Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 20
20 is is to consider and take appropriate action on legislative matters, including.
a, upstate on legislative activities, b, redistricting on congressional and length slate of district and implications for Travis County and c, amendments to the priorities, policy positions and positions on other proposals of the Travis County legislative agenda.
>> thank you again judge, deeseec for the record, intergovernmental relation offices for the county.
quickly, with respect to the specific session, it was called in as everybody knows last Tuesday mortgage.
the agenda item they had to address was a fiscal matter set of bills, and the goal was to take the budget already dropted and reconcile existing statutes with that udge about.
for example, in the realm of education, the budget that we have for our schools calls for spending $4 billion less in public education than we are this time.
in order for that to be legally possible to do, we have to add just funding formulas for the schools.
that is really the purpose of the legislature being back in town this go around.
the fiscal matters bills that apply to state government are scheduled for floor debate on Thursday.
there are several provisions on the bills that could affect Travis County.
for instance, a provision having do with longevity pay for assistance prosecutors.
again, the budget has already removed that longevity pay.
now we will reconcile the statute so that instead of saying the longevity pay will be in the amount of this much per year, the statute would say the longevity will be in an amount set by the legislature in the general appropriations act.
it is a number of those reconciling changes that have to be addressed.
the school finance part is still up in the air and both the house and senate are working on that.
but the fiscal matters bill we expect to be addressed on Thursday.
think there will be a slough of amendments for it.
it's already out of the senate on its way to the house and the house will tate up on Thursday.
also a healthcare bill making changes to medicaid and independent idigent deliver proprograms. As everyone knows the govern be opened up to the Texas windstorm association and has not opened to any other issues.
he did open the call to congressional redistricting and I would like to report if there are no questions about the legislature in generally.
you don't have to be jesus or the buddha to divine that they seem to be targeting Travis County and specifically congressman doged in these maps.
the map that was published and that was adopted by the senate last evening devides, cracks Travis County into five different congressional district in one of which the voters of Travis County constitute more than 25 percent of the elect tore at of the district.
>> repeat that, dietz, because I want the residents of Travis County to understand exactly what the ramifications of 35 percent reputation.
>> yes, sir.
the map cracks Travis County into five different district in none of which the voters constitute more than 35 percent of the population.
so if you start with the assumption that 50 percent of the population of the district would be in wown county, then you can call that county the anchor for the congress the district.
and in none of these five districts that Travis County is going to be in are we the anchor for that congressional district.
in fact, of the 13 largest counties in the state of Texas, and there are only 13 that have enough population to be an averager as I have defined the term, of the 13 largest counties in the state of Texas, Travis County is the only county that is not an anchor county.
>> doesn't have 50 percent of the population.
>> there is no congressional district that has 50 percent of its population from Travis County.
and we are the only county that does not enjoy that.
the only county of the counties that are eligible do that.
if you so to speak, that can do that.
so there's clearly a pattern to this.
similar to what happened with the state redistricting when Travis County was cracked into four different state senate districts.
obviously going to be the subject of litigation down the road.
there are also a number of voting rights related challenges that have already been legally filed as well as filed in terms of the public debate on it.
but the latest congressional maps, c 141 adopted by the senate last night.
the backup materials that you have pertain to map c 136, with respect to Travis County, there are no differences between map c 136 and map c 141.
>> so district 17 and 35 being the new district numbers added to the five, to the others that existed before.
district 10, 21 and 25.
so those two, which is a new addition to this particular map.
I guess one of them goes, as far as district 25, the period that its of it goes all the way up to johnson county, I guess.
>> the southern suburbs of fort worth.
>> dallas and tarant county, clay born is the seat in johnson county.
as sphar north.
it's pretty far reaching effect.
of course, all the way down to bexar county.
so it's pretty significant as far as the challenges, as far as the persons trying to represent these seats.
thanks.
>> yes, sir.
>> when do we expect the legislature to complete its work and go home?
mr. Eckstein?
>> I think they were hoping for the end of this week.
the fact they have still not been able to agree on what to do about the education funding formulas leads me to believe it will be at least another week.
they are working on the medicare excuse me, medicaid fix they need to do and the generally budget fixes but still don't seem to have a con sense about how to go forward with educatio.
>> .
>> mr. Refer seed.
>> I'd like to thank you for the great information.
to begin with senate split up, are the redistricting, with delay when he was in charge.
frankly, not to be too delusional, I think I might have had something to do with that.
they don't want Travis County to be an entity.
we are power, a force in the universe and going to be the pla is to put an unfriendly individual.
this is what it's all about.
now this e have Travis County five with a split, it's a political assassination attempt of long time tradder clinton lap doing, if they drive out, here is my prediction.
they will go so-called president so-called practice obama will aclinton lap doing to something horrific.
wait and see.
it's going to be sayery.
we don't want do this.
we should drive them out of office.
I'm all for that.
I think I can do it.
hello republican party, I'm the person going to put him out of office.
lap doing lloyd dog.
>> thank you.
do we need action today?
>> no.
>> thank you.
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