Page 10 « Thursday, September 9,1999
N ATION
HOWDY '99
A Concert of Praise
Featuring...
Sam Perry ft Soul's
Desire
Jami Smith
Chris Tomlin
Uoices of Praise
and
Shane ft Shane
PROPOSITION NO. 1
ON THE BALLOT
HJR 44 - HJR 44 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would ensure a clear suc
cession in event of vacancies in the offices
of Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Spe
cifically, the amendment would provide that
if after qualifying for the office, the Gover
nor is temporarily unable to serve, the Lieu
tenant Governor shall act as Governor until
the Governor is able to serve; but if the Gov
ernor is permanently unable to serve, the
Lieutenant Governor shall become the Gov
ernor for the remainder of the unexpired term.
The amendment would require a Lieutenant
Governor who becomes Governor to forfeit
the office of Lieutenant Governor. The
amendment would also provide similar suc
cession procedures when a vacancy occurs
in the office of Governor before the newly
elected Governor qualifies for office, and
when the newly elected Governor is tempo
rarily unable to take office. The amendment
also would provide that if there is a tempo
rary vacancy in the office of Lieutenant Gov
ernor, the President pro tempore of the Sen
ate will fill the position; but if there is a per
manent vacancy in the office of Lieutenant
povernor, the President pro tempore of the
Senate shall serve as Lieutenant Governor
only until such time as the whole senate can
convene to elect one of its members to per
form the duties of Lieutenant Governor. Fi
nally, the amendment would provide that if
the Lieutenant Governor, while temporarily
exercising the powers of the Governor, be
comes temporarily disabled or unable to
serve, the President pro tempore of the sen
ate shall exercise the powers and authority
of the office of the Governor until such time
as the Governor or Lieutenant Governor re
assumes those powers and duties.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment to revise the provisions for the filling
of a vacancy in the office of governor or lieu
tenant governor.”
PROPOSITION NO. 2
ON THE BALLOT
SJR 12 - SJR 12 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would resolve conflicts be
tween the Texas Constitution and federal law
relating to the definition, rules, and proce
dures of reverse mortgages. The amendment
would define “reverse mortgage” in part as
an extension of credit made against the home
stead of a person who is 62 years or older, or
whose spouse is 62 years or older. It would
expand the list of circumstances under which
payment of principal and interest become due
and the procedures involved in foreclosure,
and would require certain advances to be
made according to specific terms in loan
documents, including advances by the lender,
on behalf of the borrower for payments nec
essary to protect the lender’s interest. Finally,
the amendment would require the Texas Su
preme Court to promulgate rules of civil pro
cedure expediting court-ordered foreclosures
of reverse mortgage liens.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment relating to the making of advances un
der a reverse mortgage and payment of a re
verse mortgage.”
PROPOSITION NO. 3
ON THE BALLOT
ftjR 62 - HJR 62 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would simplify and clarify
the language of the Texas Constitution. The
amendment would make no substantive
changes, but would eliminate duplicative,
expired, out-of-date, and ineffective terms.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment to eliminate duplicative, executed, ob
solete, archaic, and ineffective provisions of
the Texas Constitution.”
PROPOSITION NO. 4
ON THE BALLOT
HJR 4 - HJR 4 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would broaden the defini
tion of charitable organizations. The amend
ment would exempt from ad valorem taxa
tion the property of any organization engaged
primarily in public charitable functions, and
it would allow such an organization to con
duct additional activities to support its chari
table functions.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment to authorize the legislature to exempt
property owned by institutions engaged pri
marily in public charitable functions from ad
valorem taxation.”
PROPOSITION NO. 5
ON THE BALLOT
SJR 26 - SJR 26 proposes an amendment that
would remove the restriction prohibiting state
employees who receive all or part of their
compensation from the state from serving as
members of a governing body of a school
district, city, town, or other local governmen
tal district unless the state employee receives
no salary for such service. The amendment
would allow state employees to receive com
pensation from the governing bodies' of
which they are members.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment allowing state employees to receive
compensation for serving as a member of a
governing body of a school district, city,
town, or other local governmental district.”
PROPOSITION NO. 6
ON THE BALLOT
SJR 22 - SJR 22 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would increase the maxi
mum size of an urban homestead, which is a
homestead in a city, town, or village, from
one acre to ten acres and require the urban
homestead to be composed of either a single
lot or several lots that are adjacent to one an
other. The amendment also would provide
that the urban homestead must be used as a
home or as both a home and place of busi
ness, whereas current law does not require
that an urban homestead that is used as a place
of business be used also as a home.
Current law further allows a person to se
cure a home equity loan on their homestead,
provided that the loan does not overburden
the homestead. That is, the principal amount
of the home equity loan, when added to the
total of the outstanding principal balances of
all other indebtedness secured against the
homestead, does not exceed 80 percent of the
fair market value of the homestead on the
date the extension of credit is made. The
proposed amendment would clarify current
law by specifically allowing home equity
loans on all or part of urban homesteads of
up to ten acres and subject such loans to the
same requirement that the refinanced or new
loan not overburden the homestead.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment increasing the maximum size of an ur
ban homestead to 10 acres, prescribing per
missible uses of urban homesteads, and pre
venting the overburdening of a homestead.”
PROPOSITION NO. 7
ON THE BALLOT
HJR 16 - HJR 16 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would provide that if an em
ployee is delinquent in paying court-ordered
spousal maintenance, a portion of that
employee’s wages may be withheld to pay
the spousal maintenance. Current law allows
such withholding, or garnishment, only for
payment of delinquent court-ordered child
support.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment authorizing garnishment of wages for
the enforcement of court-ordered spousal
maintenance.”
PROPOSITION NO. 8
ON THE BALLOT
HJR 95 - HJR 95 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would provide that the ad
jutant general, who is appointed by the Gov
ernor and who serves as the governing of
ficer of the state military forces, serves as
long as the Governor wishes the appointed
person to serve in that capacity rather than
serving a specific two-year term set by the
legislature.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment to provide that the adjutant general
serves at the pleasure of the governor.”
PROPOSITION NO. 9
ON THE BALLOT
SJR 10 - SJR 10 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would authorize the legisla
ture to create a judicial compensation com
mittee to make recommendations for salaries
for the justices and judges of the Supreme
Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, the
Courts of Appeals, and the District Courts.
The amendment would mandate that the rec
ommendations become law if neither the
Senate nor the House of Representatives re
jects them by majority vote.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment authorizing the legislature to create a
judicial compensation commission.”
PROPOSITION NO. 10
ON THE BALLOT
HJR 74 - HJR 74 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would provide that the com
missioner of health and human services, who
is appointed by the Governor, serves as long
as the Governor wishes the appointed per
son to serve in that capacity rather than serv
ing a specific two-year term set by the legis
lature.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment to provide that the commissioner of
health and human services serves at the plea
sure of the governor.”
PROPOSITION NO. 11
ON THE BALLOT
HJR 69 - HJR 69 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would authorize a county,
city, town, or other political subdivision to
Wasted at work
Battalion
Report says 7 of 10 drug users hold full-tinu lie
WASHINGTON (AP) — Seven in
10 people who used illegal drugs in
1997 had full-time jobs, the U.S. gov
ernment reports. Officials hope the
data will dispel notions that most
drug users are burned out and dis
connected from the mainstream.
“The typical drug user is not poor
and unemployed,” Barry McCaffrey,
the White House drug policy director,
said. “He or she can be a co-worker,
a husband or wife, a parent.”
About 6.3 million full-time
workers, ages 18 to 49 — or 7.7
percent — admitted in 1997 using
illegal drugs in the preceding
month, according to the report is
sued every few years by the De
partment of Health and Human
Services (HHS). The proportion
has been steady since 1992.
Workers in restaurants, bars,
construction and transportation
were more likely than others to use
drugs, the report said.
HHS officials were using the
report’s findings to encourage
businesses to establish treatment
programs. Increasingly, drug
users are working in medium
sized companies, which have the
resources to establish these pro
grams, they said.
Still, 44 percent of drug users
were working for small businesses
— those with fewer than 25 em
ployees, down from 57 percent in
1994 but still the largest category.
“Whether you are corporate
CEO or a small-business owner,
you need to know that simple,
low-burden, effective steps can in
crease workplace safety and pro
ductivity and lower substance
abuse and its human and econom
ic effects," said Nelba Chavez, ad
ministrator of the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Ad
ministration, the HHS agency that
produced the report.
Drug use
Other report fir:
• Young adults, me-.
and those with less .': ^ ^
school education ?TltOl /
likely to use drugs hi-
workers. artitlQ
• Nineteen percer < -
preparation workers B/JASO
waitresses and barte': •he B
illegal drugs. For cor-
worker occas * c
transportationandma:: w *
ing workers, it was 10^ '• u ' m h'-'"
imering on 11
• Workers whoused(tyheii rh.nu't.'
more likely to have ,ve to be mo
three or more emptee desi dreams,
left a job in the past;- size, ex peri <
have skipped a oav :y n|imber of f
work in the pastmcr' can be misc
.I i Laui i “Lucy ”
yet The set
.,M Yollevbn 11
FCC bolsters candidates’ air tii
t tackup until
jen it did, sh
lily to shov
uld do.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators acted
yesterday to give political candidates greater flexi
bility in the blocks of air time they can purchase
from broadcasters.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
ruled broadcasters must sell presidential and con
gressional candidates air time in increments other
than the 30-second or 1-minute spots typically sold
to commercial advertisers.
Consumer groups had petitioned the FCC to change
a rule that let broadcasters refuse air time to political
candidates if it was not the same length purchased by
other advertisers.
The groups argued that political candidates might
spend public funds or extend credit to pur
chase nonassessable property or casualty in
surance from a mutual insurance company
authorized to do business in Texas. Under
current law, a political subdivision is gener
ally prohibited from spending public funds
or extending credit to become a stockholder
in a corporation but is permitted to purchase
nonassessable life, health or accident insur
ance policies from a mutual insurance com
pany authorized to do business in Texas. This
amendment would authorize a political sub
division to also obtain non-assessable prop
erty and casualty insurance from such a com
pany.
members.
PROPOSITION NO. 15
ON THE BALLOT
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment permitting a political subdivision to pur
chase nonassessable property and casualty in
surance from an authorized mutual insurance
company in the same manner that the politi
cal subdivision purchases life, health, and ac
cident insurance.”
HJR 36 - HJR 36 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would allow spouses, by an
agreement in writing, to convert all or part
of their separate property into community
property. Separate property is primarily the
property owned or claimed by the spouse
before marriage and the property acquired by
the spouse during the marriage by gift or in
heritance. Community property consists of
the property, other than separate property,
acquired by either spouse during marriage.
want a non-standard formal - like a 5 Leahy now I
to go into further detail on an issue or r, ddle blockei
biography over the air to voters e leads the to
In a 4-1 ruling, the FCC agreed can: : ivej love for
have this kind of flexibility and that its ten«;e desire t
unduly burdensome for broadcasters loa: “Hicy has a c
different formats. at it* peak \
“It seems to me there is no solid teas: e has more u
ket rejection of political spots thatareofatybab conch l.,
length," FCC Chair Bill Kennard said. That style of
Broadcasters said thev were disappoinyrdangorous w
FCC decision, which undoes a ruling the es.|She does
ly sought. By statute, stations arenequiredicrofilo oi a stn
didates “to purchase reasonable amount- , yet site is a
iat can delivei
Detroit teacl anti effective
However, it
to return to It Leahv’s role
DETROIT (APi-Detrc^f clean
teachers voted overwhe' That t,me
terday to return towotkiri 11 " 011 ^ 1 , l 10
mg, ending an extended
cation for 180.000stoA Wh , irter ^
loveci into the
sion of theftwSl^ nnmgof N
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment permitting spouses to agree to convert
separate property to community property."
PROPOSITION NO. 12
ON THE BALLOT
PROPOSITION NO. 16
ON THE BALLOT
SJR 21 - SJR 21 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would exempt from ad va
lorem taxation a leased motor vehicle that is
not used by the lessee primarily to produce
income. The amendment would provide that
the legislature also may limit the ability of a
political subdivision to subject such a vehicle
to taxation.
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment to authorize the legislature to exempt
from ad valorem taxation leased motor ve
hicles not held by the lessee primarily to pro
duce income.”
HJR 71 - HJR 71 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would allow a county with
a population of 50,000 or more, rather than
30,000 or more, to be divided into four to
eight justice of the peace and constable pre
cincts. The amendment also would allow a
county with a population between 18,000 and
50,000 to have two to eight justice of the
peace and constable precincts, rather than the
current maximum of five precincts. Further
more, the amendment would limit Randall
County to not less than two and not more than
six precincts. Finally, the amendment would
set a minimum of four precincts for any
county that as of November 2. 1999, is di
vided into four or more precincts.
hold a ratificatton wleOj mail
new agreement reached Wo
tween the school feM i
11,500-member teachers u
The teachers went on stii
30. one day before classes^
begin, in a walkoutMt
one of the nation's mosta
attempts to overhaul ati
ban school district.
Among other things,!
ers objected to
board's proposals forn
and a longer school!
mately, the school boardi
both reform proposals,]
time being at least.
sou lwobI
PROPOSITION NO. 13
ON THE BALLOT
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment to provide that certain counties shall
be divided into a specific number of pre
cincts."
SJR 16 - SJR 16 proposes a constitutional
amendment that would authorize the legisla
ture to allow the Texas Higher Education Co
ordinating Board to issue and sell general ob
ligation bonds in an amount not to exceed
$400 million in order to finance educational
loans to students. The amendment also would
authorize the Legislature to limit the amount
of interest the bonds can bear and establish
procedures for the investment of the bond
proceeds. The proposed amendment would
specify the method of repaying the bonds.
PROPOSITION NO. 17
ON THE BALLOT
Contra D/
'7 , Kzditio4uxl Tim
'pol/e, “VotM
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment providing for the issuance of $400 mil
lion in general obligation bonds to finance
educational loans to students.”
PROPOSITION NO. 14
ON THE BALLOT
HJR 29 - HJR 29 proposes a constitutional
amendment which would authorize the Leg
islature to require the board of regents of the
state university and boards of trustees or
managers of the educational, charitable, and
penal institutions of the state, whose mem
bers serve six year terms, to be composed of
an odd number of three or more board mem
bers (for example, 5, 7, or 9 members). The
proposed amendment would allow approxi
mately one-third of members of boards
whose membership is not evenly divisible by
three to be elected or appointed every two
years. The amendment also would allow the
Legislature to set the composition of consti
tutionally required boards, whose members
serve for a term of six years, to a number
divisible by three so that exactly one-third
of the board members may be elected or ap
pointed every two years.
HJR 58 - HJR 58 proposes a constitutional
amendment which would require the board
of regents of the University of Texas System
to manage investments of the permanent uni
versity fund (PUF) according to the standards
of a prudent investor. Generally, earnings
from the PUF are distributed to the available
university fund (AUF) and then ultimately
distributed to the public university systems
of Texas. Under the amendment, the amount
distributed to the AUF would consist of dis
tributions, as detennined by the University
of Texas System board of regents, from the
total return on all investment assets of the
PUF, instead of consisting only of the divi
dends, interest, and other income of the PUF
minus administrative expenses. The amend
ment also would provide guidelines for mini
mum and maximum amounts to be distrib
uted to the AUF, and require that the board
of regents manage distributions to the AUF
in a manner that will provide the AUF with a
stable and predictable stream of annual dis
tributions and maintain the purchasing power
of the PUF investments and annual distribu
tions to the AUF.
Saturday, Sept 11,3toi|
Live Music, All Dances I 1
No Partner Necessary !
Durango Dance Stuit|
3141 Briarcrest Dr. Ei
Vi mile East of theBylj
Questions?? Call8464
Late Shows '
on Thursda
Nights
only $ 4.00
r I N E M Al
The Best Scot l f
HOLLYWOOD USJ|
ALL SHOWS BEFORE G 00PM AND AFIEbI
AFTER 6:00PM ADULTS $6.00 CHILDB0H
STEREO SURROUND SOUND IN AU>
BOX OFFICE OPENS DAILY AT
CALL FOR SHOWTIMES
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment relating to the investment of the per
manent university fund and the distribution
from the permanent university fund to the
available university fund.”
The proposed amendment will appear on the
ballot as follows: “The constitutional amend
ment authorizing the legislature to provide
that a state board, commission, or other
agency shall be governed by a board com
posed of an odd number of three or more
Estos son los informes explanatorios sobre
las enmiendas propuestas a la contitutibn que
apareceran en la boleta el 2 de noviembre
de 1999. Si usted no ha recibido una copia
de los informes in enpanol, podra obtener una
gratis por llama al 1/800/252/8683 or por
escribir al Secretario de Estado, P.O. Box
12060, Austin, Tx 78711.
INSPECTOR'
THE ASTI#
11:35 2:tS<S
THE IRON GIANT (PQ)
12:15 2:20 4:20 6:15
THETHOM^
11:55 225 Si 1 .
THE UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: THEBE'-'
2:30 7:40
Published by Secretary of State Elton Bonier