Part-Time Legislature Can Create Financial Hardship
This is one in a series of occasional stories about ethics and transparency in the part-time Texas Legislature.
In his two decades in the Texas Legislature, Rep. Garnet Coleman has learned to hustle.
The Houston Democrat has gone bankrupt once, come close to it one time after that and managed to rebuild his finances yet again while remaining in office. During certain periods, he said, his wife has worked two jobs to support their family so he could stay in the Texas House.
"I'm using this word not in the negative connotation, but it's when you feel like ...
Comments (28)
John Johnson
In Singapore, elected officials are paid very high salaries and laws are in place which prohibit them taking literally anything of value from anyone. If we did something similar in Texas, I think our insurance, electricity, telephones, cable fees, etc. would all end up costing the consumer less money.
The fact that Eissler the lobbyist considers himself still a lawmaker says it all. He can now use other people's throw around money to garner votes. I appreciate his honesty.
Joe Estep via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The less time they are in Austin the less damage they can do. Why would we want a bunch like we have in DC running the State? I have no problem with wealthy people except that I wish I were one. Do not try to stir up class war nonsense in Texas. If they do not run the state as we wish we can toss them out.
Johnny Hughes via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The lobby had out money. They get theirs.
Mac Mcclure via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Full time politicians can think of all kinds of ways to take more of our freedom and spend our money. The system we have works don't change it. Well, maybe the only change I would make would be to outlaw lawyers from running for office and have a 10 year ban on becoming a lobbyist after they leave office.
Bambi Clark via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Crony capitalists is what you get.
Casey Bennett via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Term limits, pure and simple. State or Federal level,,,,no more than 2 terms in office. Wealthy or not,,,,I want some one in office that has at least some idea of how a successful business is ran.
Rick Scott McGuckin via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Pay them a decent wage, and loosen the grip of special interests. The 1%ers started this 'class war' BS, it's not class war when you fight back.
Rick Scott McGuckin via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Government isn't a business, republicans make it one when they want to privatize everything, with less accountability and more corporate giveaways of taxpayer money.
Lori Trammell via Texas Tribune on Facebook
They need to go home and live under the laws they pass. The longer they are in Austin the longer they will sit around looking for ways to insert their names on bills and themselves into our lives. Serve and go home. No full time politicians.
Carlitos Way via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Texas always bringing up the rear. $600 a month? I think it does create an environment of where only the rich can afford to stay in office. Pretty sad. Something should be changed. Do the people not have a say in this? Why am I even asking? In today's world you would definitely need somebody to work full time to do an efficient job. This state gives millions to large corporations to come here and set up camp and pay people poorly and the state can't afford to give teachers and lawmakers a decent salary? Makes no sense.
Molly O'Rielly via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Yes! The founding fathers meant well but it has turned into a disaster! The only people that are able to afford to work in our legislature are the independently wealthy. Plus, they have to not only be wealthy but they have to be able to take months off of work every two years. The middle and lower classes are NOT represented in the Capital. This isn't a slam on wealthy people, this is just pointing out the fact that a system such as ours prevents anyone that isn't wealthy from holding office.
Molly O'Rielly via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Not to mention the few months they are able to work means they have to cram thousands of pieces of legislation through. How do we expect our law makers to actually read and understand what they are passing if they have to pass thousands of bills within 140 days?? It is nonsense.
Aron Pena via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Increase pay to that of a teacher and make it full time.
Lori Trammell via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Term limits won't make sense until we deal with the lifetime benefits costs. And do we really need thousands of pieces of legislation every year? I think not.
Molly O'Rielly via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Lori we actually do need thousands of piece of legislature year. They pass bills dealing with everything in Texas including transportation, farming, water, education, health care, safety, drought conditions, etc. etc. etc. I'll agree there are bills that are introduced that are total nonsense, but step out side of your house.... what do you see? Clean air? Clean water? Decent roads and bridges? Do your kids go to public schools or public universities? Does anyone in your family have medicare, medicaid, or any other state run service? Do you get the mail? Is your house build with safe building codes???? Etc. Etc. People don't realize that our state governments create the foundation that our world around us thrives on. I know people don't like to accept that but it is the truth and we expect our law makers in Texas to run this state properly by only meeting for 140 days every two years with little to no pay?!?!?!?! They won't even get education figured out by the end of this session let alone everything else they need to get done.
Molly O'Rielly via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Have you ever seen how big a budget bill is? It is impossible for some one to even read that whole thing in 140 days let alone the new rules they have to adopt every new session
Margaret Metcalf via Texas Tribune on Facebook
If it's working, don't fix it!
Luisa Inez Newton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Part time legislators are amateurs and unprofessional. Texas deserves better than the corrupt religious hicks who dominate our state politics and make us the laughing stock of the USA
Linda Hunter via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Casey, I want someone in office who understands--and values--education. I want legislators who understand how education is run!
Proud Texan
Don't forget folks, when the state first adopted $600/month, it was worth a lot more than it is today. There's no perfect answer to this issue. Part-time is certainly better than full-time, but to be a citizen legislature, you need people from all walks of life. That's hard to accomplish if you pay them a paltry sum.
Matthew Cowan via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Those who think that only the "rich" can run for office because they pay them almost nothing just need to look at Congress. They are full time and are paid well and almost all of them are well of rich people. So changing the pay and having them full time does not change who runs for office.
A full time legislature just fills its time with passing laws that are unnecessary, intrusive and abusive of the rights of its citizen. The last thing we need to do is encourage politicians to stay and make more laws.
Matthew Cowan via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Molly, thousands of pieces of legislation are not passed in the 140 days. In fact very few bills are passed. Most never get out of committee. They realize that they have 140 days so they prioritize what they do and what they pass. Issues like the Budget are actually started in the fall before the session by the Legislative Budget Board prior to the session. All the agencies will already have had hearings and budgets submitted. Other issues that require studying are assigned as interim charges. The legislators will meet a few times as committees in the time between sessions to examine certain issues and report back to the Legislature when they come into session.
Our system works. Those who wrote thew State Constitution, new that you do not want a full time legislature and that limiting them to 140 days every two years ensures that they little gets passed except that what is really needed so that they can do as little damage to the state as possible. Want an example of a full-time legislature that screws up things? Look at California and New York!
John Johnson
Part time and low pay = unprepared wealthy person or attorney whose partners continue to put checks in their account in return for things to come = someone looking for help = lobbyist with answers and money for next campaign = a big corrupt mess.
John Johnson
To clarify...I'm all for part time. Just pay more and put the strictest lobbying laws in the country in affect at the same time.
vernon
Casey Bennet - Term limits on legislators ensure the loss of valuable institutional knowledge. It also greatly empowers unaccountable staff members and lobbyists to wield an undue influence on legislation and policy. It also needlessly forces out good legislators.
If you're so eager to have businessmen run the state run like a business, why advocate this policy? Successful businesses don't tell their CEOs that no matter how well they perform, they're gone in 2 years.
Lastly, running the state is not like running a business. Some business skills do transfer over, but knowing how to run a Ford dealership doesn't necessarily help one craft a statewide water policy or an equitable public school funding policy.
Nico Suave via Texas Tribune on Facebook
You should do comparisons of legislative pensions as well. Texas legislator pensions are tied to a district judges salary and in contrast to their "pay" the pensions are among the most lavish in the country. Doubly so when you understand that part time really is 140 days and a smattering of interim meetings over two years.
Nico Suave via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Also let's not forget that a "part time" legislature does not create financial hardship. After all, the salary is well-known. Rather the decision to take on this type of work without suitable attention to how one will provide for oneself during this period is what creates the hardship. If you can't deal with the heat, as they say....
Debra Uetz via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Ben Franklin said, we have the best politicians that money can buy.