The Battalion
STATE & LOCAL
3
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Thursday, July 20,1989
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Critics question parliamentarian’s lodge ownership
AUSTIN (AP) — The House par
liamentarian. who critics charge
helped gut an insurance reform
measure, co-owns a $500,000 sports
lodge with business lobbyists, includ
ing a key bill opponent, it was re
ported Wednesday
But House Speaker Gib Lewis. D-
Fort Worth, said Parliamentarian
Robert Kelly did nothing wrong.
“There’s nothing that woulo pro
hibit you, (or) me. to have business
with anybody you want to have busi
ness with," Lewis said. “I don’t see
anything wrong with it."
Kelly, who denied any conflict of
interest, is a partner in the Gulf
(oast lodge with eight lobbyists, the
Austin Amencan-Statesman re
ported. One is Richard Brown, who
represents the Texas Compensation
Insurers Association, a coalition of
insurance companies.
”1 don’t see any problem," Kelly,
parliamentarian since March 1980,
said. He advises the House speaker
on the rules of debate and other
technical and procedural matters af
fecting legislation.
“We’re all friends, and we’ve been
friends for years and years,” he said.
• Kelly said the friendship had no
bearing on advice he gave the
speaker on Mav 24. whep» several
lawmakers were trying to amend an
insurance bill to include antitrust
and ocher provisions vigorously op
posed by the insurance industry.
Acting on the advice, Lewis ruled
the amendments were not germane
“T
I here’s nothing that would prohibit you, or me, to
have business with anybody you want to have
business with. I don’t see anything wrong with it."
— Gib Lewis,
House Speaker.. house speaker
and barred them from consider
ation
State records reviewed by the
newspaper show that Kelly and
Brown are partners in a lodge called
Shoalwater Bav outside Port O’Con
nor.
Other
gram.
r partners are Dickie G. In-
Rooert E. Johnson Jr., Russell
“Rusty" Kellev. Galt Graydon. Rob
ert H. Sparks, Weslev B. Roberts
and James R. Short, the newspaper
fe ported.
The documents, in the secretary
of state's office, also list as partners
Richard Slack, a former longtime
House member, and Robert Sparks,
a former lobbyist
Separate records filed with the
secretary of state show that Brown is
a lobbyist for the Texas Compensa
tion Insurers Association The asso
ciation represents five insurance
companies and 10 insurance lobby
ists. such as Tom Bond.
Ingram is a lobbyist and partner
of Bond's at an Austin law firm. Rus
sell Kellev at one point represented
Farmers Insurance Group, although
he said Tuesday he did not lobby on
the disputed insurance bill.
Although lawmakers said they
were unaware of Kelly’s pannership
in the lodge, some have criticized his
role in Mocking the amendments to
the insurance bill during the 1989
regular legislative session.
Rep. Eddie Cavazos, a leading
critic of the insurance industry , said
Lewis told him at the time “that it
was a parliamentary decision."
“Bob KeOv is the parliamentarian,
so he had to be consulted,” Cavazos,
D-Corpus Christi. said. “It was quite
evident that was not a normal ruling.
How could those amendments be
non-germane? Thev were a part of
the original bill when it came over
from the Senate.
doubt
It was a pro qdfc,
ibt about thaiTt .
sirs decision, no
avazos said.
Kells said Lewis makes rulings on
parliamentary issues, and he only
advises him. Kelly said his business
ties with lobbyists |>lavcd no mle in
such advice.
Lewis said he always has trusted-
Kelly
People in San Antonio
want better King statue
Proposed death penalty for child murderers fails
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Art
ists have not been able to adequa
tely capture the image of civil
rights leader Martin Luther King
Jr. in bronze for a local plaza,
some residents say.
Complaints about a statue
placed at Martin Luther King
Plaza on the city's east side in
1981 compelled a redesign But a
wax model of the replacement
was met with a cool reception
when it was unveiled at a news
conference Tuesday.
“I wouldn't buy that." (ieorge
Clark Sr., a consultant on the pro
ject. said. "I understand they will
make more improvements before
they accept it."
Clark, a participant in the civil
rights movement who has known
the King family since the 1930s.
has provided photos of the I9b4
Nobel Peace Prize winner to the
artists.
Jessie Mae Hicks, who also
marched with King in the 1960s.
said the face shoulo tie smaller
“The mouth should be closed
and his top lip is too large." Hicks
said. “We can do better."
But the wax model did receive
some praise.
The Rev R.A. Gallics Sr.,
founder of the Youth leadership
Conference for Community Pro
gress, who has pressed for im
provement of the original, said
"I see a 100 percent im
provement."
“They are going to toy with it
(a new headpiece) and make
“I
I wouldn’t buy that. I
understand they will make
more Improvements before
they accept it."
— George Clark Sr.,
project consultant
some improvements." said ('.al
lies, referring to the group ol art
ists working on the $6,000 pro
ject.
The new version of the statue
is to be scheduled to be unveiled
in September.
fhe original statue was cast by
San Antonio artist Jose “Jacosta"
Torres, who is among the group
of artists working to produce the
new one.
AUSTIN (AP) — The House bv
one vote Wednesday blocked a bill to
allow the death penalty to be im
posed for people convicted of mur
dering a young cjiild or older per
son.
The Senate^sponsor of the mea
sure — J.E. “mister” Brown, R-Lake
Jackson — had hoped to re-start the
measure after it ran into a procedu
ral roadbloc k on the special session's
last day. But that hope faded in the
early evening.
"kighi now. I'm announcing it
dead, said Rep. Jim Tallas. R-Sugar
Land, House sponsor.
The House tentatively approved
the bill but failed to muster tnc nec
essary four-fifths vote to allow final
passage on the same legislative day.
The motion to suspend rules got a
99-25 vote.
“This is a terrible bill," said Rep
Harold Dutton in arguing against
the measure, which would make it a
capital offense to murder someone
age 6 or younger, or age 65 or older.
“Not having a perfect system
means that somebody’s going to be
executed who’s simply not guilty.”
he said.
Dutton. D-Houston, opposed the
bill even though he added an
amendment to it to include the el
derly. As passed by the Senate, the
bill heightened punishment only for
the murder of young t hildren.
Arguing for passage, Tallas held
up a newspaper story about the fu
neral of a 19-month-old bov in Aus
tin who was buried wearing “a Little
I>eague cap, a brand-new one.
“He obviously was too young to
plav Little League baseball." Tallas
said. He also was too young to die.
Fhe cap was put on his head to hide
the scar of where his murderer
bashed his skull in."
"Because of the conditions of the
prison svstem and the good conduct
laws, he mav get off in five years," he
said. Under current law. the crime is
punishable bv a prison term of Five
years to life and a fine of up to
$10,000
Rep Paul Moreno, D-EI Paso, ar
gued against the bill, which was
taken up after members voted to
suspend procedural rules (hat gen
erally prevent a measure from being
voted on for the first time bv the
House on the session s last dav. The
House voted 92-29 to suspend those
rules, an actioii whic h requires a two-
thirds vote.
“There's a lot of macho thinking
in these halls. An eve for an eve —
kill. kill, kill Itecause they killed
somebody else," Moreno said
“I am one of those people that op
pose capital punishment at all
phases." ne said
Seguin residents fight to save oak trees
city
SEGL’IN (AP) — I he City Council took no action af
ter being presented a petition signed bv 339 people who
don't want a grove of oak trees destroyed for a
drainage project, a resident said Wednesday .
The 49 live oak trees may be destroyed because the
route of a proposed flood control channel will cut
through the grove
"They made no statement at all. they didn't acknowl
edge us," Nell Downs, an heir to the 44-acre estate
where the grove is located, said “We’ve never tried to
stop the project, we pist asked them to move the loca
tion We only want to save some of those trees."
Downs said the Texas Forest Service estimated the
trees to be between 150 and 300 years old and worth
$165,000. She organized a campaign to move the pro
ject after learning June 7 the exact route it would take.
(amdemnatKin proceeding* bv the city to take over a
7.8 acre-tract containing the trees liegan July 6 on a 5-3
vote A court-appointeo panel met Wedn^cdav and set
the price the city must pay lor the land ai $94,770.
“We’re not happv with the judgment," Downs said.
“They really didn't consider the value of the trees And
now they're just going to march on with the prciject "
Downs' mother, 75-vear-old Retha Hoermann, owns
the land and said she doesn't plan to apjieal Wednes
day’s ruling, adding. “I guess you have to accept the
things you can t change ”
Downs agrees drainage improvements are needed to
prevent flooding in the I940s-era residential neighlior-
nood upstream from the trees, but discounted argu
ments by the council majority that a last-minute route
change would delay the project enough to endanger its
federal funding.
Council member Ruben "Rocky” Contreras said the
council couldn't change the route this month because
project builders have an Aug. I deadline to submit
plans for funding this year.
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