Who’s killing CHIP?
The CHIP bill sponsored by Rep. Garnet Coleman and Sen. Kip Averitt does not have to fall victim to the genocidal slaughter occurring in the Texas House. There are lots of ways it could be revived, including, of course, a vote by two-thirds of the House to take it up out of order. That seems unlikely, especially since only 17 Republicans voted for it in the first place.
So what could the Senate do, if the leadership really cared about passage of legislation that will allow more low-income Texans to obtain health insurance for their kids by buying into CHIP? First, Finance chair Steve Ogden could hold a hearing on Coleman’s version of the bill, which has been languishing in Finance since May 19 — despite pleas that it receive a hearing and vote. Senate Finance could call up Coleman’s bill, amend it with Averitt’s bill, and send it back to the House as a House bill with Senate amendments. Then, the House would have until Friday to approve it.
Or, Averitt could amend it to any number of House bills that are on the Senate calendar. One solution would be to amend it to a HB 1795, a newborn screening bill with a caption wide enough to take the CHIP amendment. We’re told that plan has been nixed by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Ogden, who are angry about the House chubbing on Voter ID and see the CHIP bill as the price Democrats have to pay.
If CHIP dies, there’s plenty of blame to go around for killing the best opportunity in years to do something about Texas’ uninsured. The Senate Republican leadership could easily fix the problem. So they’re angry about the chubbing? Get over it, guys. You started it. As for the House Democrats, they chose badly when they decided blocking Voter ID was more important than CHIP, insurance reform, needle exchange, renewable energy incentives, and on and on.
Our deadline for the 10 Best and 10 Worst Legislators is fast approaching and there are plenty of spots open. For Bests.
Tagged: chip, garnet coleman, kip averitt
anony says:
Caption does not determine germaneness
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Anonymous says:
You are dreaming if you think Ogden cares about ending up on the TM list, whether best, worst or not at all.
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Texas Democrat says:
Ogden is the WORST legislator in Texas.
My top 3 who are the best are West, Watson (rumored to seek statewide office again in ’10), and Hegar-my State Senator.
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BrooksBeast says:
Ogden does not care. I do think he has moved from a one-time best to current worst. Eltife would move up to best on my list, not only for taking on Perry with the UI bill, but also for the way in which he has served as traffic cop in the Dew’s absence.
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Robert says:
I don’t know who is killing CHIP but, bless the person who understands that CHIP is no longer about bridging a gap for the working poor. It has now become a full-fledged government insurance scheme and is crowding payers out of private insurance which raises all of our rates.
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Anonymous says:
Paul – are you trying to influence Members to act on certain pieces of legislation? Specifically – CHIP, insurance reform, needle exchange, renewable energy incentives. Have you registered?
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Anonymous says:
Republicans are doing a terrible job articulating that it is the Democrats who are killing all these bills. Texans understand voting something up and down – I remember when the Democrats kept delaying Bush judicial nominees and the battle cry was vote them up or down – on the merits. People understand that – Republicans need to articulate it. Both on and off the floor.
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FrankS says:
I think the Republicans (and about 20 of the Democrats) would love to vote ‘em up or down, but since there is going to be a sham debate going on each bill, they can’t.
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Anonymous says:
Watson one of the best??? Best at getting in front of a camera, maybe.
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Legislative Observer says:
This 2/3rds issue is nonsense. There are 25 members (Ds and Rs) of the two House Calendar Committees – they set the calendars. Suddenly Dunnam and Kilday Hart want the body of the House to be the new Calendar Comm., after Dunnam’s juvenile antics got us here. Rather than having one Caucus filibuster because they are afraid to debate and vote on one bill the Democrat Caucus killed CHIP (along with so many other important bills) and Kilday Hart is doing journalism a disservice by advancing HER OPINIONS rather than REPORTING as a journalist should: “The Senate Republican leadership could easily fix the problem. So they’re angry about the chubbing? Get over it, guys. You started it.” Why do we care about Kilday Hart’s OPINION that an elected body should “get over it” or that “they started it”. She sounds like a child on the playground, no wonder she’s not calling the Dunnam Ds out for their antics. Kilday Hart continues promoting TX Monthly’s standard flag – advancing liberal antics while attacking conservative positions and legislators….it’s time for Evan Smith and Co. to determine if they are going to be journalists or commentators advancing their own opinions.
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Michael Sullivan says:
Most conservatives have in recent years come to suspect that Texas Monthly’s “Ten Best” legislators list is little more than a compilation of the biggest shills for big government. Now comes proof.
In the posting above,Patricia Kilday Hart unabashedly advocates for the expansion of the “Children’s Health Insurance Program” and other left-leaning causes, then suggested supporting such measures would get lawmakers on the ten-best list.
“Our deadline for the 10 Best and 10 Worst Legislators is fast approaching and there are plenty of spots open,” Hart writes. Is she a journalist or a partisan hack?
Hard to tell in the mainstream media these days. Books on journalistic ethics are now used as doorstops in the few remaining newsrooms. But I suppose we should give Hart and Texas Monthly some credit for finally coming clean about the bias built into their lists.
Hart suggests the causes important to Texas Monthly, and therefore earning one’s way onto the self-hyped Ten Best list, is support of CHIP expansion, “needle exchange, renewable energy incentives, and on and on.”
Sounds like any Republican named to the Texas Monthly Ten Best will be a legislative liberal without the courage to campaign on their convictions.
If a lawmaker makes the “best” list, disregard the puffery about “experience” and “effectiveness,” and examine what liberal water they carried in the last days of Session for the activists apparently running Texas Monthly.
One way to tell who the real conservatives are serving in the House and Senate? Staying off the Texas Monthly Ten Best!
Heck, if Hart’s comments are the standard, then making the “Ten Worst” list is probably a sign you’re doing right by Texas’ families and economy.
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Patricia Kilday Hart says:
Michael — You could have at least been honest enough — especially on your own blog where readers haven’t seen my post — to include the entire sentence when you quoted my list of bills dying because of the House chubbing. It starts: “The House Democrats chose badly when they decided blocking Voter ID was more important than….” In this context, it is clear that I mean that these ideas are important to Democrats and they blew it by not taking their successes this session across the finish line.
To Legislative Observer: I’m not sure you read past the headline. Nowhere do I say that it was a good idea to do what the House Democrats did. If you take what I wrote as an endorsement of the House Democrats tactics, I’m at a loss.
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