Posted on 05/28/2005 4:58:43 PM PDT by hispanarepublicana
AUSTIN — A stalemate on school funding legislation squashed any remaining hope today that lawmakers can reach a deal this session.
With less than three days left, lawmakers needed an extraordinary series of events to successfully change the way Texans pay taxes to fund public schools.
"Unfortunately we just got bogged down in some different ways of looking at it," said Rep. Jim Keffer, an Eastland Republican who helped craft the House version of the school tax plan.
Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick said his team of negotiators have signed off on their versions of both the school and tax bills, sending them to the Senate for approval.
Asked whether chances for a school finance plan were dead, Keffer said, "For all practical purposes, if we do not hear from (Sen. Steve Ogden) very soon, you are right."
Ogden, R-Bryan, who has led the Senate tax-writing effort, said he was focused on finishing the two-year state budget and would not answer questions from news reporters that weren't related to the $139 billion spending plan.
The school finance plan approved by the House does not raise enough money from businesses and hikes the sales tax too much to be approved by either Senate negotiators or the full chamber, said Sen. Kim Brimer, a Fort Worth Republican who has been active in writing the Senate's tax plan. Brimer blamed Craddick for failed negotiations.
In these final days of the session, adopting a plan is still possible. Senators would have to vote to suspend their rules to take up a tax bill. But, with the large sales tax increase the House wrote into its plan, it's not likely they will.
"It's very disappointing that we were not being able to do something ... to spur the economy of Texas and to help individuals buy their first home," Keffer said.
Republican legislative leaders and Republican Gov. Rick Perry were intent on reducing the property tax burden for Texas homeowners.
They also are under pressure to change the way the state funds its schools. Last year a state district judge ruled Texas' school funding system unconstitutional and ordered the problems fixed by October 2005, or education funding would cease.
An appeal of that ruling is pending before the Texas Supreme Court, which plans to hear oral arguments July 6.
Texas Ping.
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