Having faced six major school finance lawsuits since 1984, the Texas Legislature has traditionally stayed away from passing major reforms while the courts are in the process of sorting out the issue.
Why? Because any eventual ruling can wipe out policies that legislators have just approved.
Well, so much for conventional wisdom.
House Public Education Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock has announced plans for a sweeping school finance makeover. And he's not waiting for the conclusion of an ongoing case in which the state Supreme Court will review a state district judge's finding that Texas' public education funding is unconstitutionally inadequate and unfairly distributed.
A final ruling won't come until after the legislative session is over, but Aycock says he has bipartisan support to pour an extra $3 billion into classrooms and help restructure funding formulas now.
"We just want to look at what is right to do, regardless of where the court case falls," said Aycock, a Killeen Republican.
Tradition mandates not touching school finance amid court cases, however, because lawmakers have been down that road before.
In 1991, legislators overhauled school finance laws to create county education district tax rates in response to previous lawsuits. Less than nine months later, the Texas Supreme Court declared that unconstitutional.
Aycock said he's well aware all this session's work could be voided by court order, but "this is at least an attempt."
Here are other issues that had strong weeks — and didn't — in Texas politics.
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WHAT'S UP
Tax Cuts
The Senate has approved $4.6 billion in tax cuts, the largest of their kind since 2006. Some powerful business lobbying groups have panned the plans, though, saying top firms will end up shouldering larger tax burdens while small businesses get breaks. That means the tax-cut package may not be a slam-dunk in the House.
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WHAT'S DOWN
Removing Judges From Straight-Party Ticket Voting
Rep. Ken Sheets' bill would pull judges' names from straight-party voting tickets. The Dallas Republican argues that strong judges often get unnecessarily booted from office during a banner election year for one party or the other. The bill was left pending in House committee, but not before it drew criticism from some of Sheets' colleagues and other bipartisan elected officials. Among the concerns expressed: The bill could confuse voters and hurt turnout.
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Prohibiting County Clerks From Recognizing Same-Sex Marriage
A plan to bar state and local employees from licensing or recognizing same-sex marriages — even if the U.S. Supreme Court eventually overturns Texas' statewide ban — has attracted loads of attention. But its notoriety may exceed its chances of becoming law. After emotional debate in House committee, the bill was left pending. Democrats have decried it as anti-gay. Republicans, meanwhile, oppose the extra costs associated with the bill since it mandates that marriage license issuance duties would go to the secretary of state rather than individual counties. It would cost Texas $1.4 million during the first year and $1 million annually afterward.
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