The Huntsville Item
June 22, 2009 11:12 pm
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State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst is pleased that Senate Bill 1, the state’s two-year budget, was signed by Gov. Rick Perry over the weekend with very few changes, but blasts the governor for vetoing House Bill 518.
The 518 bill was one the Brenham Republican authored giving college tuition reimbursement to correctional officers who commit to work for the agency for a period of time.
“SB 1 secures millions for Walker County and for that I’m grateful, but I’m very, very disappointed about the veto of HB 518,” said Kolkhorst. “At a time when we are wanting to improve our workforce and allow our correctional officers to advance their careers, this veto is ill-advised.”
SB 1 totaled more than $182 billion for 2010-11, the state’s budget that begins in September.
Although the bill spends fewer dollars in state money than last the last budget because of stimulus funds, Kolkhorst said there are substantial increases for Walker County stakeholders.
“In today’s dark national economic climate, Texas has been a bright spot,” Kolkhorst said. “We crafted a budget that does not create new taxes but still provides badly needed funds to the many who need help, like our local correctional officers and local schools.
“If you calculate pay raises for correctional officers, teachers, other state workers, increased funding for Sam Houston State University, along with Huntsville ISD and New Waverly ISD, Walker County’s share of increases in this budget totals nearly $30 million in new money that will be realized over the next 24 months.”
Kolkhorst said that she and other lawmakers with significant prison populations pushed hard for a 10 to 20 percent raise, but given the economy, could only secure a 7 percent raise.
Correctional officers are the only state workers that receive pay raises of this magnitude. Other state workers will receive a one-time $800 retention bonus after Sept. 1, 2009, if they are not receiving a salary over $100,000.
As a result of the correctional officer pay raise of 7 percent, dollars flowing into Walker County will amount to approximately $18 million more in payroll, the largest amount of the $30 million new money headed to the county.
The pay raise was approved for correctional security staff, unit staff and parole officers.
There is an additional one time impact of approximately $900,000 for a job retention payment program for other state workers.
“While numerous other states our size like California are suffering billion dollar deficits and asking the federal government to bail them out, Texas once again managed to keep our own affairs in order and reward hard working civil servants,” Kolkhorst said.
According to Kolkhorst, Walker County public schools also fared better under the new budget. The appropriations act contains a $1.9 billion increase for public education.
Under House Bill 3646, the school finance bill that accompanies the state budget, Kolkhorst said that for the 2010 fiscal year, state funding increases will mean HISD will receive an increase from $5,011 to $5,131 per student.
In 2011, HISD will receive an increase from $5,017 to $5,143.
New Waverly ISD will increase its state funding from $4,883 to $5,003 for fiscal year 2010, and from $4,885 to $5,003 for fiscal year 2011.
Early calculations based on HB 3646 mean that Huntsville ISD is estimated to receive an additional $867,000 and New Waverly will receive an estimated $149,280.
Additionally, the budget provides a $7 billion boost to higher education.
That means Sam Houston State University receives an additional $4,215,259 (5.92 percent increase) in the state’s higher education funding formula.
Kolkhorst and Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) also wrote a special budget provision to also secure an additional $4 million for Sam Houston State University institutional enhancement fund, totaling SHSU’s budget increase to over $8.2 million.
As chair of the House Committee on Public Health, Kolkhorst said she is pleased that the new budget reduces health related waiting lists, adds funding to improve state schools for the mentally disabled, and adds $450 million in bonds for cancer research.
“We avoided raiding our state’s Rainy Day Fund so we can save it for future emergencies,” Kolkhorst said.
While touting local budget items, Kolkhorst expressed grave disappointment at Gov. Rick Perry’s decision to veto House Bill 518, which would have created a tuition loan repayment program to encourage more Texans to become correctional officers.
“I’m proud to have authored House Bill 518 with the support of correctional officers across Texas,” Kolkhorst said. “The bill unanimously passed both the House and Senate because it’s a solid solution for the serous problem of retaining correctional officers.
“Im disappointed that Governor Perry does not see the value in having a more steady and secure prison employee workforce. It’s a step backwards for hundreds of students who may have considered a career at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.”
Kolkhorst authored HB 518, which if passed would have provided tuition loan repayments to students at Sam Houston State University or other schools who agreed to serve as correctional officers upon graduation.
“This would be a way of encouraging more students to begin a long-term career at TDCJ,” said Brian Olsen, executive director of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who worked with Kolkhorst on the legislation.
“This program would develop the TDCJ leaders of tomorrow,” Olsen said. “The more educated and better trained the workforce is within our prison system, the safer the public will be.”
The legislation also was amended in the Senate to call for similar tuition loan repayment programs to be created for students who agree to begin careers as speech pathologists, or math and science teachers in underserved areas of the state.
Kolkhorst said that she didn’t agree with Perry’s veto statement, in which he explained his reasoning for the veto.
“In his veto statement, the governor claims that other tuition loan repayment programs already exist, so there is no need for additional ones.
But other programs do not specifically target the hard-to-fill careers like correctional officers, speech pathologists, or math and science teachers.
Furthermore, the governor touted his signature of a similar loan repayment program for rural doctors, so clearly he is not totally opposed to new programs."
The bill was one of only 35 bills out of 1,706 bills and resolutions to reach the governor’s desk to be vetoed.
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