Dewhurst promises to pass CHIP bill today

Valley Interfaith and its sister organizations rallied this morning for the state Senate to pass the Children’s Health Insurance program reforms that have already passed the state House.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who leads the Senate, appeared with them and promised to act.

The full Senate is slated to pass the reform today, allowing families to fill out a paper application every 12 months instead of the current six-month period, Dewhurst said.

The version that passed the House would add another 100,000 children to the CHIP program. About twice as many have been dropped from the program since the Legislature changed eligibility rules in 2003.

The Senate version goes a step further in testing eligibility by allowing the state to electronically verify some families’ income between the times they submit paper applications. Dewhurst said he did not have a goal of a specific number of children to return to the program, only that all eligible children are enrolled.

“There’s not a number,” Dewhurst said. “I am committed. I have always been committed that any child that’s eligible ought to be on the CHIP roll.”

Defibrillators closer to being placed in every school

A proposal to require a defibrillator in every public school in Texas received preliminary approval Monday in the House and is expected to receive final approval today.

The bill by state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and other lawmakers would also require the devices at athletic events and require schools to train students in their use as part of their health curriculum.

The bill has already passed the Senate. It must be approved by the governor before it becomes law.

Bill to reorganize Valley, other courts dies in House

Rio Grande Valley House members on Monday said they were glad a bill to reorganize Texas civil courts had died in the state House after they worked to kill it.

House Bill 1204 by Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, would have converted many county courts at law to state district courts. It would also allow county courts to hear cases involving up to only $100,000 in damage claims, rather than the current $750,000, and it would give justices of the peace additional casework.

Valley judges and justices of the peace had uniformly objected to the bill, said state Rep. Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen, a member of the judiciary committee.

“It was a just a huge revamping of the courts that was not going to be good for the Valley,” she said.

State Reps. Armando “Mando” Martinez, D-Weslaco, and Ismael “Kino” Flores, D-Palmview, each said they also worked to kill the bill.

The bill was killed on a point of order, or technical issue.

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Elizabeth Hernandez covers the state capital for Valley Freedom Newspapers. She is based in Austin and can be reached at (512) 323-0622. For this and more local stories, visit www.themonitor.com