Sen. Eltife says he is against putting resources into the Trans-Texas Corridor
Eltife gives lawmakers low scores
November 18, 2005
By Mary Madewell
The Paris News
Copyright 2005
State Sen. Kevin Eltife gives every state elected officials, including himself, an “F” on school finance reform and calls Republicans to produce leadership and results.
The District 1 senator shared the analysis of his first legislative session with a Chamber of Commerce audience gathered at Paris Golf and County Club Thursday.
“We should have cut property taxes, properly funded public education and should have given teachers a pay raise they desperately deserve,” Eltife said.
He noted the average beginning teacher earns $24,000 yearly.
“That’s an embarrassment,” he said.
Eltife said many leaders blame lobbyists for the legislature’s past failures but that the buck stops with elected officials.
“Some will go around blaming the business lobby and some the education lobby,” Eltife said. “If you want to blame somebody, blame every elected official in this state.”
Eltife targeted his own political party.
“I am a Repub-lican,” Eltife said. “Republicans control the House, Republicans control the Senate and Republicans control every statewide elected office. If we are going to control all these offices, we need to provide leadership and it is time we step up to the plate. We asked for these jobs and we need to deliver.”
No matter the political consequences, the District 1 senator says he will continue to vote his conscious and what he believes are the wishes of his district on matters facing the Texas Legislature.
“It doesn’t matter whether the governor is on the other side of the issue or the lieutenant governor, when I am on the Senate floor and I make a vote it is going to be for my district and what is right in my heart no matter who is on the other side of an issue,” Eltife said to a round of applause.
Eltife said he understands his stance could cost him his job. The senator stands for election in 2006.
“I was fine before I was your state senator and I will be fine if you send me home packing,” Eltife continued. “But, I can promise you this, when I am in Austin I am going to do what I think is right for you, not for anybody else. That is why I am there.”
The senator expressed cautious optimism about the future of real education reform.
“If we have the political courage, we can pass a school reform bill that works,” Eltife said. “Hopefully members who have gone back home to their districts are hearing that people want this problem solved.”
Eltife commented briefly about the committee Gov. Rick Perry commissioned to study tax reform. The committee is headed by Democrat John Sharp, former comptroller and twice a Perry opponent for state office.
“I visited with John Sharp a couple of weeks ago,” Eltife said. “We are pretty much in agreement about where he thinks his committee will go with businesses taxes — something broad-based; something equitable; and something fair.”
Since taking office, Eltife has pushed for a net receipts tax that every Texas business would pay with the exception of those that make less than $200,000 a year.
He explained his proposal.
“You take the current franchise tax and make sure everybody pays it,” Eltife said. “If you do that you can lower the current franchise tax rate and bring everybody under the umbrella. It’s fair and equitable and everybody shares the burden of school finance, and you lower people’s property tax rates.”
Eltife said manufacturing jobs must be protected and school property taxes cut a minimum 50 cents per $100 valuation. The current state cap for school maintenance and operations taxes is $1.50 per $100 valuation.
“You have to protect the manufacturers in this state,” Eltife said. “They are the best jobs we have. If you don’t protect those jobs you don’t have the service sector jobs.”
Eltife said businesses currently registered as limited partnerships rather than corporations should share the tax burden.
“We are really after those large companies who do not pay the franchise tax,” Eltife said. “Only one in six businesses pay the franchise tax.
“The older corporations (like Campbell Soup and Kimberly Clark) pay franchise taxes and have carried the burden way too long,” Eltife concluded.
On other issues, Eltife said lawmakers did a better job during the 79th Legislature. He noted the passage of asbestos litigation reform as well as workers compensation reform.
“Hopefully we will see lower insurance rates as a result,” Eltife said.
The senator also called child protective service reform “a key issue.”
“The most innocent victims, the most precious assets in this state — our children — were not being properly taken care of,” Eltife said. “Fifty percent of children in Child Protective Services were falling through the cracks.
“We added funding and reformed CPS and we hope we fixed it, but we need to keep an eye on that because it is too important for our state,” Eltife said.
Fielding questions from the audience, Eltife said he is against putting resources into a Trans-Texas Corridor with many unfunded highways and transportation issues needing immediate attention.
He called the multi-lane rail and road corridor “a pie in the sky pipe dream.”
“We are talking about something years out when we are not taking care of our needs today,” the senator said in answer to a question about a four-lane highway into Paris.
Addressing a question about community college funding, Eltife said the state should be funding at 100 percent rather than placing a burden on property owners.
“They are educating an incredible workforce for our communities across this state but we are funding them at half of what we told them we would give them,” Eltife said of a plan implemented when he served on the Texas Higher Education Board.
“We have got to decide what we want in this state,” Eltife said.
“I think we can properly fund public education,” Eltife said of both public schools and community colleges.
© 2005 The Paris News www.theparisnews.com
November 18, 2005
By Mary Madewell
The Paris News
Copyright 2005
State Sen. Kevin Eltife gives every state elected officials, including himself, an “F” on school finance reform and calls Republicans to produce leadership and results.
The District 1 senator shared the analysis of his first legislative session with a Chamber of Commerce audience gathered at Paris Golf and County Club Thursday.
“We should have cut property taxes, properly funded public education and should have given teachers a pay raise they desperately deserve,” Eltife said.
He noted the average beginning teacher earns $24,000 yearly.
“That’s an embarrassment,” he said.
Eltife said many leaders blame lobbyists for the legislature’s past failures but that the buck stops with elected officials.
“Some will go around blaming the business lobby and some the education lobby,” Eltife said. “If you want to blame somebody, blame every elected official in this state.”
Eltife targeted his own political party.
“I am a Repub-lican,” Eltife said. “Republicans control the House, Republicans control the Senate and Republicans control every statewide elected office. If we are going to control all these offices, we need to provide leadership and it is time we step up to the plate. We asked for these jobs and we need to deliver.”
No matter the political consequences, the District 1 senator says he will continue to vote his conscious and what he believes are the wishes of his district on matters facing the Texas Legislature.
“It doesn’t matter whether the governor is on the other side of the issue or the lieutenant governor, when I am on the Senate floor and I make a vote it is going to be for my district and what is right in my heart no matter who is on the other side of an issue,” Eltife said to a round of applause.
Eltife said he understands his stance could cost him his job. The senator stands for election in 2006.
“I was fine before I was your state senator and I will be fine if you send me home packing,” Eltife continued. “But, I can promise you this, when I am in Austin I am going to do what I think is right for you, not for anybody else. That is why I am there.”
The senator expressed cautious optimism about the future of real education reform.
“If we have the political courage, we can pass a school reform bill that works,” Eltife said. “Hopefully members who have gone back home to their districts are hearing that people want this problem solved.”
Eltife commented briefly about the committee Gov. Rick Perry commissioned to study tax reform. The committee is headed by Democrat John Sharp, former comptroller and twice a Perry opponent for state office.
“I visited with John Sharp a couple of weeks ago,” Eltife said. “We are pretty much in agreement about where he thinks his committee will go with businesses taxes — something broad-based; something equitable; and something fair.”
Since taking office, Eltife has pushed for a net receipts tax that every Texas business would pay with the exception of those that make less than $200,000 a year.
He explained his proposal.
“You take the current franchise tax and make sure everybody pays it,” Eltife said. “If you do that you can lower the current franchise tax rate and bring everybody under the umbrella. It’s fair and equitable and everybody shares the burden of school finance, and you lower people’s property tax rates.”
Eltife said manufacturing jobs must be protected and school property taxes cut a minimum 50 cents per $100 valuation. The current state cap for school maintenance and operations taxes is $1.50 per $100 valuation.
“You have to protect the manufacturers in this state,” Eltife said. “They are the best jobs we have. If you don’t protect those jobs you don’t have the service sector jobs.”
Eltife said businesses currently registered as limited partnerships rather than corporations should share the tax burden.
“We are really after those large companies who do not pay the franchise tax,” Eltife said. “Only one in six businesses pay the franchise tax.
“The older corporations (like Campbell Soup and Kimberly Clark) pay franchise taxes and have carried the burden way too long,” Eltife concluded.
On other issues, Eltife said lawmakers did a better job during the 79th Legislature. He noted the passage of asbestos litigation reform as well as workers compensation reform.
“Hopefully we will see lower insurance rates as a result,” Eltife said.
The senator also called child protective service reform “a key issue.”
“The most innocent victims, the most precious assets in this state — our children — were not being properly taken care of,” Eltife said. “Fifty percent of children in Child Protective Services were falling through the cracks.
“We added funding and reformed CPS and we hope we fixed it, but we need to keep an eye on that because it is too important for our state,” Eltife said.
Fielding questions from the audience, Eltife said he is against putting resources into a Trans-Texas Corridor with many unfunded highways and transportation issues needing immediate attention.
He called the multi-lane rail and road corridor “a pie in the sky pipe dream.”
“We are talking about something years out when we are not taking care of our needs today,” the senator said in answer to a question about a four-lane highway into Paris.
Addressing a question about community college funding, Eltife said the state should be funding at 100 percent rather than placing a burden on property owners.
“They are educating an incredible workforce for our communities across this state but we are funding them at half of what we told them we would give them,” Eltife said of a plan implemented when he served on the Texas Higher Education Board.
“We have got to decide what we want in this state,” Eltife said.
“I think we can properly fund public education,” Eltife said of both public schools and community colleges.
© 2005 The Paris News
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Friday, November 18, 2005
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