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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1991)
ilar lec- ing gen )n't sn't ind ask be rge me, ken Tie- hat t to t is md ing :ca- i in an > is xas iss- md xas yet d a lex me iA. the ies sm [Wednesday, May 1,1991 State & Local The 3 Horse race tracks look for break Tax cut bill gallops from House to Senate AUSTIN (AP) — A proposal to cut the state tax on horse racing by up to 80 percent was sent to the Senate Tuesday, and its House sponsor said he is opti mistic. "Hopefully, they will move it out expeditiously," said Rep. Hugo Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi, after the House gave the bill final approval on a 104-37 vote. Berlanga and other racing sup porters argue that the tax cut is needed to spark construction of the three big, Churchill Downs- style Class 1 tracks envisioned for Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Horsemen say the current 5 percent tax on each dollar wa gered is so high, it makes build ing and operating a $100 million Class 1 track unprofitable. Berlanga's bill, which counted House Speaker Gib Lewis among its co-sponsors, would lower the tax to a sliding scale that begins at 1 percent on the first $100 million wagered at a track annually. The levy grad ually would rise to 5 percent on wagers over $400 million a year. The measure also would per mit "simulcasting" — allowing bettors to go to a track and place wagers there on televised races being run at other locations. Gov. Ann Richards supports lowering the tax, her press secre tary Bill Cryer said. "She's in favor of it generally," Cryer said. "Her basic goal in the horse racing bill is to get those Class 1 tracks off the ground." Berlanga said the Senate in the past had been more supportive than the House of lowering the tax rate. The large House majority that voted for the tax cut should send a message to senators, he said. "The House has sent a very strong, clear signal of support," he said. Berlanga said other states tax racing at a much lower rate than 5 percent, adding that "5 percent of nothing is nothing." But opponents contend that lowering the tax would break a promise to voters, since the rac ing industry said before the 1987 referendum that it could make a profit with the 5 percent tax. "This is what we call in flying parlance a sucker hole," said Rep. A1 Price, D-Beaumont, a re tired airline pilot. "When you think you see a hole in the clouds and you turn there to get out of the weather and all of a sudden it closes on you. "That's what we put the peo ple of Texas through," he said. "We played them for suckers " Awards honor faculty and former students The Annual Faculty Meeting and Association of Former Stu dents Distinguished Achievment Awards Ceremony will be from 1:30 to 5 p.m. today in Rudder theater. University President William Mobley and Provost E. Dean Gage will speak during the ceremony, and 22 awards will be presented in the areas of teaching, research, student relations, continuing education, staff and administration. RICHARD S. JAMES/The Battalion GOAL! Kim Winkler, a sophomore biomedical science major from Taylor, prac tices kicking a soccer ball. Winkler was practicing diligently Tuesday morning in the Southwood Valley Athletic Park for an exam on kicking in her beginning soccer kinesiology class. Coastal residents encourage resort bill AUSTIN (AP) — Coastal resi dents told a Flouse committee Tuesday they need the jobs a proposed $2.5 billion resort on South Padre Island could bring, but environmentalists warned against a bill to boost the devel opment. "If this 72nd Legislature should pass this legislation and let this great national and state treasure give way to greed, this Legislature will live in history as the Legislature that destroyed this state and national treasure," said former U.S. Sen. Ralph Yar borough, D-Texas. Yarborough introduced the 1957 legislation proposing cre ation of the Padre Island Na tional Seashore. The bill before the House En vironmental Affairs Committee would create coastal conserva tion districts. The districts could sell tax-exempt bonds and levy taxes for public improvements. The measure has been called the "American General bill," be cause American General Insur ance of Houston envisions a 3,000-acre project on South Padre Island. It would include a resort complex including such recreational facilities as condo miniums, boat harbors and golf courses. The proposed resort area, now undeveloped, is on the northern part of island, across the Laguna Madre from Port Mansfield. The House committee took no immediate action on the bill, which passed the Senate last week. Committee Chairman Robert Saunders, D-LaGrange, said the measure must include strong safeguards to protect the coastal area. "That's a pristine area," Rep. Saunders said." There's no other place like it, and I think that we need to make sure that we don't change that." Rep. Hugo Berlanga, a Corpus Christi Democrat and House sponsor of the bill, said Ameri can General could proceed with the project even without the leg islation. He said the measure would allow state control of pri vate developments along the coast through a special commis sion. If you’ve missed your period, you want answers fast. And, now, you only have to wait one minute. With the new improved First Response® Pregnancy Test, you can find out if you're pregnant after waiting just sixty-seconds. So advanced, it’s the fastest method you can buy! Which means First Response® Pregnancy Test helps put your mind at ease faster Because it's proven to be 99%* accurate in laboratory testing, even on the f rst day of your missed period. And it's easy to use, any time of day. If you have any questions call us toll-free at 1-800-367-6022. Why wait? 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