Tab for four (TX) special sessions: $4.6 million

[CShine]

Four special legislative sessions over the past year cost Texas taxpayers $4.6 million, according to a newspaper report. Republican Gov. Rick Perry called three sessions on congressional redistricting and one on school finance, and each cost about $1.2 million, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported today. The total includes legal bills, travel expenses, per diem payments to lawmakers and office expenses. While the costs are lower than lawmakers' initial estimates, critics called the 86 extra days a waste of money.

"The costs of failed leadership and the fact that the Legislature worked in the interests of a political party instead of the taxpayers, the voters and the schoolchildren of Texas cannot be measured in dollars and cents," said Democratic consultant Ed Martin, who worked on redistricting and school finance.

The Legislature meets regularly every two years for 140 days. The governor can call special sessions, which can last up to 30 days. The legislators receive $125 per day and are entitled to a trip home each week. The sessions sparked significant political controversy, especially the three regarding congressional redistricting. Democrats fled the state twice in an effort to stop redistricting, designed to add Republicans to the congressional delegation.

The fourth session ended in failure last month when lawmakers could not agree on a new system of public school finance.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/2616568

[struggle4progress]

1. Hey, the gerrymander is three times as important as the schools!

[DemoTex]

2. Well, what the hell ...

I'm outta there. I still believe Texas will swing back to sanity, in the next few years. I'll continue to give to the Democratic Party of Texas, and I'll give big. I'll also give to selected Dem candidates in Texas. It is a very important state that would be a Democratic coup if we can ever pry it from the money-grubbing, blood-stained hands of the Highland Park/River Oaks group that controls the Texas GOP and GW Bu$h.

[struggle4progress]

3. And now for something completely different!

Perry says session is possible this summer

As lawmakers discuss changes to the way the state pays for public schools, Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday there is still a chance for another special session on the issue this summer.
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Lawmakers ended a special legislative session last month without passing a school funding plan to replace the current system that relies heavily on local property taxes and requires property-rich districts to send money to property-poor ones.
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Sen. Steve Ogden, a Republican from Bryan who heads the Senate Finance Committee, said this week that for an overhaul to work the Legislature would need to approve amendments to the Texas Constitution. Constitutional amendments require support from two-thirds of the members in both chambers.

Some of the measures Ogden mentioned that would require a constitutional amendment include capping property and business taxes and legalizing video gambling. The Legislature would need to approve the proposals by late August to get the issue on the November general election ballot.
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http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/8891697.htm?1c