My state senator, Dan Patrick, has introduced a package of governmental-reform bills in the Texas Senate. Here’s a rundown of the measures:
SB 630/SJR 26: Would establish a Public Integrity Unit at the Texas Attorney General’s office.
“If the state government wants to only fund one Public Integrity Unit, as they currently do, then they should do so at a statewide elected office; the Texas Attorney General - not the Travis County DA,” Senator Patrick remarked. “Otherwise we should spread the funds out to each District Attorney who prosecutes violations of the public trust,” Senator Patrick added.
SB 1190/SJR 41: Creates a government spending commission to be patterned after President Ronald Reagan’s Grace Commission.
“We have heard a lot about tax commissions, but nothing about a spending commission. Texans can’t possibly expect the Legislature to find ways to cut the growth of government when we only have six months every two years to go over more than $150 Billion in state spending. President Reagan described my vision of the Texas Spending Commission best when he described his Grace Commission’s charge ‘to work like tireless bloodhounds to root out government inefficiency and waste of tax dollars,’” Senator Patrick remarked.
SB 1191: Would require candidates and office holders to report to the Ethics Commission by the 10th day, any contribution that exceeds $2,000 during the semi-annual reporting period. “I believe in as much disclosure of the source of our political contributions. In fact, I voluntarily disclose my major contributions on my campaign website within days of receiving the donation. We need more, not less sunshine in our campaign finance laws,” Senator Patrick remarked.
SB 1193: This bill would create a cooling off period for legislators who seek to become lobbyists immediately prior to leaving office. “I want to slow down the revolving door of legislators turned lobbyists. And I think the public would be outraged to learn we have lobbyists who ‘cashed out’ after serving just one term in the Legislature,” Senator Patrick offered.
SB 1194: Would end legislative pensions as of January 1, 2008.
“I campaigned on eliminating legislative pensions. Voters should expect their elected officials to serve the people, not serve for pensions,” said Senator Patrick.
SB 1197: This bill would still allow for an appointment to fill a vacancy [in county elected offices], but would call an election at the next uniform election date. In the
Harris County example, the voters would have a voice much earlier than they do under current law.“The situation in Harris County is very unfortunate. As elected officials, we have a bond with the voters and if given their trust we should do everything we can to live up to our obligations. Leaving office for health or family reasons is understandable. Leaving 90 days after your election for financial gain is reprehensible. If the will of the voters is supplanted by the will of an elected official, then we should allow the voters to make their voice heard as soon as practical,” Senator Patrick remarked.
SB 1200: Concerns the closing of instant games sold by the Texas Lottery. The legislation if passed, would require the Texas Lottery to close all games of chance once the top prizes have been claimed.
“I think people were outraged to learn recently that some scratch off games were still being sold months after the advertised prizes were no longer attainable. And even more disturbing were the press reports that some officials were fine with the arrangement because people were still buying those tickets. This is a betrayal of the public’s trust and I look forward to correcting it,” Senator Patrick added.
While the above bills were the highlights of the Senator’s ethics and government reform legislative agenda, he also filed the following bills on the same general subject: SB 1192 (prohibiting certain legislator meals paid for by lobbyists), SB 1195 (prohibiting the use of campaign funds to rent a personal residence or to purchase gifts for other legislators) and SB 1199 (prohibiting certain meals provided to legislative employees paid for by lobbyists).
Click on a bill number to see the text, status and legislative history of the bill.
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12 Responses to “Dan launches package of gov’t reform bills”Search
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Having a man on the inside gives the average citizen/voter insight into the going ons of state government. That man having a radio station gives him a platform to tell the people what’s going on and whose voting how. Dan can muster the forces (aka the listerners) to action which is not a good thing for the politician/rino. The common man now has a man to rally behind for the start of the “Tax Revolution”. Good Luck Dan, you’re going to need it. Your fighting a pretty well entrenched establishment but the fight is worth it.
2. Go, Dan. Go!
SB1200 - What are the odds on the game then? Is it ok to hold all the prizes until the other tickets are sold or is there something wrong with that too?
Is it a game of chance or just a handout mechanism?
Why not get rid of the lottery all together then?
Wow.. Dan’s not going to be very popular in the doors of the Senate chamber. There are some fantastic perks that are DUE our elected elitists..
Any chance any of these will get to the floor, much less a passing vote?
I agree with #3 - If you bother to read the fine print, you would know that the Lottery’s been saying that scratch off tickets are sold until they’re gone, even if the top prizes have been claimed. It is GAMBLING. That’s the risk you take.
The answer, in this case, is to either scrap the scratch off games altogether or DON’T PLAY if you don’t like the odds. Some sort of intermediate legislation isn’t consistent with smaller-government conservatism.
#3 and #5
Coming from a person who RARELY plays the lottery, scratch off or otherwise. I have always had the belief that if you continued to buy scratch off tickets a few months after the game started it wasn’t worth it because the odds were you weren’t going to win anything. I believe the prizes are GONE after a few months of the game starting IMO.
The best way to play lottery.
$10/week x 52 x 15yrs (inception 1992) = $7800 plus interest accrued over that time. Somewhere around $15000. Anyone won more than that in the lottery games?
When he introduces the bill permitting ballot initiatives, allowing voters to bypass the obstructionists in Austin, then I’ll listen.
Has he introduced such a bill?
SB 630 / SJR 26
And Just where was Ronnie Earle /
Texas Youth Commission vs. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle
The state school Principle and other staff stand accused, but not yet charged after 2 years for having sex with under age inmates at more than one of the 21 TYC units
I lack understanding and request you clear up a few things.
First The Texas Public Integrity Unit, is run by the Travis County DA Ronnie Earle
Prosecuting crimes involving State of Texas would then need to be paid for from the money in the PIU funding, not the local DA’s check book. Money to pay for prosecuting are State of Texas funded dollars
I may be wrong, but to prosecute a single aggravated rapist ( AKA child molester), for many offenses might cost the local DA what? Would $125,000 per offender be too much?
Did Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, had the money, and the duty to cover the many sins of TYC?
I remember he spent a large amount of time and Texas Public Integrity Unit money chasing Tom Delay.
In short, one could draw the conclusion that the collection of child sexual predators could only operate in safety under the direct actions of Ronnie Earle.
IMHO Earle had become a modern Ahab, with a film crew in tow, in the hunt for his big white whale Rep Tom Delay
Had Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle not been so set on having a film crew follow him on his chase of his great white whale (Sorry Tom) He might have noticed some of the now over 600 claims of sexual abuse of TYC inmates
I offer this only as a question, that maybe anybody can clear this up for me
My apologies to Tom Delay for making him the whale in this version of a Moby Dick tale, Tom is a good man. And a good man is hard to find in Washington DC
The bill I really want to see (but it’s at the national level, so it may have to wait until it’s US Senator Dan Patrick): If you’re on any form of public assistance (welfare, food stamps, public housing, etc.), you’re voting rights are suppended until you’re off public assisstance.
9
Sadly, Delay may be facing jail. In this nasty political environment, I’m afraid any politician going before a jury is in for a bad result.
Three notes:
Texas has had several spending review efforts including similar to a “Grace Commission” in the past…The last time was the first Texas Performance Review in 1991…. Before that it had at least one commission including citizen members in the 80s and on in the 70s…Nothing new…
It would require a constitutional amendment, not a simple law, to give the voters initiative and referendum (the right to propose laws without going thru the Legislature and the right to overturn laws passed by the Legislative). Several attempts have been made in the past…but the current Texas GOP Party Platform and group like the Eagle Forum OPPOSE EITHER. (Afraid of left-wingers getting things on the ballot)
Earl receives funding from the Legislature for his public integrity unit…. Every time he has gone after a Legislator (including a Democratic Speaker) there have been threats to cut the funds..At the present time his office is the only one in Texas with jurisdiction over legislators, statewide officers and most state agencies…The Atty General has few criminal powers…he is basically a civil attorney…He can
“assist” local prosecutors BUT only if they request it…(”Local control” and all that).
Plus do you think the Attorney General is going to be anxious to take on this politically hot duty? I doubt it. He is now working on the TYC mess…neither the TYC, the Governor or the Texas Rangers advised him of it prior to this time…A complaint was taken to the local West Texas District Attorney, but he did nothing.