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State
Page 4 The Battalion Wednesday, April 28,1993
Bird protection plan begins in Texas
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HIGH ISLAND — A consortium of oil com
panies, public agencies and conservation
groups is spending up to $2 million over the
next two years in what was announced Tues
day as an unprecedented effort to help protect
neotropical songbirds along the upper Texas
and Louisiana Gulf Coast.
The project, dubbed the High Island and
Gulf Coast Conservation Initiatives, involves
the Audubon Society, The Nature Conservan
cy, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Na
tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Amoco Production Co.
and Phillips Petroleum Co.
“This initiative is a beautiful model for
partnership, education and research," Madge
Lindsay of the Texas Parks and Wildlife De
partment said.
The focus of the project is an area of the
coast known as the Chenier Plain, where mil
lions of songbirds rest and feed after making
their annual nonstop spring journey from win
tering grounds in Mexico, the Caribbean and
Central and South America.
The Chenier Plain extends from High Is
land, about 30 miles east of Galveston, into
Louisiana. The plain's wooded patches of land
offer haven for birds which in some cases have
flown hundreds of miles without rest.
“Birds utilize a number of these habitats to
refuel," Steve Cast, director at large for the
Houston Audubon Society, said. “They pro
vide food and shelter."
Studies by the Audubon Society show that
over the past 10 years, some species of birds
have declined by as much as 70 percent be
cause of loss of habitat.
In Texas, both urban and agricultural devel
opment is erasing coastal woodlots where the
birds recover. In Central and South America,
the birds' rainforest habitat is being destroyed
for commercial use.
“If you take away a species, you've left a
gap in the ecosystem," Kathy Milne of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service said. "Everything is
connected. It effect the whole environment. A
lot of these birds eat insects considered pests
by the agriculture industry. Without them,
they'd have to spend a lot more on pesticides."
The project announced Tuesday will ex
pand the protected habitat at High Island,
where the Audubon Society has operated two
small sanctuaries covering 15 acres, by restor
ing some 155 acres of land recently donated by
Amoco Production. The land is valued at more
than $700,000.
"We're looking for the Texas Gulf Coast as
one of the most significant projects in a long
time," Jim Sulentich of The Nature Conservan
cy of Texas said.
"Everybody in this partnership says whafs
best for the birds is what's important," Cast
added.
As many as 100 species a day are seenattbe
High Island viewing area, attracting thousands
of birdwatchers from throughout the nation
and overseas. Peak migration times for the
birds are in March, April and May as they
head north from Central and South America
The reverse migration occurs in August, Sep
tember and October.
Typical species are warblers, tanagersand
orioles.
Phillips, of Bartlesville, Okla., is committing
$120,000 and what was termed "professional
expertise" and will finance courses on
neotropical migrants for Houston elementary
school students.
Texas approves health insurance
reform to benefit small businesses
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The Texas House Tuesday over
whelmingly approved a health insurance reform
measure that supporters say will make insurance
more affordable and accessible to small businesses.
The bill by Rep. Mike Martin, D-Galveston, was
tentatively approved 126-13.
It faces a final House vote be
fore being sent to the Senate
for consideration.
"This is an opportunity to
move forward and for once
be a leader in this country in
stead of being last in an area
of significant social reform
and social policy," Martin
said. He added that only two
other states have approved reform packages similar
to the Texas plan.
The bill targets businesses with three to 50 em
ployees. There are about 320,000 such businesses in
Texas, employing about 1.2 million people, accord
ing to the governor's office.
Under the measure, insurers could not cancel or
refuse to renew a policy once the employer is in
sured,^providing exceptions in cases of fraud.
The bill also requires insurers to provide health
insurance to small businesses regardless of the health
status of employees beginning Sept. 1, 1995.
“What is so fundamentally good about this bill is
if you get sick, you can't get cancelled," Martin said.
“If you get cancer, they can't cancel you. If you get
AIDS, they can't cancel you."
The bill requires that health insurers offer three
benefits packages to small businesses. The packages
consist of a preventative and routine medical care
plan; one covering hospitalizations and follow-up
care; and a standard plan combining both.
The measure also provides
for rate restrictions, such as a
15 percent limit on increases
due to health status, prior
claims history or future ex
pected claims.
Another provision would
create a statewide non-profit
- Rep. Mike Martin cooperative through which
small employers could band
"What is so fundamentally
good about this bill is if you
get sick, you can't get
cancelled."
together to purchase insurance. Martin said co-op
and other provisions in the bill would provide for
more affordable rates.
Martin said that passage of the bill would pave
the way for Texas to quickly implement a federal
health plan.
“We're going to be in a position to receive the fed
eral plan without having to go into a legislative spe
cial session. This act actually authorizes the imple
mentation of a federal plan," he said.
A blueprint of the federal health reform plan is ex
pected to be ready for submission to Congress late
next month.
Property insurance rate to freeze
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Texas insurance reg
ulators Tuesday voted to freeze the
benchmark property insurance rate
at the current level.
The State Board of Insurance,
however, also approved a 5 percent
increase in the variance insurers
may charge for property insurance.
The benchmark rate is a level for
use by insurance companies in de
termining their rates within a range
set by the Insurance Board.
That range currently allows in
surers to charge anywhere from 25
percent above the benchmark to 30
percent below.
Under the change, insurers can
charge up to 30 percent above the
benchmark to 30 percent below. The
change takes effect June 1.
Insurance companies, which had
sought an 8.5 percent increase in the
benchmark rate, were disappointed
in the Insurance Board's decision,
and said it may make it difficult for
homeowners to find insurance.
"At a time when regulators
should be most concerned about an
open insurance market for con
sumers, they voted to exacerbate
this problem," said insurance in
dustry spokesman Jerry Johns.
"Texas is subject to the real dan
ger of major weather-related disas
ters and insurers must have a rate
sufficient to cover those losses for
consumers," he said.
"It is not a victory for consumers
when rates are artificially sup
pressed and the possibility of an
availability problem forces Texans
to search the marketplace for cover
age," Johns said.
Proposal
calls for
more open
meetings
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN— A proposal that
would make staff briefings of
governmental bodies open to
the public appeared near pas
sage in the Texas Senate be
fore being withdrawn after
protests from Sen. John Mont-
ford.
"This is do-gooder legisla
tion," Montford, D-Lubbock,
said Tuesday in opposing a
hill by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-
San Antonio.
Montford said the measure
would bog down government
and could he abused by pros
ecutors who want to charge
public officials with violating
the Open Meetings Act.
Wentworth said the pro
posal does not give new pow
ers to prosecutors. "It opens
up government to the people
who pay for it," he said.
Wentworth won a proce
dural vote, 25-4, but left the
bill pending for a week to al
low Montford time to analyze
it further.
Under the Open Meetings
Act, governmental bodies can
meet behind closed doors to
discuss litigation, real estate
acquisition and personnel
matters.
There is some question as
to whether governmental
bodies can meet secretly to be
briefed by staff members.
Wentworth's bill would re
quire such staff briefings to be
held in public.
* 'ft'
S ITALY ^
SPRING SEMESTER '94
STUDY WITH TAMU AT SANTA CHIARA
o
o
t>
[>
Any major
Be in good standing
Taught in English
Full semester credit hours
3
APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE STARTING AT:
INFORMATIONAL MEETING
WED, APR 28 AT 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
251 Bizzell Hall West
SPECIAL GUEST - CHERI ZDZAIRSKI
STUDY ABROAD FINANCIAL AID SPECIALIST
FINANCIAL AID 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS 161 BIZZELL HALL WEST 845-0544
Recognized Student Organizations
&
University Departments
1993-1994
ALL-UNIVERSITY
CALENDAR
DATES ARE DUE
FRIDAY, MAY 7TH
IN THE
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
OFFICE
. ; ■ - ■ . . ’t.
ror your planning convenience,
the major 1993-1994 University events
will be published in the Battalion on May 4. ;
Event cards and Calendar Guidelines
are available in the
Student Activities Office
163 Student Services Building, 845-1133
The Department of Student Activities encourages all
student organizations to not schedule events
or meetings during reading day and finals.
P