Let the Sun Shine: Signed on to support recorded votes

Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News - dallasnews.com - 5/10/04

The momentum to record legislative votes is growing. We hope the Texas Senate catches the fever as it takes up school finance issues this week.

GOP Sen. Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio is the latest elected official to join the cause. He signed up last week as a sponsor of Dallas GOP Sen. John Carona's effort to amend the Texas Constitution to require legislators to record nearly all of their votes.

Sample resolution: Send to your representatives

More groups also have joined the statewide coalition to open up Texas government since we last raised this issue in April. Today, more than 78 key organizations, individuals and newspapers tell us theysupport requiring legislators to record their votes on committee actions, floor amendments, conference reports and the second and third readings of bills. Momentum is developing because citizens are convinced they deserve to know how their legislators vote on actions affecting them.

Unfortunately, that message hasn't gotten through to the Legislature. Texas remains one of only nine states that doesn't require its representatives and senators to record at least some of their votes. As a result, legislators can hide their moves.

But there are reasons to hope:

Sen. Carona's constitutional amendment has been referred to the Senate Administration Committee. We urge the committee's chairman, GOP Sen. Chris Harris of Arlington, to hold a hearing on the legislation. As he does, we encourage him to invite in experts from other states, like Norm Moore, the chief clerk of the Arizona Legislature, where votes are routinely recorded. The president of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries, Mr. Moore recently addressed a group of Texas editors on this subject.

At the urging of Democratic Rep. Steve Wolens of Dallas, the House recorded its school finance votes last week. As a result, the rest of us got to learn how representatives voted. That's progress, although the House needs to join the Carona crusade to amend the Constitution so that votes always are recorded.

The issue couldn't be more simple: Taxpayers should see how their legislators vote. They particularly should on a fundamental matter like school finance. ere is a list of organizations and individuals who, as of Dec. 28, 2004, have told us they support recorded votes:

CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS

AARP Chapter 946 — Dallas
AGE Council (Advocacy Group for Elders)
American Association of University Women — Farmers Branch/Carrollton
American Association of University Women — Greater Lewisville
American Association of University Women — Mesquite
American Association of University Women — Plano/Collin County
American Association of University Women — Texas
American Jewish Committee — Dallas Chapter
Amstar Systems Inc.
Angelina County Democratic Party
The Association for Women in Communications, Austin Chapter
Campaigns for People
Church Women United of Dallas
Citizens for Equality
Clean Air Now
Colleyville Heritage High School PTSA
Common Cause of Texas
Community Homes for Adults Inc., Dallas
Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio
Concerned Taxpayers of Arlington
Congregation, Anshai Torah, Plano
Congregation, Kol Ami, Flower Mound
Congregation, Shearith Israel, Dallas
Congregation, Tiferet Israel, Dallas
Consumers Union of the U.S., Southwest office
Council on the Status & Role of Women in First United Methodist Church of Dallas
Dallas Chapter of Hadassah
Dallas Chapter, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
Democratic Party of Bell County
Democratic Party of Collin County
Democratic Party of Texas
Department of Texas Veterans of Foreign Warsx
Downwinders at Risk
Drug Policy Forum of Texas
Duncanville Chamber of Commerce
Freedom and Justice Foundation
Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas
Gray Panthers of Texas
HomeOwners for Better Building
Irving Havurah (Community Synagogue of Greater Dallas)
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Dallas
League of Women Voters of Dallas
League of Women Voters of Denton
League of Women Voters of Gainesville
League of Women Voters of Irving
League of Women Voters of Kerrville area
League of Women Voters of Lubbock County
League of Women Voters of Plano/Collin County
League of Women Voters of Richardson
League of Women Voters of Tarrant County
League of Women Voters of Texas
League of Women Voters of Tyler
Lubbock City Council
LULAC International Council 4779
MetroTex Association of Realtors
Monday Morning News and Schmooze Group, Austin
National Association of Social Workers/Texas Chapter
The National Council of Jewish Women — Greater Dallas section
North Dallas Texas Democratic Women
O.C. Taylor PTA, Colleyville
Older Women’s League
Parkhill Junior High School PTA, Richardson Independent School District
Planned Parenthood of North Texas Inc.
Prestonwood Elementary School PTA, Richardson Independent School District
PROVE (Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education)
Public Citizen — Texas
Realtors Supporting Richardson Schools
Republican Party of Texas
Richardson Retired Teachers Association
Rudy Rogers’ seventh-grade class — 2003-04, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Dallas
Social Action Council, First Unitarian Church of Dallas
Stemmons Corridor Business Association
Student Government Association, Collin County Community College District
Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition (SEED)
Temple Emanu-El, Dallas
Texans for Public Justice
Texas Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (TARAL)
Texas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents
Texas Chapters of the Million Mom March United with the Brady Campaign (Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio)
Texas Classroom Teachers Association
Texas Consumer Association
Texas Democratic Women — South Plains
Texas Impact
Texas League of Conservation Voters
Texas Mental Health Consumers
Texas Neighborhoods Together
Texas Senior Advocacy Coalition
TexPIRG (Texas Public Interest Research Group)
The Williams Company of Dallas
Women’s Council of Dallas County, Texas, Inc.
Women’s Issues Network

STATE OFFICIALS

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Republican

STATE REPRESENTATIVES

Republicans
Ray Allen, Grand Prairie
Dan Branch, Dallas
Toby Goodman, Arlington
Tony Goolsby, Dallas
Linda Harper-Brown, Irving
Bob Hunter, Abilene
Carl Isett, Lubbock
Delwin Jones, Lubbock
Bill Keffer, Dallas
Jodie Laubenberg, Parker
Brian McCall, Plano
Ken Paxton, McKinney
Todd Smith, Euless

Democrats
Roberto Alonzo, Dallas
Lon Burnam, Fort Worth
David Farabee, Wichita Falls
Roberto Gutierrez, McAllen
Scott Hochberg, Houston
Charles L. "Chuck" Hopson, Jacksonville
Terri Hodge, Dallas
Jim McReynolds, Lufkin
Elliott Naishtat, Austin
Dora Olivo, Rosenberg
Aaron Pena, Edinburg
Miguel Wise, Weslaco
Steve Wolens, Dallas

STATE SENATORS

Republicans
John Carona, Dallas
Bob Deuell, Greenville
Jon Lindsay, Houston
Jeff Wentworth, San Antonio

Democrats
Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, McAllen
Eddie Lucio Jr., Brownsville
Eliot Shapleigh, El Paso

POLITICIANS

State Rep.-elect Rafael Anchia, D- Dallas
Former state Rep. Harryette Ehrhardt, Dallas Democrat
Former state Sen. A.R. "Babe" Schwartz, Galveston Democrat

NEWS ORGANIZATIONS

Press Women of Texas
Texas Associated Press Broadcasters
Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Association
Texas Association of Broadcasters
Texas Daily Newspaper Association
Texas Press Association

NEWSPAPERS

Abilene Reporter-News
Amarillo Globe-News
Austin American-Statesman
The Baytown Sun
The Beaumont Enterprise
The Brownsville Herald
Bryan-College Station Eagle
The Cameron Herald
The Clarksville Times
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
The Daily Sentinel (Nacogdoches)
The Dallas Morning News
Denton Record-Chronicle
El Paso Times
The Facts (Clute)
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Houston Chronicle
Longview News-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
The Lufkin Daily News
Marshall News Messenger
The Monitor (McAllen)
Odessa American
The Rockdale Reporter
San Angelo Standard-Times
San Antonio Express-News
Texarkana Gazette
Texas City Sun
Texas Lawyer
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Valley Morning Star (Harlingen)
Waco Tribune-Herald
Wichita Falls Times Record News
Wise County Messenger