Monday, May 23, 2005
The Voucher Mutiny
Wow. Going into tonight's debate on the voucher bill, one anti-voucher legislator told the Observer that he had never received so much pressure on a bill. Not on redistricting. Not on this session's school finance bill. Pressure from lobbyists. Pressure from the leadership. And pressure from some of his fellow members.
The night's two key amendments came from Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth). Geren's amendments came after passionate debate against vouchers by Rep. Carter Casteel (R-New Braunfels), Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston), and Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas).
"Carter teed it up so good all I needed to do was swing," said Geren.
The first Geren amendment simply gave the Republican leadership some of its own medicine. If a voucher pilot program was so good for public schools in minority districts then it should also be acceptable to Republican suburban districts, such as the bill's sponsor Kent Grusendorf's Arlington district.
Geren's second amendment went right for the throat of the bill's voucher provision. The amendment shifted "school choice" funding from private schools to public schools, which isn't exactly what voucher proponents had in mind. Grusendorf's motion to table failed, and Geren's public school choice amendment was adopted by a vote of 74-70. That gutted the bill's private school voucher proposal.
After the Geren uprising succeeded, Speaker Craddick sustained a point of order from Rep. Jim Dunnam that vanquished the entire bill, and with it any likely chance for vouchers this session. Upon hearing the ruling, Rep. Paul Moreno (D-El Paso) sang out: "It's Miller Time."
The night's two key amendments came from Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth). Geren's amendments came after passionate debate against vouchers by Rep. Carter Casteel (R-New Braunfels), Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston), and Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas).
"Carter teed it up so good all I needed to do was swing," said Geren.
The first Geren amendment simply gave the Republican leadership some of its own medicine. If a voucher pilot program was so good for public schools in minority districts then it should also be acceptable to Republican suburban districts, such as the bill's sponsor Kent Grusendorf's Arlington district.
Geren's second amendment went right for the throat of the bill's voucher provision. The amendment shifted "school choice" funding from private schools to public schools, which isn't exactly what voucher proponents had in mind. Grusendorf's motion to table failed, and Geren's public school choice amendment was adopted by a vote of 74-70. That gutted the bill's private school voucher proposal.
After the Geren uprising succeeded, Speaker Craddick sustained a point of order from Rep. Jim Dunnam that vanquished the entire bill, and with it any likely chance for vouchers this session. Upon hearing the ruling, Rep. Paul Moreno (D-El Paso) sang out: "It's Miller Time."