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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1997)
FAX us your Classified Ad 845-2678 Include Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express Number and Expiration Date for FAX orders The Battalion 015 Reed McDonald Bldg. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday Call 845-0569 for more info Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine Pagef Friday • March 7,195] The UAG, located in the second most important dty in Mexico, is the largest and oldest private university in the country. Our institution provides 52 undergraduate programs and 49 postgraduate programs, which include: specialties, masters degrees and doctorates SCHOOL OF MEDICINE With more than three decades graduating U.S physicians, offers: • Two entering classes per year: January and August ■ Rolling admissions policy > Direct clinical experience with patients beginning first semester 1 Bilingual education during the first two years (School of Medicine only) ■ On-site medical education complex with two teaching hospitals ■ Intensive fourth semester USMLE step 1 review ■ Fourth year rotations at UAG-affiliated U.S. teaching hospitals * Physicians graduates are bilingual and bicultural Tuition remains level throughout course study Federal Family Education Loan Program available New York State Education Department approval For more information, please call our toll-free number 800-531-5494 Office in the U.S.A.: 8801 Callaghan Rd, San Antonio, Texas 78230 *(210)366-1611 • iep@txdirect.net • www.gdl.uag.mx * Bill would speed up adoptions SNUFFER’S RESTAGRANT & BAR " AFTER 18 YEARS IN DALLAS IT'S TIME I WENT TO COLLEGE" 1037 S. TEXAS AVE. • COLLEGE STATION Serving our Leg endary Food 7 days 'til 2:00 am 693-3148 All day Happy Hour Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed From Opening 'til last call AUSTIN (AP) — Lawmakers and Gov. George W. Bush joined forces Thursday to push legisla tion designed to speed up adop tions in Texas. Bush and the legislators said the children deserve no less than quick placement in good homes. “Adoption is the loving option. Adoption means a brighter future for thousands of Texas children,” Bush said. He said the adoption reform bill says to children, “Texas wants to help find you a loving home as fast as we can and as compassionately as possible. The proposed laws say to prospective parents, ‘We want you to adopt, we encourage you, and we will make it easier for you to adopt a child in Texas.’” A study by a special gubernator ial task force said that in April 1996, the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services — the state’s child welfare agency — re ported nearly 12,000 children were in foster care. Of those, nearly 1,400 were legally free for adoption. However, it said, while improve ments had been made in the child welfare system, many children spent far too long in foster care before be ing permanently placed in homes. Statistics for the 1991-1995 fiscal years showed children who were adopted spent an average of 40.8 months in the system before the adoption was completed. Those children averaged four temporary placements before adoption. Lawmakers said the bill to be considered would put children into adoptive homes earlier, shorten the time needed to terminate parental rights and finalize adoptions and provide more security that adop tions won’t later be challenged. Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, the chief sponsor of the bill, said it is important to get children into adoptive homes quicker. “What we have learnedov the years is that the greatestprol lem related to foster care is the children age out of process,” Mrs. Zaffirini sai “They move from foster home foster home and finally they ared age and ... they are out on street. We are going to stopths Sen. Florence Shapiro, Plano, a cosponsor, said themes will make Texas a L “ md bl sure place for children and adoptii parents. ? “For too long, Texas has bee dubbed an unfriendly adoptio state. Too many of our constitueni have decided to go not onlyoun ByJoey J state to adopt children, but the country,” she said. lawmakers said they expectedtb bill to speed through the legislature “We already have the votes pass the bill,” said Mrs. Zaffirini tes the ( who has 26 cosponsors inthell member chamber. Property tax plan raises talk of overhau AUSTIN (AP) — Gov. George W Bush’s call to lower local school prop erty taxes has raised talk of overhaul ing the state’s 70-year-old tax system. Rep. Paul Sadler, D-Henderson, chair of the committee consider ing Bush’s plan, said Thursday he’s excited about the prospects of scouring the nearly three-inch- thick state tax code. Sadler is leading the charge to re view every state tax—and every tax exemption — to determine which should stay, which should be changed and which should go. “Don’t you like that idea?” he asked. “I do.” Rep. Ric Williamson, R-Weather ford, a member of the House Select Committee on Revenue and Public Education Funding, called the ef fort a sunset on the tax code. “Isn’t it interesting what the light ofday exposes?” Williamson asked as the committee looked at tax exemp tions, some as old as state taxation. “Many of these exemptions have been in existence for 70 years,” Williamson said. “In hindsight, one might say these exemptions might not deserve continuation. They might have deserved continuation in 1921.” Williamson and others credit Bush for starting the debate that has led to the review of all state tax es and tax exemptions. For his part, Bush remained op timistic about chances for school tax relief, and said the lawmakers’ in quiries only will help reach that goal. “I tell you, we’re making good progress on the is sue,” he said. “They are go ing to look at all kinds of ways on how to achieve the objectives of cutting school taxes. ... It’s a healthy debate for Texas.” Gov. Bush cents per $ 100 valuation on residat tial property and $1 per $100 valin tion on all other property. Theii would be no exemptions undertb plan, which has not been formal voted on nor adopted. That tax plan — com bined with $18 billion ii state funds set to bespei on education in the 99 budget years — si would leave more monei for the state to cometij with in order to reach thf total $38 billion schedulec to be spent on education. To get there, the Housf For nearly two years Bush has said local school property taxes are too high. In January, the governor proposed a new business tax, an increase to the state sales tax and motor vehicle tax and the use of $1 billion in addition al state funds to lower local school taxes by $3 billion a year. Members of the House commit tee have set Bush’s plan aside for now. One idea being considered would lower school property taxes by $3.6 billion a year. To do this, local school property taxes would be cut to 50 committee is looking first at taxer emptions. Millions in potentialtai dollars aren’t collected each yeai because of tax exemptions. The committee has all but it cided to leave food and medicim untaxed and some social welfare church and civic groups exempi from some taxes. All other statetas exemptions are being considered Rep. Kim Brimer, R-Kennedalf and a member of the committee says some will have to go. “We neec to look at ways to broaden & scope. That starts with exemp tions,” he said. Ti Shamroi day is gre Saint Pa ous for iristianii :is -.L ml §§ m mm, H:.:;#' f BE 'mmi : - as? • lorful Sczvivigs SOIL yest two samples I Super Shrub Sale •Red Tip Photinia •Burford Holly •Waxleaf Ligusfrrum •Nandina Domestica •Dwarf Pittosporum •Dwarf Yaupon Holly Gallon. Reg. 3.99 landina Domestica 2.99 Beautiful i-Fat Non-Fatent ROSES Over 40 beautiful varieties to choose from. 3 Gallon. 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