Texas: Texas Legislature

Texas has some of the best mouth watering barbeque in the country. We have some of the best college football and education and our high school football program is second to none. But we have something that all of America can learn from: bad legislation. Congress is currently debating health care reform and could learn from the mistakes of the Texas Legislature over the last few years including insurance reform, tort reform, and deregulation.

Tort Reform.
In 2003 the Republican controlled Texas house ushered in sweeping tort reform, limiting medical malpractice suits to $250,000. These limits were supported by the insurance industry, some of the medical community, and their front groups calling themselves “Texans” and “Citizens” against lawsuit abuse.

Ill-fated Home Builders Commission to be Abolished
Texas Legislators lets the sun set on the Texas Residential Construction Commission

May 22, 2009 For immediate release.

For more information contact:
John Cobarruvias, Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings, Houston 281-536-2457
Tom Archer, President Homeowners of Texas Austin 512-970-8817

(Austin, Texas) Consumer groups across Texas are rejoicing over the decision by Texas Legislators to abolish the ill-fated, 6 year old, Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC trick).

According to John Cobarruvias of Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings "The TRCC was nothing but a builder protection agency shielding builders from being held accountable for construction defects. This is a great day for consumers in Texas".

In 2003 the Texas Legislature passed the Texas Residential Construction Commission Act, creating a Commission to regulate the home building industry and provide consumer protection for new home buyers.

In 2003 the Texas Legislature passed the Texas Residential Construction Commission Act, creating a Commission to regulate the home building industry and provide consumer protection for new home buyers. Six years later the Texas Comptrollers Office and the Texas Sunset Commission have called for the abolishment of the TRCC (trick). As the reports stated, the Commission is nothing more than a “builder protection agency” with “fundamental flaws that do more harm than good”. The fate of this ill-conceived Commission is currently in the hands of the Texas Senate. They should stand with the consumers of this state and let the sun set on this fatally flawed Commission.

A resolution to "Welcome home President Bush" by the Texas Legislature has had a bit of a tough sell. From Ken Herman of the Statesman:

The House Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism meets at 1 p.m. or upon adjournment in E1.010. It will hear Rep. Doc Anderson’s proposed resolution thanking former President George W. Bush. Democratic Rep. Lon Burnam objected to a previous version of Anderson’s resolution, saying it sounded a little too much like it was commending Bush for allowing torture, and also suggesting that it gave Bush too much credit for working with European allies. Ken Herman caught up with Anderson and Burnam to talk about the resolution on Monday: