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State and local
Tuesday, March 5, 1991
The Battalion
Senate declines
appointing Rains
to state agency
Lawmakers say department
requires different management
AUSTIN (AP) — The nomination
of former secretary of state Jack
Rains to serve on the Texas Depart
ment of Commerce board was re
jected Monday by the Senate.
Rains, a Republican and political
ally of former Gov. Bill Clements,
had served on the board only since
August, pending the confirmation
vote. But some Democratic lawmak
ers said the host of problems surfac
ing at the agency convinced them
new management is needed.
Rains was rejected on a 16-14
vote.
In a phone interview from Hous
ton, Rains said he appreciated the
backing of “the courageous Demo
cratic senators who did so despite
tremendous partisan pressure.”
Sen. Chet Brooks, D-Pasadena,
said he didn’t blame Rains for the
agency’s problems. But he said Gov.
Ann Richards deserved the chance
to put her own people in charge.
“That department is troubled,
badly troubled, and needs new lead
ership,” Brooks said.
“Sadly, in the last few days, we
have seen a whole series of problems
disclosed in that department ... She
(Richards) needs all the appoint
ments she can possibly get,” he said.
In recent days, the department’s
executive director has resigned, and
lawmakers have complained about a
private tourism promoter receiving
office space and computer services
at Commerce Department head
quarters.
Richards blasted the department
forspending $115,000 to take more
than a dozen officials to Frankfurt,
Germany, to open a state trade of
fice there.
And on Friday, the state comp
troller began auditing the agency,
while federal investigators were
looking into its handling of job train
ing money.
Sen. Temple Dickson, D-Sweetwa-
ter, led opposition to Rains. He said
the department failed to help many
Texas businesses, and he charged
that money was shifted from various
economic development programs to
cover administrative costs.
“This agency above any other in
the state has the ability to rescue the
jobless, to help people who are in
economic distress, to take care of the
businesses ... And It’s not doing
that,” Dickson said. “I don’t think we
have a good hand on the reins with
Mr. Rains there.”
But Sen. J.E. “Buster” Brown, R-
Lake Jackson, said Rains had a solid
track i ecord in business and govern
ment and would do a good job pro
moting the Texas economy.
“Jack Rains is a talented business
man, a political and civic leader, who
has wide national and international
contacts and is a man who under
stands how to run a business and an
agency,” Brown said. “His experi
ence and qualifications are equal to
or superior to any of those chosen to
serve.”
Brown blamed criticism of Rains
on partisan politics that followed his
“activist” tenure as Clements’ secre
tary of state.
“During that time, he ... was an
aggressive, active secretary of state.
He also was active in the workers’
compensation battle here before the
Legislature,” Brown said.
“Of course, when you are actively
involved in shaping policy, you do
sometimes cause people to be op
posed to your continuing in public
service,” he said.
“If you’ve been sitting on the
board while the decisions nave been
made and money has been spent,
then you must expect that probably
you are not going to get the approval
of the Senate,” she said. .
School funding plans differ
Court orders Senate,
House to revise bills
AUSTIN (AP) — Lawmakers
were appointed Monday to work on
differences between House and Sen
ate school finance reform bills, but a
key senator said the House plan
would violate the Texas Constitu
tion.
“It may not be unconstitutional to
day, but it has the potential for a
growing gap between the wealthiest
and poorest” school districts, said
Sen. Carl Parker, Senate Education
Committee chairman.
The Texas Supreme Court has or
dered lawmakers to equitably fund
poor school districts.
The current $14-billion-a-year
school finance system relies on state
aid, local property taxes and some
federal money. Disparities in local
property tax wealth can cause wide
differences in funding.
Both the House and Senate bills
would impose a minimum local
property tax rate, and shift some of
the tax revenue from wealthier to
poorer school districts within newly
created taxing regions.
The minimum local property tax
rate would be 80 cents per $100 val
uation in four years under the
House bill, and $1 in four years un
der the Senate bill. The House bill
would create 195 taxing regions, and
the Senate measure, 20.
Both bills would allow school dis
tricts to levy up to another 30 cents
to enrich programs, and up to an
other 20 cents for construction. Ev
ery school district would be guar
anteed the same amount of money at
those tax rates.
On top of that, the House bill
would allow school districts to levy
additional local property taxes and
keep half the revenue. The other
half would be divided among school
districts in a particular taxing re
gion. The additional taxes could not
bring the total levy over $ 1.50.
This provision was added to the
House bill after the Texas Supreme
Court last week issued a new opinion
saying absolute funding equity may
not be needed for a constitutional
school finance system.
But Parker, D-Port Arthur, said
some sort of limit should be set to
forestall wide spending gaps be
tween poor and rich school districts.
Named to the conference commit
tee on school finance reform were,
from the Senate, Parker; Bill Haley,
D-Center; Gonzalo Barrientos, D-
Austin; Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleas
ant; and Gene Green, D-Houston.
Emergency bill frees funds to fight bees
AUSTIN (AP) — Gov. Ann Richards granted
emergency status to a bill that would appropriate
$262,000 through August to the Texas Agricul
tural Extension Service in Weslaco to battle killer
bees.
The first known swarm of the ill-tempered,
Africanized bees to invade the United States was
trapped and destroyed in October near the
southern border city of Hidalgo.
None have been trapped in the United States
since then, but scientists and beekeepers are pre
paring for new swarms of the bees to invade
South Texas from Mexico this month. They say
an infestation is inevitable.
State Rep. Renato Cuellar, D-Weslaco, said
Richards’ emergency declaration should speed
his bill through the Legislature.
“The bees could pose complications for the ag
ricultural industry in the Rio Grande Valley if we
do not deal with them properly,” Cuellar said.
The $262,000 would go toward inspections of
bee hives that are suspected of invasion by the
Africanized bees, Cuellar said.
If an infestation is detected, a two-mile radius
would be quarantined and no hives within that
area could be moved, he said.
Cuellar said the bill would also help clear up
misinformation about the bees.
Officials in the United States and Mexico over
the past three years have placed hundreds of
traps baited with a sex lure to track the bees and
slow their advance. The highly defensive bees
have expanded their range northward sinceThey
escaped from a breeding experiment in Brazil in
1957.
They earned the “killer” nickname because
they attack intruders in swarms and chase them
for long distances. European bees commonly
used in America lost their fighting spirit through
centuries of breeding for agriculture.
The pioneer swarm trapped in Texas Oct. 15
triggered a quarantine of the state’s eight south
ernmost counties.
Fowden Maxwell, head of the entomology de
partment at Texas A&M University, and other
officials have expressed concern that other states
may place a quarantine on all Texas bees if they
decide the state has not done enough to manage
the Africanized bees.
ASPIRE TO SEE GERMANY
SUMMER 1991
LIVE THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF
CENTRAL EUROPE AND EARN TAMU
CREDIT
(Pending Course Approval)
with
Hist 402 : Germany Since
1815
Prof. Arnold Krammer 549 Harrington 845-7108
Muse 201: Music
Appreciation
Prof. Peter Lieuwen 402-A Academic 845-5660
STUDY ABROAD OFFICE
161 BIZZELL HALL WEST 845-0544
HOT SEAT
To order your video
yearbook call AggieVision
845-0048 or stop by 230 Reed Me Donald.
\AGCI
M
NEMA/
Presents
Tuesday,
March 5,
7:30 PM
Rudder
Auditorium ^
ll " COOK,™ 1 THIEF,
1 " N WIFE & 111 "LOVER
This film contains material for mature audiences only.
Tickets available at the MSC Box Office for $2.50.
For more information, please call the Aggie Cinema
Information Hotline: 847-8478.
MSC POLITICAL FORUM
INSIGHTS PRESENTS: A
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION . . .
GOVERNMENT
JOBS:
THE INSIDE TRACK
CIA, Justice Department, State Department,
and Defense Department
KENNETH BERGOUIST
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
MARck 6, 1991
1 2 PM
146 MSC
BuiNq yoim luNch wnrh you
The views presented in this program do not necessarily represent the views of Political Forum or of
the MSC.
\ 7
O
MSC
Political
Forum
>v
MSC
Political
Forum
AGENTS OF TERROR
A look at international terrorist
groups and United States policy toward them
Guest Speaker: Kenneth P. Bergquist
Associate Coordinator for Counter Terrorism
U.S. State Department
March 6, 1991
7:00 p.m., room 701 Rudder Tower
Reception in Faculty Club following program
TAMU Study Abroad in Italy
Discover Italy by living and studying in Tuscany
SPRING SEMESTER 1992
Viva Italia!
History and Art
Food and Wine
People and Culture
Landscape
A UNIQUE study abroad experience
This program Invites students of all majors to live and learn
In Italy for the Spring Semester 1992 while earning a full
semester of TAMU credit.
*Now offering courses In BUSINESS and LIBERAL ARTS.
Admission is Free
This program is for educational purposes. The views presented here do not necessarily
represent those of the Memorial Student Center or of MSC Political Forum.
INFORMATIONAL MEETING
Wednesday, MARCH 6
3:30 - 5:00 pm
room 228 MSC
V
Study Abroad Office, 161 W. Bizzell Hall, 845-0544