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The Battalion
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Senate revives finance
AUSTIN (AP) — The school fi
nance reform bill killed by Gov. Bill
Clements’ tax veto last session was
revived Thursday by a Senate com
mittee that criticized and discarded
the governor’s no-new-taxes educa
tion plan.
The Senate Education Committee
didn’t vote on the bill backed by
Clements. But senators were skepti
cal of how it would be funded and
angry that it wasn’t offered until af
ter two months of unsuccessful spe
cial sessions.
Committee Chairman Carl Parker
said he didn’t plan for the panel to
meet again this session.
“As far as I’m concerned, the
work of the Education Committee is
done,” said Parker, D-Port Arthur.
The bill sent to the full Senate is
similar to the $555 million one ap
proved in the last 30-day special ses
sion, which ended Tuesday. That
measure died when Clements vetoed
a half-cent sales tax increase to fund
it.
House Speaker Gib Lewis, D-Fort
Worth, said he expects the Demo
crat-controlled Legislature to send
the Republican governor a bill close
to the one passed last session.
“I don’t see any other avenue, ex
cept the one that we’ve already
taken,” Lewis said.
The Senate bill would require a
separate measure to appropriate the
$555 million. It could be passed to
the governor, but would not take ef
fect unless the appropriations bill
was passed, Parker said.
“This will let us go ahead and
send a bill to the governor that has
accountability, innovation ... while
we still negotiate and work on an ap
propriations bill, and a bill to fund
it,” Parker said.
If lawmakers and Clements don’t
write a reform plan by June 1, a state
judge plans to appoint a court mas
ter who will.
Clements’ plan would cost $250
million next school year. His chief of
staff, Mike Toomey, said the plan
would meet the Texas Supreme
Court’s order to make the school fi
nance system fairer to poor school
districts.
help pay for his plan, and tkf
id
But Sen. Carlos Truan, D-Corpus
Christi, said Clements’ plan doesn’t
go far enough to help poor schools.
“It would seem to me that we are
not doing the job with this bill ...
We’re missing a golden opportu
nity,” Truan told Toomey, who
spoke to the Education Committee.
Senators questioned the validity of
budget cuts Clements would use to
tacked his proposed increase] ;
state fee for driving records as
in disguise.
“The state is not a for-profii
ness. It’s either a fee to rekl,
costs, or it’s a tax, and that’sa
Parker said.
Sen. John Leedom, RD
sponsor of the governor's bil
the difference is, “If you doni
(the service,) you don’t pay it."
But Sen. Eddie Bernice
D-Dallas, said, “You cancallii Sj
thing you want. If it costs
more, the end result is thesamt
Aide: Taxes needei
AUSTIN (AP) — If Demo
cratic lawmakers insist on enact
ing their plan for school finance
reform, a state income tax is next,
Gov. Bill Clements’ top aide said
Thursday.
Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby said an in
come tax is on its way, anyhow.
“An income tax is coming in
the next few years regardless of
the education bill,” said Hobby, a
Democrat who is retiring after
nearly two decades in office.
Mike Toomey, chief of staff for
the Republican governor, insisted
that Clements’ $250 million
school proposal — which would
be funded by cuts in other state
programs — is affordable and
would meet the Texas Supreme
Court requirements on equalizing
school aid to poor schools.
But the Democrat-controlled
Legislature’s $555 million plan —
which needs a half-cent sales tax
increase — eventually would be
so expensive as to require tfl
state to levy an income tax, Toil
mey charged.
Texas is one of only a 1
of states with neither a corponi
nor personal income tax.
“Someone needs to addressii fporun
fact that that bill would cause;
income tax in this state becaie
you’ve got a $6 billion shortfall;
funding” down the road, loom
said of the plan approved inti
last special legislative sessional
being proposed again.
Hobby, who has called fori
income tax in the past, said In
ans are going to face one sooct
or later.
“1 assume that will be couplt
with a reduction in education
property taxes, with a repeal
the corporate franchise tax.
think that’s inevitable, and I the
that will be a great day for li AS!
state,” Hobby said.
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UT athletes hold rally
to promote racial unity
AUSTIN (AP) — Nearly 100 Uni
versity of Texas athletes held a
march and rally that drew hundreds
of supporters, calling for all students
to unite against racism on campus
and for the UT administration to
lead the effort.
“Our society in Texas is becoming
a multicultural one. For the univer
sity to become first-class it must rep
resent that,” swimmer Shaun Jordan
told nearly 800 vocal supporters
Wednesday on the West Mall of the
campus.
“We’re tired of just talk. We’re de
manding action,” Jordan said.
The Student Athletes Coalition
was formed after recent racial inci
dents on campus that led to a one-
year suspension Tuesday of the
Delta Tau Delta and Phi Gamma
Delta fraternities.
During Round-Up, an annual fes
tival for UT alumni in early April,
some Phi Gamma Delta members
handed out T-shirts that featured a
“Sambo” caricature. Delta Tau Delta
smashed a car painted with aryti-
black messages.
The anti-racism march, from out
side Memorial Stadium to West
Campus, was joined by James Vick,
UT vice president for student af
fairs.
“I’m a faculty member and con
cerned about students and issues,”
Vick said. “1 have sympathy with
things that bother them.”
Shola Lynch, a member of the
women’s track team, said, “We’ve
awakened from our deep sleep to
find we have a voice. We want to join
with other groups to have the faculty
and board of regents hear us.”
T ourmAYt 4Vhiir»<rl
jL#awnieii i outlet
guilty of murder
Three white
former lawmen were found guilty
murder in the 19$7
death of a African American jail
inmate at the Sabine County Jail.
The afbwhite jury defiberated
fur about four hours Thursday,
before finding former Hemphdl
Police Chief Thomas Ladner and
former Sabine County sherifTs
deputies Billy Ray Horton and
James M. ftydeo .guilty in the
death of Loyal Garner, Jr.
The men face possible sen-
tences of up to 09 years in prison.
S^year-old truck driver
vfrum Florfem La : , who had no
criminal record, died two days af
ter being arrested on Christmas
.cm drunken driving
charges.jiff• underwent surgery
fo^iead .tojnfies, but never re-
/gained consciousness. • -
charges of racism against taw en
forcement officials m Hemphill,
^^||^p|ii^ : £feunty; seat located
ne^i^-^Ilkas-Lotnsratta border,
fffiAn/.'/estimated 200 people
pacfled the courtroom for the
verdict.
of emotion, no
outbursts, no crying* no nothing/’
State District Judge Joe Tunnell
• $aid before reading the jury’s ver
dict shortly before 2p.m.
§H^arnd^;widow, Corrinne Gar-
Atttedy as the verdict
announced.;?/ •
ifl His mother, Sarah Garner said,
•Tor glad. I hope it’s over,”
|f : ; jnmmie Maxie, one of the two
brothers-- arrested with Garner,
said he was surprised by the out-
crane. He said he had not ex
pected the men to be convicted.
A Sabine County jury in July
1088 acquitted the three men of
charges that they violated Gar-
ner’s civil rights by beating him
and denying him medical atten
tion.
The punishment phase of the
trial was scheduled to begin Fri
day morning. The jurors, who
have been sequestered during
much of the trial, were inidally
expected to begin deliberating
the sentences Thursday af
ternoon.
Defense attorneys on Wednes
day made a surprising move by
not asking that the jury be al
lowed to consider lesser charges
such as involuntary manslaughter
or negligent homicide,
A prosecutor told the jurors
Wednesday that the officers
“crossed over that line of iaw en
forcement officers to commorf*
criminals,” when they beat Gar
ner.
Defense attorneys said the men
struck Garner in self-defense.
During his closing arguments
Wednesday, Smith County Dis
trict Attorney jack Skeen told die
jury that the ex-lawmen displayed
a total indifference to human life.
He also said the badges they wore
did not give them “a license to
murder,”
■ ohn Seale, Ladner’s lawyer,
iPfl ed the prosecution’s case weak
because it was based on the dis
honest testimony of “three jail
bird witnesses.”
../.In:/:his rebuttal, Skeen said
prosecutors relied on testimony
from inmates because the prison
ers were the only witnesses who
didn’t work for the county.
“Thomas Ladner and Bill Hor
ton, surely in retrospect used bad
judgement and slapped Loyal
Garner upside the head,” Hor
ton’s lawyer, Jeff Haas, said
Wednesday. But he said there
was no evidence proving that
Horton struck him.
Parent wanw
LE S
of dangers oil
‘happy hour|
AUSTIN (AP) — Statealcohi
ficials were told Thursday thaiF
should be banned from offenr*
dies nights, 2-for-l discountsar;*
you-can-drink deals to proteci®
citizens and taverns. ■
Susan Qq\, founder and exe JL
director or For the Loveoft g
told the Texas Alcoholic Bevtm
Commission that cheap drinbfi
so-called happy hours are “bad S
ness.” I
“They cause death, they cauiS,
w si r»H Ir^ct 11*» In thp ; J
Cl
and they contribute to the high
ure rate of bars and restauaj
she testified during a hearin;!
proposed rules that would!
happy hour promotions. i
But officials of the bar, rests
and hotel industries oppostc;
rules, saying they would uncora
tionally restrict free speech I
trade by regulating beverage aq
rising and pricing.
Austin attorney Thomas Rutlfj
said the measures — intends
prevent over-consumption da
“happy hours” —would unfair!; L|_ E «
gle out happy hour as “an inhen
evil or heinous activity.”
Others said they believe the
go too far in limiting legitimate
ness practices.
“It is our opinion that the
posed i ides constitute an overrt
ing of authority and an over
tion to the perception held by
that all happy hour practices
mote excessive consumption,"
Richie Jackson, executive vice|
dent of the Texas Restaurant
elation.
“In simple vernacular, webd
you have thrown out the bab
the bath water,” he told the coifl
Rutledge also said reg
barring mixed-drink establishr
from advertising brand name
prices outside their buildings
keep important information
consumers.
Cox said she founded the con:
ing group after her daughterO
was killed by a 20-year-old hit
run driver on Austin’s Sixth St
the city’s nightclub district, in
The driver had been “bar-hopp
buying inexpensive beer and 25
shots at several clubs, she said.
The regulations would:
— End all happy hours by llj
— Eliminate “nickel” beer it
and similar practices.
— Halt bar contests where ale
is offered as prizes, or where
ners are determined by whodtf
the most.
• I
— Restrict the number of co'
mentary drinks served to 5 pe ;
of an establishment’s month!'1
and prohibit sale of drinks a 1 ?
than cost.
— Prevent unlicensed bars
using caterer’s permits to get an'
licensing laws. A caterer's
could be used by a bar only for
10 days, while its license appli;
is pending.
TABC general counsel Joe
nail said the agency, could vo#|
the recommendations as s
May 21.