PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE

Monday, April 28, 1997

Posterity, public not privy to many Texas House votes

AUSTIN (AP) - The Texas House opted last week not to extend the franchise tax to certain out-of-state income that Texas corporations earn. Instead, in a multimillion dollar decision, legislators increased taxes on utilities.

The vote could have been one of the most important ones of the year - yet no one knows exactly who supported the bill and who opposed it.

In a "division vote" - an electronic vote that is not recorded - legislators press a button and their votes appear next to their names on a screen in the House chamber as they're counted. Green for yes; red for no.

Unlike voice votes, individual legislators' division votes are not documented. Any record of their position on the issue vanishes seconds later as the speaker's gavel comes down.

It's frustrating to people who don't like the bill and would like to express their disappointment at the ballot box.

"I think it's scandalous," said Barbara Bliss, 68, a freelance writer who lives in Austin. "This is a public business. It involves a lot of money, and I elect people to work for me and for all of us."

Rep. Glen Maxey, D-Austin, said he opposes the change to the tax bill and voted against it Thursday night, but forgot to get his and everyone else's votes on the record. Under House rules, only three legislators need to call for a record vote to get one.

"We had been in here over several days for many hours. People were about to drop from exhaustion," Maxey said. "I think it was pure exhaustion and sloppiness on our side."

Several dozen legislators who said they opposed the change tried to get their colleagues to reconsider the vote Friday morning.

That effort failed, but at least it failed on the record, Maxey said.

Rep. Warren Chisum, D-Pampa, voted for the amendment Thursday, saying there was too much uncertainty about the effects of taxing out-of-state business income. Many lawmakers feared large corporations would leave Texas if they were subject to the tax.

On Friday, Chisum voted against the motion to reconsider the amendment. The vote was 86-59, with one abstention and three absences. There is one vacancy.

"We talked about all the issues yesterday," Chisum said Friday.

Chisum said some people, especially lobbyists, have smuggled cameras into the House gallery - where they are banned as a matter of decorum - and taken pictures of the voting board to capture the display of votes before it disappears.

Once, he said, then-House speaker Gib Lewis cleared the gallery and had all the cameras confiscated. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: