May 16, 2012      4:27 PM HANCOCK SETS RECORD STRAIGHT Points out that he has been endorsed by Mayors of Southlake, Watauga, Haltom City and Irving Yesterday we wrote that Todd Smith's endorsement by Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price gave the Euless state rep a clean mayoral sweep of endorsements in the senate district. Not so pointed out opponent Kelly Hancock. Hancock reminds us that he has been endorsed bhy the mayors of Southlake, Watauga, Haltom City and Irving. Copyright May 16, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 16, 2012      4:26 PM CAMPAIGN SHORTS Residency and RPT closes Santorum speech to press The local paper in Lewisville delves at length into the circumstances surrounding HD 106 candidate Pat Fallon’s move into Denton County and whether it was done in time to properly establish residency for his run for the House seat. These residency questions often get murky and the newspaper writer here indicates it’s difficult to say definitively if he did anything improper by registering to vote at a rental property in Denton County while he was building a house in HD 106. Before the move, he was a Collin County resident. The rest of the story, subscribers only Copyright May 16, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 16, 2012      4:05 PM SCOTT: TESTING MAKES SCHOOLS ACCOUNTABLE FOR EVERY CHILD Ed commish clarifies position on high-stakes testing, talks down drill and kill methods Commissioner Robert Scott’s comments about the  “perversion of testing” and the “military-industrial complex” of testing vendors have become a rallying cry for a national anti-high stakes testing backlash, but Scott insists he still remains committed to the accountability system created in Texas almost 20 years ago. Scott’s controversial testing remarks were made to the Texas Association of School Administrators’ Midwinter Conference in a speech clearly drafted to be his last to the group. In the intervening months, much has happened: a third of Texas school districts, via resolution, have called for a new look at the accountability system; the more rigorous STAAR test has completed its first cycle; and, yes, Scott resigned in May after surpassing mentor Mikes Moses’ tenure as state commissioner. It’s unlikely Scott expected his Midwinter remarks to light a fire under a simmering anger against testing that began in Texas and has spread to states across the country. And, barring clarifications with a number of editorial boards around the state in February, Scott has said little to correct or clarify his remarks. The rest of the story, subscribers only Copyright May 16, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 16, 2012      1:59 PM SHARP ELBOWS THROWN BETWEEN VEASEY, GARCIA IN CD 33 PRIMARY CONTEST Veasey criticizes Garcia's comments about GM, American Airlines last week; Garcia responds with line about Veasey being "paid for errand boy" The Dallas Morning News’ Gromer Jeffers has a good recap on today’s shots fired between state Rep. Marc Veasey and former state Rep. Domingo Garcia in the CD 33 Democratic primary. Veasey called a press conference this morning to highlight comments made by Garcia in a debate last week critical of GM, American Airlines and a fighter jet made by Lockheed Martin. The common denominator is that they are big employers in the DFW area. The rest of the story, subscribers only Copyright May 16, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 16, 2012      10:50 AM NEW TV SPOT: HD 43 INCUMBENT JM LOZANO AIRS "DEAR CARLOS" In which the former Democrat says he's running for re-election to the Legislature to protect his son from Barack Obama Copyright May 16, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 16, 2012      10:43 AM NEW TV SPOT: HD 88 CANDIDATE KEN KING LETS YOU KNOW WHERE HE'S FROM The candidate gives his take on the Panhandle in his attempt to stand out in a crowded primary field. Copyright May 16, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 15, 2012      4:06 PM CAMPAIGN ODDS & ENDS Lon Burnam goes on the offensive in his hotly contested primary campaign and Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht's Democratic challenger files suit to bump him from the ballot Some campaign field notes on the second day of early voting… --- One of our hotlist races on the Democratic side is showing further signals of heating up. HD 90 incumbent Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth) blasted his challenger’s ties to a Fort Worth attorney who was indicted last month for falsifying campaign contributions. According to a story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Mario X. Perez was charged with making false filings in connection with an Arlington school board member’s campaign. Perez, according to the story, has pushed both the Arlington and Fort Worth school districts to start using the law firm where he was employed (he has since left the firm) to collect delinquent taxes. Last summer, a Star-Telegram editorial writer wrote about the relationship between Perez and Burnam’s challenger, Carlos Vasquez, noting Perez was “phoning and texting” Vasquez – a Fort Worth ISD trustee – during a no-lobbying period before the vote on the tax collection contract. The rest of the story, subscribers only Copyright May 15, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 15, 2012      2:24 PM MAYORS GIVETH AND MAYORS TAKE AWAY….ENDORSEMENTS Todd Smith now endorsed by every mayor in his district, Lance Gooden loses one In his race for the GOP nomination to SD9, State Rep Todd Smith secured the support of Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price. “While serving as our State Representative for more than 15 years, Todd has been a tireless advocate for the best interests of the taxpayers and families of Fort Worth and surrounding areas, and I’m convinced he’ll continue to put them first as our Senator.” Mayor Price said. The rest of the story, subscribers only Copyright May 15, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 15, 2012      1:55 PM TWIA BOARD SPLITS THE DIFFERENCE ON RATE INCREASE PROPOSALS Gives the go-ahead to seek a 5 percent across the board rate hike but defers a decision on a ratings adjustment reflecting risk and exposure by territory The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association this morning agreed to ask for a 5 percent increase on all residential and commercial policies that would go into effect next year. But they deferred action on a supplemental rate hike that would have been guided by territorial ratings. The average rate increase on residential policies under the proposed supplemental rate increase is 4.7 percent while the proposed increase on commercial policies is 1.7 percent. But because the rates are tied to territory within the TWIA region, some areas would see increases significantly above the average increase – as much as 10 percent – while other areas would see a rate reduction. The supplemental rate adjustment, which would have gone into effect in October, came out of an independent rate analysis conducted by Merlinos & Associates. TWIA actuaries have for years been saying that the current rate structure isn’t sufficient to handle a catastrophic tropical storm. Collected premiums mostly pay out smaller claims that crop up over the course of the year, meaning the state’s windstorm insurer of last resort has found it difficult to build up its catastrophe reserve fund. In fact, the Merlinos study indicated a much higher rate increase is needed than what TWIA actuaries have been saying. According to Merlinos’ rate analysis, rates on residential policies would have to rise by an average of 46.8 percent on residential policies and by an average of 35.4 percent on commercial policies to put TWIA on an actuarially sound financial footing. The rest of the story, subscribers only Copyright May 15, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 15, 2012      12:12 PM MIKE HAMILTON TOUTS CONSERVATIVE VALUES IN NEW TV SPOT "A little rough around the edges" Copyright May 15, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 14, 2012      5:16 PM NURSES PUSH FOR GREATER PRESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY In a state where not enough physicians are on hand to meet demand, a coalition of nurses say giving them greater authority to write scripts will lead to greater efficiency; the TMA say they back a team approach that is clinically integrated and physician led EDITOR'S NOTE: This post has been modified to reflect that Ray Perryman performed his economic study as a member of the nurses coalition, not for the coalition as reported originally. There’s broad consensus that Texas doesn’t have enough physicians, a gap sure to be exacerbated by the state’s phenomenal population growth, the push under the federal health care law to provide a basic level of health care for more people as well as state budget writers looking to wring more savings in coming sessions. But when it comes to finding a solution for the physician crunch, a consensus is harder to hold. In its simplest terms, doctors could use help. For example, 185 Texas counties are considered medically underserved and parts of 46 others also fall under that designation. And an array of health care providers, such as nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, are poised to step in to handle more of the medical activities handled by doctors. But these scope of practice questions are difficult for physicians’ groups who are loathe to surrender anything that might lead to downgrading doctors’ primacy in diagnosing and treating illness. The rest of the story, subscribers only Copyright May 14, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 14, 2012      5:11 PM GROUP WITH TIES TO REALTORS RUNNING ADS IN DISTRICT TO UNSEAT WAYNE CHRISTIAN For now, the Realtors, who have endorsed Christian’s challenger in HD 9, are the only group attached to Texans for Responsible Government but more of the PAC’s contributors should appear in the next campaign finance report A group with links to the Texas Association of Realtors is making a last ditch effort to defeat East Texas state Rep. Wayne Christian (R-Center), promulgating a website and TV spot attacking the incumbent’s conservative credentials. The political action committee is called Texans for Responsible Government. In its 30-day report filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, it did not report any fundraising activity. The expenses to pay for the ads and the website (as well as the contributions used to pay for them) could show as early as next week when 8-day reports are filed. The rest of the story, subscribers only Copyright May 14, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 14, 2012      5:00 PM PRESS RELEASE SECTION HEADLINES Endorsements, Ethical conundrums and big trouble PONCHO NEVAREZ CAMPAIGN:  PONCHO NEVAREZ SNARES DEL RIO NEWSPAPER ENDORSEMENT! ROBERT NICHOLS CAMPAIGN:  NICHOLS ENDORSED BY ASSOCIATIONS REFLECTIVE OF HIS DISTRICT AMBER FULTON CAMPAIGN:  BIG TROUBLE FOR HOUSE CANDIDATE PAT FALLON JAMES WILSON CAMPAIGN:  RIDDLE ACCUSED OF ACCEPTING OVER $100,000 IN ILLEGAL CONTRIBUTIONS  TOM GRAY CAMPAIGN:  BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION EAGLE ENDORSES CHIEF JUSTICE TOM GRAY TEXAS PARENT PAC:  ENDORSES REPUBLICAN MARY LOOKADOO FOR ELECTION TO TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 5 BOATING TRADES ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS:  ENDORSES LARRY TAYLOR FOR SENATE DISTRICT 11 VICKI TRUITT CAMPAIGN:  LOCAL LEADERS, CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATION PRO-LIFE GROUPS AND OTHERS ENDORSE REPRESENTATIVE VICKI TRUITT TSCRA PAC:  SUPPORTS SPEAKER STRAUS FOR TEXAS HOUSE TSCRA PAC:  SUPPORTS ED THOMPSON FOR TEXAS HOUSE DOUG MILLER CAMPAIGN:  TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS ENDORSES REP. DOUG MILLER YOUNG CONSERVATIVES OF TEXAS:  REPUBLICAN VOTERS:  BEWARE RINO IMPOSTERS ELIZABETH AMES JONES CAMPAIGN:  WENTWORTH'S ETHICAL CONUNDRUM TEXAS TEAM:  REPORT:  GREATER USE OF NURSES IN TEXAS WOULD SPARK HUGE ECONOMIC GAINS, IMPROVE HEALTH CARE ACCESS JAIME TIJERINA CAMPAIGN:  GREG ABBOTT, TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL ENDORSES JAIME TIJERINA FOR 13TH COURT OF APPEALS, PLACE 4 BILL CALLEGARI CAMPAIGN:  ENDORSED BY TEXANS FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY JIM PITTS CAMPAIGN:  TEXAS STATE ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS ENDORSES JIM PITTS WAYNE CHRISTIAN CAMPAIGN:  TEXAS FARM BUREAU AGFUND ENDORSES REP. WAYNE CHRISTIAN FOR RE-ELECTION TO HOUSE DISTRICT 9 BILL BURCH CAMPAIGN:  CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 25 CANDIDATE COMPARISONS RON SIMMONS CAMPAIGN:  ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENT FROM CONCERNED WOMEN FOR AMERICA LEGISLATIVE ACTION COMMITTEE STEVE SMITH CAMPAIGN:  JUDGE STEVE SMITH WINS BAR POLL BY A LANDSLIDE Copyright May 14, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 14, 2012      1:58 PM IN NEW TV SPOT, AMES JONES BLASTS WENTWORTH FOR ETHICAL LAPSES 30 second spot says he was "criminally investigated" Copyright May 14, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 14, 2012      1:49 PM BILL GRUSENDORF: SILLY SEASON IN THE INTERIM -- HERE WE GO AGAIN Ideological agendas target rural schools with a blind eye Well it’s silly season again.  No, I’m not talking about the primaries, the NFL draft or baseball. I’m talking about that time in the state’s biennium when a joint select committee on funding public schools starts to meet. This Thursday, May 17th, the latest joint select committee on public school finance will begin meeting. The last time we went through this exercise two years ago the committee met numerous times all across the state, took hours of testimony, was repeatedly briefed by TEA staff, and talked, and talked and talked some more.  And what came from it?  Nothing.  Not a thing.  No report was ever issued.  No recommendations ever made. The only thing the committee accomplished was to kick the can down the road on school finance (again) and forced school districts to go to court to get some positive action. In my 50+ years advocating for rural schools and public education one of the things I’ve learned that you can count on from these meetings is that folks who have an anti-public education agenda will pontificate on something they have never actually done: run a school district. Consolidation of districts is always one of their favorite topics. Each biennium I point out that consolidation does not save money. Why not? Let’s think about it.  Consolidation almost always results in a school closure in a community.  Those children now have to be bused to a different school almost always located much further away in another community.  As a matter of fact, It’s not unusual for rural school children to be in a school bus more than two hours a day! As a result, when rural districts are consolidated student transportation costs increase. The rest of Bill Grusendorf's column can be found in today's R&D Department. Copyright May 14, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved May 14, 2012      10:41 AM SELIGER RUNS POSITIVE TV SPOT How many town hall meetings? Copyright May 14, 2012, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved