Archives for January 2011

Clarendon College and other Texas community colleges were shocked last Wednesday when a budget proposal from the Texas House of Representatives cut $767 million from their funding and eliminated state support entirely for four colleges, including Frank Phillips at Borger.

But new CC President Phil Shirley urged people not to panic in the light of the news and said a lot will change before the final budget is approved.

“There is a lot of saber rattling going on right now [in Austin],” Shirley told the CC Board of Regents at its regular meeting Thursday. “There will be terrible recommendations, but I don’t think the state will close anyone.”

By Monday, the Texas Senate had proposed a budget which still cuts community colleges’ funding but restores state support of Frank Phillips as well as Odessa, Ranger, and Brazosport.

“I hear that there are severe cuts [in the Senate proposal], but they are across the board,” Shirley told the Enterprise Tuesday.

Shirley said lawmakers need to stop “scare tactics” and stop talking about cutting health insurance funds for community colleges. He also said the state needs to let local colleges decide where to cut their budgets, and he said the Legislature needs to consider more than just cutting funds.

“It’s time to tap that Rainy Day Fund and look at other avenues to raise money,” Shirley said.

In other college business last week, CC Regents approved naming two new workforce education buildings at the Pampa Center in honor of former president Bill Auvenshine and Pampa Center Foundation member Don Lane. A dedication for those buildings will be held on March 24.

The board approved the purchase of EMT and nursing training equipment for the Pampa Center totaling almost $130,000 and paid for by the Pampa Economic Development Corporation.

Shirley also reported to the board that Tex Selvidge is working part time as a recruiter for the college and said Scarlet Estlack had been named Interim Dean of Instruction.

Dean of Students Tex Buckhaults gave preliminary enrollment figures for the spring, which showed a third straight year of record growth. Final numbers will be released after the 12th class day.

Cities in Donley County received welcome news of higher revenues this month when Texas Comptroller Susan Combs released information about January sales tax allotments.

The City of City of Clarendon received $24,395.73 for the month, which is up 18.34 percent from the same period one year ago.

Howardwick’s allotment grew 46.9 percent to $1,283.88; and Hedley’s revenue climbed 67.77 percent for an allotment of $582.24

Combs said across the state local tax revenues $453.2 million are up 11.9 percent compared to January 2010.

“This marks the ninth consecutive month of year-over-year improvement in sales tax revenues, with increases posted across the board,” Combs said.

“There were increases in the oil and natural gas and manufacturing sectors reflecting recovering business spending. Sales tax in the retail trade and restaurant sectors were also up. We forecast growth in sales tax revenue for the current fiscal year as well as the next two fiscal years.”

State sales tax revenue in December was $1.81 billion, up 9.4 percent compared to December 2009.

Texas cities received January sales tax allocations of $302.6 million, up 10.3 percent compared to January 2010. In addition, $18.9 million will go to 175 special purpose taxing districts around the state, up 16.8 percent compared to last January.
December state sales tax collections and January allocations to local governments represent sales that occurred in November.

The Comptroller’s next sales tax allocation will be made on Friday, February 11.
For details of January sales tax payments, locate the Monthly Sales Tax Allocation Comparison Summary Reports on the Comptroller’s Web site at www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/allocsum/compsum.html.

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives last week voted to repeal the new health care law, taking the initial step toward rolling back the massive overhaul.

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon), who sponsored the repeal bill, voted in favor of the measure, which is a straight repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and all health care and tax provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

“This law is bad for our businesses, for our patients and doctors, and for the country. It’s already negatively affected care and costs. People continue to want it repealed, and tonight, the House took the first major step toward meeting that expectation,” said Thornberry.

The health care law is an issue that he hears about often, from both local businesses as well as concerned residents of the 13th District, Thornberry said. Recent polls indicate support for repeal of the bill remains strong. Large and small business groups across the country have been voicing support for the repeal, citing the bill’s impact on companies and the overall economy.

In a letter delivered to the House last Wednesday, a coalition representing the country’s largest small business associations, including the Associated Builders and Contractors, the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Restaurant Association, the Printing Industries of America, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, warn that the health care law impedes hiring and growth. The letter outlines the groups’ support for repeal of the new health care law. Additionally, a recent study by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), the nation’s largest small business association, found that an employer mandate alone could lead to the elimination of 1.6 million jobs between 2009 and 2014, with 66 percent of those coming from small businesses.

The Speaker of the House John Boehner and the Republican majority have scheduled a vote for Thursday to instruct the committees to begin working on replacement reform bills. These alternative proposals contain a number of options, including creating lower health care premiums through increased competition and choice; providing access to affordable health care for people with pre-existing conditions; providing greater Medicaid flexibility for states; eliminating waste in the health care system; and banning federal funding for abortions.

Last Tuesday, Thornberry introduced two pieces of health care reform legislation aimed at increasing access to affordable health care coverage. The first, H.R. 315, the Health Care Paperwork Reduction and Fraud Prevention Act, standardizes and simplifies billing practices while protecting patient privacy. Studies show upwards of 21 to 31 percent of all the money spent on health care in the U.S. is spent on paperwork and regulations.

The second bill, H.R. 314, the Medical Liability Procedural Reform Act, encourages states to establish health courts to decrease frivolous medical lawsuits and ensure access to the doctor of a patient’s choice.

“My view is that we need reform. But Congress has a better chance of getting it right and of maintaining the trust of the American people if it takes reform in bite-sized chunks, starting with one or two reforms and building on them. These two bills represent solid first steps toward better care at lower costs to everyone,” Thornberry said.