Nightly Legislature Roundup
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) - KRLD's Austin Bureau Chief Robert Wood has a look at what's making news around the capitol during the early days of the 82nd Legislature.
Scott Says Education Will Survive
The state's Education Commissioner tried to reassure the State Board of Education that we will all get through this budget crisis.
It's not the first time Education Commissioner Robert Scott has been through a downsizing of the Texas Education Agency. He did this in 2003 too and he didn't like it much.
Scott says however that the budget holes will be filled as best they can we the state will move on and do the job of educating its children. "In the end the busses will run, the doors will open, the kids will come, and the teachers will teach." He says this will be a difficult session, but he says they all are in one way or the other.
Making Your Driver License Your Voter ID Too
Since a bill that would require you to show your driver license or other state ID to vote with pass anyway, what if that ID became your voter registration card too?
Right now there are two different lists, one that says you are registered to vote, another that says you have a driver license.
Houston Democratic State Representative Scott Hochberg's bill would merge those into one list administered by DPS. "What I have proposed is that the driver license and photo ID system become the voter registration system."
That means if you are legally permitted to vote, like you're not a convicted felon, you would be registered if you had a state ID. He says this would save money and end concern about non-citizens voting since that's checked by DPS as part of the driver license process.
Two More Emergencies
Governor Perry adds voter ID and a balanced budget amendment to the list of legislative emergencies this session.
The day after the Texas Senate basically cleared the way for a voter ID bill to pass this session Governor Perry declared it an emergency, meaning lawmakers can pass it in the first 60 days of the session.
Perry's also added passing a resolution calling on Congress to approve a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Not surprising considering the Governor always mentions federal overspending, even including it in his inaugural address. "Washington has America on a collision course with bankruptcy."
Those emergencies join ending sanctuary city policies and eminent domain reform on the list that could continue to grow.
