| Anti-toll group revises Report Card for 84th legislature
Five legislators grades changed Including Giovanni Capriglione from State Rep District 98 which encompasses all or part of Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake, Keller, Westlake, North Fort Worth and Haslet. |
| (Austin, TX, September 28, 2015) With voters overwhelmingly embracing a move away from toll roads by electing Greg Abbott as the new Texas Governor, many voters want to know how their elected leaders did in delivering on their promises. Anti-toll and property rights watchdog group Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF) just re-released its Report Card from the 84th Legislature today. Due to new information about Budget Rider 49, House Appropriations Subcommittee members received a boost to their scores. Five members’ grades changed, while two remained the same.
Representative Cecil Bell went from an ‘F’ to a ‘D-,’ Diego Bernal from a ‘D’ to a ‘C-,’ from a ‘C-‘ to a ‘B-,’ Sergio Munoz, Jr. from an ‘F’ to a ‘D-,’ and Justin Rodriguez went from a ‘F’ to a ‘D-.’ Reps. Larry Gonzales and Linda Koop remained an ‘F.’ Nine lawmakers achieved the distinction of earning an A+. Those legislators are: Jeff Leach, Matt Rinaldi, Scott Sanford, Matt Shaheen, Jonathan Stickland, and James White in the House, and Bob Hall, Don Huffines, and Lois Kolkhorst in the Senate. “Having this many anti-toll champions in the legislature is a big improvement over last session when only Rep. Jonathan Stickland achieved the top grade of A+ with just three others achieving ‘A’s. However, there’s lots more work to be done and many lawmakers have a lot of room for improvement. Most anti-toll and property rights bills were watered down or never even got to the floor. That’s got to change in order to protect taxpayers from rampant double and triple taxation,” related Terri Hall, Founder/Director of TURF. Other stars who earned an ‘A’ grade were Bryan Hughes and Will Metcalf in the House, and Charles Schwerter and Van Taylor in the Senate. Leadership overall fared better in the 84th session than in prior sessions with the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Speaker going from ‘F’s to ‘C’s. In 2015, there are significantly fewer failing grades. In the House, it went from over 110 ‘F’s down to 54. In the Senate, it went from 28 ‘F’s to just 3. Most fell somewhere in the middle with ‘C’s, but many more came close to earning an ‘A’ with a big jump in those with ‘B’s. A total of twelve bills, seven amendments and two riders to the budget were used to determine the grades. Most related to tolling and transportation, but a few bills or amendments related to property rights. Some were only relevant in one chamber. TURF lists the complete methodology and specific legislation at the end of the Report Card. “With campaign season in full swing in many areas of the state, it’s vital for voters to know how their representatives voted while in office so they can hold them accountable,” notes Hall. “Now’s the time to compare notes to what was promised and what was actually delivered.” TURF’s top priorities included: * Stopping the flow of public money to toll roads (especially gasoline taxes – SJR 43/SB 1182, SB 1172, HB 122 by Huffines, Nichols, Pickett). TURF is a non-partisan, grassroots, all-volunteer group defending citizens’ concerns with toll road policy, public private partnerships, and eminent domain abuse. TURF promotes pro-taxpayer, pro-freedom, & non-toll transportation solutions. For more information or to support the work of TURF, please visit www.TexasTURF.org. |
