Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 1990)
Page 6 The Battalion Tuesday, March 20, Senate passes education bill AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Senate approved a $1.2 billion school finance reform bill Monday that Gov. Bill Clements has promised to veto. The Senate passed the bill on a voice vote after the measure was approved 23-9 when senators met as a committee. Bill sponsors were able to beat back major changes included in the more than 40 amendments that had been proposed. The House on Wednesday will take up its school fi nance bill, which has a $450 million price tag for the 1990-91 school year, Speaker Gib Lewis said. “A billion dollars is quite a bit more than any num bers that I’ve seen,” Lewis said, but he added, “That’s always the old chess game that’s been played for many, many years. When you start talking about money, the Senate will always come in with a lot higher figure, knowing that the House will always come in with a lot lower figure.” A House-Senate conference committee can be ap pointed to try to work out differences between bills passed by each chamber. “We ought to get over to the House with the strong est bill possible,” Sen. Carlos Truan, D-Corpus Christi, said. He amended the Senate bill in subcommittee, bringing its cost up to $1.2 billion by adding $400 mil lion for students who need such special services as re medial, bilingual and special education, and gifted-and- talented programs. The Senate bill is sponsored by Sens. Kent Caperton, D-Bryan, and Carl Parker, D-Port Arthur. Gov. Clements has promised to veto the $1.2 billion measure if it reaches his desk. He wants to spend no more than $300 million in new state money on schools in 1990-91, saying that amount could be covered with out new state taxes and that he would not allow a tax in crease to become law. The Texas Legislature is meeting in special session to address a state Supreme Court ruling that the school fi nance system is unconstitutional because of disparities between property-rich and poor school districts. The $13.5 billion-a-year public school system relies on a combination of state aid, local property taxes and some federal funds. Lack of proof cited as reason for court ruling against couple $550,000 jury award against Mer- rell-Dow. The full 5th Circuit court, by an 8-6 vote, refused to review the ruling. The appeals court said there is no definitive scientific proof that Bendectin causes birth defects, and said the jury award was based on speculation. WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to reinstate a $550,000 award to a couple whose daugh ter was born with deformities af ter her mother took the anti-nau sea drug Bendectin. Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Brock of Moscow, Texas, sued Merrell- Dow Pharmaceuticals, the drug’s manufacturer, after their daugn- ter, Rachel, was born with de formed limbs in 1982. The justices, without comment, let stand a three-member 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling made last year that overturned a “Speculation unconfirmed by ... proof cannot form the basis for causation in a court of law,” the appeals court said. The dissenters noted that six experts testified for the Brocks that Bendectin is capable of a ing birth defects, and thatthi testified they believed the dn caused Rachel’s deformities The dissenting judges said : pellate courts should not suk tute their understanding of c facts for that of a jury merelyi cause medical experts disagret The Brocks have an unlisit telephone number in Mostoi about 30 miles south of Lull; and could not be reached 6 comment Monday by the Ass ciated Press. State loans millions of dollars to help ease $20 M Medicaid payment backlog AUSTIN (AP) — The state is handing out millions of dollars in emergency pay ments to help ease the effects of a $20 mil lion Medicaid payment backlog to some Texas homes for elderly and mentally re tarded people, according to a published re port Monday. The backlog in Medicaid payments is nearly a third of what the Texas Depart ment of Human Services pays out each month, and DHS officials blame the delay on billing changes and agency computer problems, the Austin American-Statesman reported. “It’s killing the nursing homes because they don’t have any cash flow,” said Sara Speights, spokeswoman for the Texas Health Care Association. “The (payment) system hasjust fallen apart.” As a result, medical professionals are withholding services to homes for mentally retarded people unless they are paid in cash, some nursing homes are delinquent on their property taxes and others have de layed payrolls and borrowed money, the newspaper reported. “We have a psychologist who is withhold ing reports because we can’t pay her,” said Carol Anderson of Fort Worth, who helps run 41 homes for retarded people and We have a psychologist who is withholding reports because we can’t pay her.” Carol Anderson Special Services Management eight nursing homes. “We had a dentist who made us go on c.o.d. We had to hold up a check at the door and show him we were going to pay.” “The state owes us a third of a million dollars right now,” said Anderson, vice president for operations of Special Services Management. The 90-bed Cushing Care Center in East Texas has not been able to pay its 1989 Na cogdoches County property taxes of $11,356, including $7,369 to the Cushing Independent School district. The home is delinquent “for the first time ever in our lives, and we’ve been in business since 1961,” said owner Doris Moore, who is owed $15,000 in Medicaid. The DHS lags months behind in paying nursing homes and homes for retarded people because of agency computer prof lems and recent billing changes thatcompi cate the Medicaid payment process, official said. “We recognize it’s a problem,” said DHi Commissioner Ron Lindsey. "Our coni puter system is fairly well broken out here Lindsey said DHS has worked out atom promise in which the agency pays 90 per cent of what it verifies is owed to the home which must repay the money when thereg ular payments come through. The depart ment expects to have the stop-gap payraem program completed by the end of April, Open 24 Hours kinko's the copy center 509 University Dr. W. 846-8721 SPRING BREAK FILM DEVELOPING AS LOW AS 12 exp $1.99 15 disc $2.69 24 exp $3.99 36 exp $5.59 GOOD ON A SINGLE SET OF STANDARD SIZE PRINTS FROM YOUR 3SMM, DISC, 110 OR 126 COLOR PRINT FILM (C-41 PROCESS ONLY) NO ROLL UMIT, OFFER GOOD MARCH 19 THROUGH 23,1990 PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES in reed McDonald* & THE TEXAS A&M BOOKSTORE IN THE MSG * Enter through th^EYinling Center main lobby on Ireland St. sax SELL SELL mm mm sell: SELL SELL SELL sax SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL 'SELL"SELL SELL SELL SELL .'SELL. SELL."; SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL sell:: SELL SELL If happens when you Advertise In §f|f The Battalion Call 845-0569 ©1990 AT&T Announcing an offer designed to save money for people who are, well, a bit long-winded when it comes to, you know( talking on the phone, and who, Quite understandably don’t want to have to wait till after 11 pm togetadealon long distance prices. If you spend a lot of time on the phone, the AT&T Reach Out America Plan could save you a lot on your long distance bill. And you don’t have to stay up late to do it. Starting at 5 pm, the AT&T Reach Out America Plan takes an additional 25% off our already reduced evening prices. To find out more, call us at 1800 REACH OUT, ext. 4093- And don’t worry well keep it brief. TsATfiT Discount applies to out-of-state calls direct-dialed 5-10 pm, Sunday-iriday. This service may not be available in all residence halls. The right choice.