A key committee chairman, Rep. David Swinford of Dumas, headed off a legislative train wreck by derailing several bills he considered outside of the purview of state government. Good move. Health Care

Expectation: Find innovative ways to control ballooning costs in the state-federal Medicaid program for 3 million Texans, from babies to seniors. A key tool is offering financial inducements so physicians will take Medicaid patients and keeping seniors healthy so costs can decrease in the long run.

Progress: The big move so far has come in the Senate. Flower Mound's Jane Nelson has introduced SB 10, which calls for giving doctors more to care for Medicaid patients and offers incentives to Medicaid recipients to take care of health problems before they become full-blown. The bill awaits another hearing Tuesday in the Health and Human Services Committee and, we hope, full Senate approval soon. The sooner the state can try to control Medicaid costs, the sooner it can control spending. Recorded Votes

Expectation: Reform the way votes are taken during the lawmaking process by requiring at least one on-the-record, roll call vote on every substantive measure adopted.

Progress: Legislation by Dallas Rep. Dan Branch (HB 83, HJR 19) has cleared a key committee. We are optimistic that it will be scheduled for floor action; Speaker Tom Craddick has pledged a House vote if a bill gets committee approval. In the Senate, measures by Mr. Carona (SB 102, SJR 7) await a hearing in a committee chaired by Sen. Kim Brimer of Arlington. Water Supply

Expectation: Designate sites for badly needed reservoirs, determine how much water that rivers need and encourage water conservation across the state.

Progress: The Senate passed its all-purpose water bill Wednesday. SB 3 now becomes part of the intricate card-playing that will go on between the House and Senate as they try to work out a bill dealing with reservoirs, conservation and other issues. Part of the backand forth will include HB 3, which the House has passed as a way to determine how much water rivers need for their own ecosystems. That will allow cities to know how much water they can draw from rivers. Please, oh please, Austin, don't let us repeat 2005, when testy House/Senate relations killed most big water reforms. Air Quality

Expectation: A moratorium on coal-burning power plants to allow time to craft a holistic clean-air approach that meshes anti-smog efforts with plans for more electricity generators. Also, adopt a version of California's low-emission standards for cars and restore funding for programs to get pollution-spewing junkers off the road.

Progress: An avalanche of air quality legislation has been filed, and lawmakers are beginning to consider which of several dozen bills should receive serious consideration. Most of the proposals call for cleaner power plants or improved energy efficiency standards.

The Senate has passed legislation (SB 12) to fund programs that take polluting cars off the road. The measure also would strengthen efficiency standards for building codes and appliances.

Hearings have been scheduled for several other bills, including one (HB 2713) that would create a team to study future energy needs and another (SB 1177) that would test pollution control measures for cement kilns.

The coal plant controversy moved many lawmakers to act. With plans for eight coal units now abandoned, we hope they'll maintain their resolve to clean up Texas' dirty air.