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Senator again proposes limiting regents’ power

Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, Chairman of the Senate Redistricting committee leads a hearing, Thursday, May 30, 2013, in Austin, Texas. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott wants lawmakers to adopt the court's maps as a bid to pre-empt yet another set of maps that could further hurt Republican candidates. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

AUSTIN—Republican Sen. Kel Seliger filed on Wednesday a bill that limits regents’ authority to fire a university president, requires more rigorous training for regents and clarifies a university’s autonomy in certain management areas.

Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a similar bill in 2013.

Bills filed now could be considered in the upcoming session, which convenes in January.

The proposed legislation comes after years of dust-ups between some members of the governor-appointed University of Texas System Board of Regents and UT-Austin President Bill Powers.

For more than a year, a House panel conducted an investigation into the actions of UT Regent Wallace Hall. Hall had been waging a personal investigation of Powers and lawmaker influence in the admissions process at the flagship. The UT system commissioned an outside investigation into admissions practices following Hall’s accusations. That inquiry is ongoing.

In August, the House committee voted to censure Hall for misconduct, leaving impeachment on the table depending on the result of a criminal investigation into Hall’s behavior.

Critics, including many lawmakers, have called Hall’s efforts a “witch-hunt” to oust Powers, who has clashed with some regents on higher education issues such as research and tuition.

Hall has said his actions were within the bounds of his role as a regent.

The Amarillo Republican’s bill makes clear the autonomy granted to university campuses and administrators. Regents must “defend each institution’s right to manage its own affairs through its chosen administrators,” it says. Additionally, it says that regents must “ensure that the powers and duties of the board are not controlled by a minority of its members or by organizations or interests that are separate from the board.”

The bill says regents cannot fire a university president without a recommendation from the chancellor.

Seliger co-sponsored a similar bill last session, which passed with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. Perry vetoed that bill. Perry said then that a “lack of board oversight…diminishes accountability and provides fertile ground for organizational malfeasance.”

Statewide texting while driving ban re-emerges, along with bills to increase minimum wage, legalize same-sex marriage

AUSTIN—The session is still two months away but lawmakers are making clear their priorities in the first day of bill filing.

Rep. Tom Craddick

So far, the list of freshly filed bills includes: issuing driver’s permits to undocumented immigrants, increasing the state’s minimum wage, legalizing same-sex marriage, ending certain transportation diversions and changing aspects of the franchise tax.

Former House speaker Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, again filed a bill that would institute a statewide a ban on texting for all drivers—a measure that previously passed in the Legislature in 2011 but was vetoed by now departing Gov. Rick Perry. He called the bill “a government effort to micromanage the behavior of adults.”

Leadership will be different in the upcoming session.

It’s not entirely clear how Gov.-elect Greg Abbott will lead the state. Lt. Gov-elect Dan Patrick will preside over a more conservative Senate. Current speaker Joe Straus has many allies in the House and is considered likely to win reelection on the first day of session, but is being opposed by tea-party aligned groups such as Empower Texans.

Forty-four other states already have a ban on texting while driving. In Texas, state law bans texting for drivers under 18 and 38 cities have local regulations to ban texting while driving for all drivers, which Craddick said creates a confusing patchwork of local ordinances.

“The Texas Legislature has a responsibility to give our law enforcement officers the tools they need to make our roadways safer,” he said.

Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, put forward a bill to increase minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10. Houston Democrat Rodney Ellis filed a companion bill in the Senate.

Rep. Craig Goldman, a Fort Worth Republican, proposed allocating all revenue received from the sale, rental or use of motor vehicles to the state highway fund, ending diversions to the school fund and general revenue fund.

Craddick: Railroad Commission will continue permitting in Denton, not ruling out action against ban

Update at 5:00 p.m.: This blog has been updated with a response from the vice president of Denton Drilling Awareness Group.

AUSTIN–Railroad Commission Chairwoman Christi Craddick came out strongly against a fracking ban passed this week in North Texas, pledging to continue giving permits to companies that seek to drill in Denton.

Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick

Craddick discussed the state’s oil and gas boom, the agency’s needs and pitfalls, and her political future at a Thursday event sponsored by the Texas Tribune. The Railroad Commission is the state agency that regulates oil and gas.

Craddick called it a disappointment that the ban on hydraulic fracturing—the technique of drilling deep into the ground to release oil and gas—passed Tuesday in Denton. The ban is the first in oil and gas rich Texas.

But the Republican conceded that the oil and gas industry and her agency have likely fallen short on communicating with citizens about the processes happening increasingly near homes and schools as oil and gas production spikes and communities grow and sprawl.

“We missed as far as an education process in explaining what fracking is, explaining what was going on. And I think this is the result of that, in a lot of respects, and a lot of misinformation about fracking,” Craddick said.

“It’s my job to give permits, not Denton’s…We’re going to continue permitting up there because that’s my job,” she said.

Adam Briggle, vice president of the Denton Drilling Awareness Group, said that outcome should have prodded the commission to “adopt a more conciliatory tone” and to reflect on why citizens were opposed to fracking.

But, from the state, “it’s still just a heavy-handed, push-our-agenda through approach,” he said. “They should have got a wake-up call, but it’s like they’re still just sleeping.”

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Republicans take all statewide races

Update 8:40 P.M.: Glenn Hegar, who will take over as comptroller in January, released his victory statement.

Glenn Hegar

“Together, we will continue to stand up for the principles we believe in by making government more efficient, eliminating wasteful spending, and putting more money back into the pockets of taxpayers,” Hegar said.

Update 8:08 P.M.: AP called it: Republicans bested their opponents in all statewide races.

Update 7:55 P.M.: With just over 2 million early votes in, Republican candidates are leading with wide margins in all statewide races.

Original post at 6:30 P.M.: Down-ballot races garner less attention in elections but the positions are often used as a stepping stone to higher office. Gov. Rick Perry, for example, served two terms as commissioner of agriculture before running for lt. governor.

Tonight, each seat will see a new occupant as there are no incumbents in the race. The conservative candidates are favored to win across the board.

Sam Houston, Democrat for AG, on left; Ken Paxton opposite.

Some notable items in this year’s race: George P. Bush, a member of the Bush political dynasty, is making his first bid for office; the Republican nominee for attorney general admitted that he failed to register as a financial agency and could face charges or disbarment; and Ryan Sitton, if elected, would be the first engineer to serve on the Railroad Commission in more than 50 years.

Here’s a glance at the candidates:

Attorney general

Tea party favorite and Republican nominee Sen. Ken Paxton, an attorney from McKinney who spent 12 years in the Legislature, has shied away from the campaign trail after winning his contentious primary race against state Rep. Dan Branch in May. Paxton admitted to violating securities law earlier this year.

Sam Houston, the Democratic nominee, is an attorney from Houston. He has said he would reverse the ruling that prevents Texans from learning which chemicals are stored in nearby plants. He has also vowed to end state appeals in the ongoing school finance case.

Jamie Balagia, a Libertarian, and Green Party candidate Jamar Osborne are also on the ticket.

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Comptroller race: $120,000 in late money to Hegar

In the final days before the election, Sen. Glenn Hegar, the Republican nominee for comptroller, banked $120,000 in campaign contributions–namely from political action committees and high-dollar individual donors.

Mike Collier on the left, Glenn Hegar opposite

That figure is the same amount as his Democratic opponent Mike Collier garnered in contributions between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25, highlighting Republican candidates’ fundraising advantage in the state.

Mike Collier received $17,500 in the last week, according to finance reports.

The Zachry Corporation PAC, Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association and the Holts, the family that owns the largest Caterpillar dealership in the U.S. and the San Antonio Spurs, all cut $10,000 checks for Hegar’s campaign, according to new campaign finance reports.

 

Dan Patrick rakes in late money from PACs

Lieutenant governor candidate Dan Patrick banked nearly $300,000 in campaign donations in the last day–largely fueled by a $125,000 check from Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

Texas Lieutenant Governor hopefuls state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, left, and state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, right, shake hands following their televised debate, Monday, Sept. 29, 2014, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, Pool)

Patrick, R-Houston, pulled in $25,000 contributions from AT&T Texas PAC, Annette Simmons, the wife of late Harold Simmons, and Robert Rowling, the Dallas billionaire who owns Omni Hotels and Resorts.

The lt. governor presides over the Senate as its president, appoints Senate committees and controls the flow of legislation in the chamber.

Patrick’s Democratic opponent Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, raised nearly $100,000 in the last day. More than $70,000 of that came from in-kind contributions for staffing and canvassing provided by Planned Parenthood.

Other notable donations:

For Dan Patrick

Devon Energy Corporation: $10,000

Texas Restaurant Association: $10,000

Dallas attorney Trevor Pearlman: $10,000

For Leticia Van de Putte

Houston philanthropist Wilhelmina Robertson: $5,000

Democracy for America: $5,000

 

Differences on display in Railroad Commissioner hopefuls dual appearance

AUSTIN—New technology in drilling has unleashed an unprecedented oil and gas boom in Texas. Production has brought billions into state coffers, created well-paying jobs and helped the state avoid recession.

Ryan Sitton on left, Steve Brown opposite

But it’s also had its pitfalls. Scientists have raised serious questions about air quality, earthquakes and protection of water resources. Increased traffic in drilling areas has brought unwanted noise to communities and potholes and wear and tear to roads. Property owners have wound up spending thousands fighting common carrier pipelines in Texas courts. One city in the heart of the productive Barnett Shale has even pushed for a ban on the practice of fracking because of problems some residents see with the industry’s proximity to homes and schools.

And some fear that if and when the boom ends, Texas land owners will be left with trashed property and little else.

Then there’s the Railroad Commission, the agency that regulates the energy sector. Critics have charged that the commission has been more of a cheerleader for industry than a watchdog for Texans.

Early Thursday morning, the two leading candidates for the third seat on the railroad commission, Ryan Sitton, a Republican, and Steve Brown, the Democrat running, came together to talk about these challenges with Jim Malewitz, an energy reporter for the Texas Tribune. Mark Miller, a Libertarian, is also running but was not at the event.

Here are three exchanges from the morning, edited for conciseness:

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Industry spending big to keep fracking ban out of Denton

Oil and gas industry money keeps stacking up against a measure to ban hydraulic fracturing—the process of blasting chemicals and water deep into the ground to release oil and gas—in North Texas.

Signs promoting opposing views on Denton's proposed fracking ban are on display outside the Denton County Elections Office in Denton, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. (Jim Tuttle/The Dallas Morning News)

According to the latest round of campaign finance reports, energy companies contributed more than $460,000 between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25. That’s on top of the $225,000 industry previously gave “Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy,” the leading group opposed to the ban.

The Denton Record-Chronicle reports that it’s the most expensive campaign in the city’s history. In all, more than $770,000 has been raised by groups opposing and supporting the ban.

If voters approve the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, Denton would be the first city in Texas—the state that leads in oil and gas production—to ban fracking. The ban has put the city at the center of a noisy debate over the safety of fracking, the economic benefit of industry and the power cities have to regulate the activity.

In the latest finance reports, major oil and gas companies such as Chevron, Enervest and XTO poured thousands of dollars into the group “Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy.” While the group did have more donations from individuals than it did in the previous filing period, industry contributions still accounted for more than 98 percent of the $466,000 total. A handful of the near 60 individual supporters listed their residence in Denton.

Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy has spent more than $340,000 in the last month on the campaign, including $142,000 for television ads.

Pass the Ban, also known as Frack Free Denton, the group supporting the ban, banked about $24,000 in the same period. The biggest donation came from Earthworks, an environmental group in DC, which donated more than $10,000 in in-kind contributions for postage and mailers. Earlier this month, a Earthworks spokesman said that more than 90 percent of the money for the in-kind contributions came from Denton donors.

The Denton Drilling Awareness Group, the previous name for the proponent group, gave $6,000 of its leftover campaign money to Pass the Ban. About two dozen other individuals—most listing their residence in Denton—contributed the remaining money.

Comptroller candidates enter home stretch on unequal footing

Candidates for state comptroller, Sen. Glenn Hegar and Mike Collier, are heading into the final week of the election on uneven footing.

Mike Collier pictured on left, Glenn Hegar opposite

Hegar, the Republican, has $2.1 million cash on hand, while Collier, the Democrat, has $10,000 left in his coffers, according to new campaign finance filings.

Those reports show Hegar, a rice farmer from Katy, banked more than $900,000 in contributions between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25. Collier, a Houston-area accountant, raised more than $120,000 in the same period.

But Collier has pumped more money into the race in the last month. The Democrat has spent nearly $240,000, mostly on advertising. Hegar has spent $92,000 in the last four weeks.

The two are set to debate tomorrow night in Austin. Theirs is the only down ballot debate scheduled for the general election. Details found here.

Health officials: State needs greater coordination, communication in dealing with infectious diseases

AUSTIN— Key medical officials are dissatisfied with the communication, guidance and level of coordination between local hospital authorities, state health officials and the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Brett Girior, director of the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response

There needs to be a better management at the state level and a clear resource for training, health protocols and disseminating information, as well as greater flexibility in how state and federal money can be allocated, a panel of doctors, researchers and medical administrators told the state’s task force on infectious disease preparedness.

The 17-member task force said Thursday that it is considering changes that would expand the authority of the commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services and increase standardized protocol training.

But many of their proposals require action from the Legislature, which doesn’t meet again until January.

Noticeably absent from the panel providing recommendations was a representative from Presbyterian—the only hospital in the state that has dealt with an Ebola patient.