TEXAS HOUSE BILL 3 PASSES HOUSE, MEDIA

Well, the Texas House passed HB3 yesterday. Now it heads for the Senate, where activists of the anti- type are hoping it's amended (drastically) or defeated. Eight courageous and principled Republicans crossed Speaker Tom Craddick by voting against the bill with the Democrats.

But Democrats attacked the measure because it wouldn't raise additional funds for public education and, according to a recent report by the state comptroller, would give a net tax cut only to higher-income Texans.

And isn't this a cute rider? "State Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale, R-Tomball, gained approval of an amendment that would send any appeal of the constitutionality of the new tax law directly to the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court."

Why has there been so little in the Texas media, other than conservative talk radio, about this horrendous and cynical legislation? Aha! This might be a clue:

A proposed sales tax on newspaper sales was stripped from the bill. Donnis Baggett, publisher and editor of the Bryan-College Station Eagle, said he was "very pleased" by the change.

"It's a cumbersome and inefficient revenue-generating measure," said Baggett, past president of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association.