Defender News Network

Black legislative agenda: Area lawmakers address issues

DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — The Defender asked the Houston area’s eight African-American legislators to address the issues they will personally focus on in Austin.

Published

5 years ago

January 25, 2019

Oakland Post

By Marilyn Marshall

The 86^thTexas Legislature is underway in Austin, and runs through May 27. Bills passed by the House and Senate will have a profound impact on the state’s residents. The Defender asked the Houston area’s eight African-American legislators to address the issues they will personally focus on in Austin, and why those issues are important to their constituents. Education is at the top of the list, followed by criminal justice reform and economic development.

TEXAS SENATE

BORRIS MILES

State Sen., District 13

“Our kids deserve a high-quality education and our schools are in need of more funding to help our kids reach their goals. I plan on building upon the $11 million I secured for the Student Success Initiative last session, targeted to assist African-American males, who statistically test poorly on state assessments and who rank among the lowest of all groups to attend college. My goal is to ensure that our African-American male youth are provided the tools to succeed where they can get a good paying job and stay out of the school to prison pipeline. The Texas leadership has stated that public education finance is a key priority even though they cut public education to the tune of $5 billion in 2011.Those cuts had a dramatic impact on our schools and communities. I plan on fighting for every single dollar that was cut to repair the damage and ensure our public schools are fully funded.”

TEXAS HOUSE

ALMA ALLEN

State Rep., District 131

In the 86th Legislative Session, my legislative package will largely focus on criminal justice reform. Specifically, I have filed HB 371 regarding penalty reduction, and I will be filing a bill on jury instructions. The criminal justice system disproportionately impacts the African- American community, and specifically the constituents of House District 131. African-American defendants are more likely to be handed longer sentences for the same crimes as non-minority defendants. The jury instruction legislation will require sentencing instructions to be accurate, so that jurors aren’t choosing longer sentences based on instructions that assume the defendant will be guaranteed certain time credits that would shorten their sentence. HB 371 would lower the penalties from felonies to misdemeanors for certain amounts of marijuana possession.

GARNET COLEMAN

State Rep., District 147

“Education is the great equalizer for Black people. That is why the number one issue I am focusing on this session is ensuring student success in our public schools. This includes modifying our school accountability system so districts like HISD are not punished for things outside of their control, which ultimately punishes the students when we should be putting students first. Additionally, we need to fix the school finance system to increase funding for our public schools, including funding for full-day quality prekindergarten and special education.”

HAROLD DUTTON

State Rep., District 142

“When I was elected over three decades ago, I promised that I would focus on making government more responsive to the needs of the people who elected me. Today, that remains at the top of the list for me. Our government continues to affect the African-American community in the areas of education, economic development, criminal justice, health care and mental health and just about every facet of our lives. As always, I intend to bring my legislative district’s perspectives to all of the issues.”

JARVIS JOHNSON

State Rep., District 139

“My two main focuses on the 86th Legislative session are creating an independent prison oversight and increasing mental health screening for peace officers. An independent prison oversight is incredibly important to African-Americans; African-Americans are incarcerated at five times the rate of whites in this state. With an independent prison oversight in place, I hope to decrease the likelihood of more inmates dying at the hands of guards, or having time added to their sentences because of planted contraband. Last year, more police officers died by suicide than in the line of duty. The safety and well-being our communities depend on having a strong and healthy police and fire force. This is a public safety crisis. Our police officers and firefighters need access to mental health care without fear of being reprimanded, or worse, losing their jobs. We need to prioritize the mental health of those who risk their lives for the safety of our communities.”

RON REYNOLDS

State Rep., District 27

“My top legislative priority for the 86^thLegislative session is economic empowerment for the African-American community. I have filed several bills to strengthen business opportunities for African American small businesses and raise the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour. My bills address the economic disparities that have plagued our communities for generations and create opportunities that lift Texans out of poverty and into the middle class and beyond. Unfortunately, the racial wage and wealth gaps in America are worsening. I will continue to support policies that strengthen protections for workers and expand Black entrepreneurship and business development. I will continue to fight for economic justice for African-Americans and speak truth to power.”

SHAWN THIERRY

State Rep., District 146

“I am working passionately ona wide range of issues affecting African-Americans, such as public education, healthcare and job creation. I am proud to have filed House Bill 612, which will require full day pre-K for economically disadvantaged children. I have also filed House Bill 719, to combat the inequities and disparities in health care treatment commonly experienced by African-Americans due to implicit bias and racism. In terms of jobs, African-Americans must be able to compete for top-tier jobs in emerging fields. Statistics show that Texas is a growing technological hub, yet many of our high school students are graduating without proficiency in the field of technology. As such, I have filed HB 580, providing grant funding to school districts that enroll students in career and technology education (CTE) courses. My bill will allow eligible schools to partner with private employers offering job training and paid internships to students enrolled in CTE courses. I believe all of these impactful pieces of legislation will provide benefits and added protections for my constituents in District 146, as well as African- Americans across the state of Texas.”

SENFRONIA THOMPSON

State Rep., District 141

“My legislative program is wide-ranging and includes subjects such as hurricane recovery, mental health, human trafficking, voting rights, equal pay and family law. While all of these issues are important to my district, my priority is criminal justice reform. Bills I am filing include legislation that would limit a peace officer from arresting an offender for most misdemeanors without a warrant, that would limit deadly force to situations where there is an eminent threat to an officer or another person, that would keep parents and their children together by encouraging community-based solutions for nonviolent offenses, and that would ensure that officers are consistently disciplined for misconduct by using a wider range of disciplinary actions appropriate to the misconduct. In a state that has always been considered “tough on crime,” I believe this is the right time to address these subjects.

Box

Five things to know

The Texas Legislative Black Caucus is comprised of state African-American lawmakers. The TLBC was formed in 1973 and Houston founding members were State Reps. Anthony Hall, Mickey Leland, Senfronia Thompson and Craig Washington. Houston State Rep. Harold Dutton is the current TLBC chair.
State Rep. Thompson, who was first elected to the Legislature in 1972, is longest-serving woman and African-American in Texas history.
The demographic breakdown of the 86^thLegislature is 64 percent white and 36 percent people of color, compared to the state of Texas breakdown which is 42 percent white and 58 percent people of color.
The age breakdown of the Legislature is 20-34, 3 percent; 35-49, 39 percent; 50-64, 37 percent; and 65 and older, 20 percent.
The Texas Senate is comprised of 31 members, with 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats. The Texas House of Representatives is comprised of 150 members, with Republicans holding a 95 to 55 majority.

This article originally appeared in the Defender News Network.

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Philadelphia honors Patti LaBelle with a street – but spells her name wrong

DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — Philadelphia honored singer Patti LaBelle with her very own street earlier this week. Unfortunately, the signs didn’t get her name right. The city’s Streets Department didn’t capitalize the “b″ in the legendary soul singer’s last name on the signs that were put up before Tuesday’s ceremony on Broad Street. A stretch between Locust and Spruce streets was renamed “Patti LaBelle Way” in honor of the Philadelphia native.

Published

5 years ago

August 19, 2019

Defender News Service

Patti LaBelle (Photo by: The Heart Truth | Wiki Commons)

By Defender News Service

Philadelphia honored singer Patti LaBelle with her very own street earlier this week. Unfortunately, the signs didn’t get her name right.

The city’s Streets Department didn’t capitalize the “b″ in the legendary soul singer’s last name on the signs that were put up before Tuesday’s ceremony on Broad Street. A stretch between Locust and Spruce streets was renamed “Patti LaBelle Way” in honor of the Philadelphia native.

City spokeswoman Deana Gamble tells The Philadelphia Inquirer the city is aware of the error and plans to install signs with the correct capitalization next week.

A sign that LaBelle autographed and held during the ceremony had the correct spelling.

She thanked all the fans who came out to the ceremony and reminisced about her parents walking down that very stretch of Broad Street.

This article originally appeared in the Defender News Network.

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Lee Daniels to briefly resurrect his cancelled ‘Star’ drama series

DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — Following news that the Fox Network cancelled the music drama Star after three seasons, comes word from producer Lee Daniels that the series will be making a comeback as a televised movie.

Published

5 years ago

August 19, 2019

Defender News Service

By Defender News Service

Following news that the Fox Network cancelled the music drama Star after three seasons, comes word from producer Lee Daniels that the series will be making a comeback as a televised movie.

“The bad news is that ‘Star’ is not getting picked up for series,” Daniels says in an Instagram video post recently, which he captioned “Get ready for a two-hour gag!!”

In the clip, he calls the circumstances surrounding the cancellation “too long of a story to cry about.”

“The good news is: we’re doing a movie of the week to wrap things up for you all,” he says.

As was previously announced, fans were rocked by the news of the Empire spin-off getting the ax, especially seeing as how the season three finale ended on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger. The last episode aired Wednesday (May 8), just two days before the cancellation announcement.

At the time, Daniels said he was attempting to shop the series to other networks, but his efforts proved fruitless, as noted by TheWrap. Now the Oscar nominee vows to “make something real special for you to scream about with all of our cast members, even the dead ones.”

Daniels did not say when or on which network the two-hour Star movie will air, although it’s being assumed that the tele-film will be on Fox, which is also wrapping up Daniels’ Empire musical drama series next year. Reps for the network have not yet responded to requests for comment about Star’s resurgence.

The Atlanta-based Star follows the journey of three young women who form a musical group and navigate the ruthless business on their way to success. The cast features Jude Demorest, Ryan Destiny. Brittany O’Grady, Queen Latifah and Benjamin Bratt.

The sitcom averaged 3.5 million viewers for Season 3, compared to Season 2’s 4.1 mill, and hit a series low as recently as May 1, according to TVLine.

This article originally appeared in the Defender News Network.

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With conflicting budget estimates, will Texas teachers get the pay raises they anticipated?

DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — When state lawmakers passed their landmark $11.6 billion school finance law in late May, school employees were eager to see how mandatory raises would affect their paychecks. A month later, they’re scratching their heads, struggling to decipher complicated changes and conflicting financial estimates that might not net teachers as much money as they expected.

Published

5 years ago

July 19, 2019

Defender News Service

By Defender News Service

When state lawmakers passed their landmark $11.6 billion school finance law in late May, school employees were eager to see how mandatory raises would affect their paychecks.

A month later, they’re scratching their heads, struggling to decipher complicated changes and conflicting financial estimates that might not net teachers as much money as they expected.

Before lawmakers voted nearly unanimously to approve House Bill 3, which drastically overhauled Texas’ outdated school funding system, they received estimates from the state on how much additional money each of their school districts would likely receive over the next two years. But the estimates came with a warning: They could change significantly once the calculations were performed using local data.

Ahead of the upcoming school year, districts are now redoing those calculations themselves — and some are coming up short. That could pose a problem for teachers, nurses, counselors and librarians, since under HB 3, school districts are supposed to use a portion of the new money on those employees’ raises and benefits. (School boards must approve their budgets by either a June 30 or an Aug. 31 deadline.)

Georgetown ISD, for example, is projecting $5.9 million in new money in the upcoming school year, much less than the $10.3 million state estimate. And it will shell out about $9 million in recapture payments, which the state takes from wealthier districts to subsidize poorer ones — not the $3.5 million the state estimated in May.

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, a large suburban district in the Houston area, should’ve expected $30 million more in the upcoming school year, according to the state estimates. But school board members approved a budget in late June that projected just $14 million more, according to Karen Smith, the district’s chief financial officer.

To remain competitive as employers, both districts are going beyond the state’s requirement to use 30% of the new money to increase salaries and benefits. Georgetown ISD is including $3,000 raises for teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses with more than five years of experience. Cypress-Fairbanks ISD approved a budget millions of dollars in the red that includes $25.4 million in raises for classroom teachers, librarians, counselors and nurses and $10.8 million in raises for all other employees.

Teacher pay raises quickly became a bipartisan rallying cry during the 2019 legislative session that finished up in May. But instead of the statewide $5,000 raise many teachers advocated for from the get-go, lawmakers approved a set of guidelines for salary bumps that would end up leaving the dollar amounts largely up to district leaders.

There is not yet an official statewide summary on what compensation packages look like across school districts, but eventually districts will be required to report that information to the Legislature. Meanwhile, the state has been providing guidance on how to interpret the new law through videos and PowerPoint presentations.

Without an across-the-board pay raise mandate from the state, teachers and other school employees have been looking left and right at neighboring school districts to judge how they’re going to fare. Some report having heard nothing from their school districts so far this summer, as they anxiously monitor the news from across the state.

Sunnyvale ISD Superintendent Doug Williams found that the state’s calculation for how much more his tiny school district would receive was pretty accurate: just under $600,000. But school districts in the vicinity, which include large, urban Dallas ISD, are getting millions more, meaning they’ll be required to offer bigger raises.

To stay competitive, Sunnyvale ISD’s school board approved larger pay raises than required by law, ranging from $1,800 for beginning teachers to $2,700 for the most experienced. “We have been blessed to be able to attract and retain great teachers,” Williams said. “We just want to make sure we are able to continue.”

In some school districts, local teachers’ unions and associations are butting heads with administrators as they advocate for higher raises and larger employer contributions to health insurance. After adopting a budget with 5% raises, Laredo ISD’s officials told frustrated teachers they are waiting for more guidance from the state before they consider raising salaries further.

In Houston ISD, the teachers union successfully threatened a no-confidence vote against the superintendent if trustees didn’t pass a budget with pay raises by later this month, arguing the delay would make them less competitive for hiring. After a contentious meeting, the board ultimately approved a deficit budget containing raises of 3.5% to 8%, depending on school employees’ experience levels. The budget also increased the minimum wage for school employees by $2 an hour.

For third grade writing teacher Huyenchau Vu, who watched the Legislature’s initial proposal for $5,000 raises dissolve, a 3.5% raise means a boost of less than $2,000 a year and less than $100 per paycheck. “It goes back into paying for everything, not necessarily into a savings account,” said Vu, who just finished teaching summer school at Houston ISD and will start her third year teaching in August.

She and her colleagues have been taking notes about the higher starting salaries and raises for Houston-area districts such as Aldine ISD and Alief ISD, but not necessarily because they’re trying to jump ship. While Vu would appreciate more money, she is also worried about the sustainability of the Legislature’s funding increase and is glad Houston ISD appears to be more “realistic” in its budgeting decisions than its neighbors.

“They’re paying their teachers a lot more knowing it’s just over the next two years that we’re receiving money from the state of Texas to put into these teacher salaries,” she said. “After that, no one’s sure what’s going to happen.”

This article originally appeared in the Defender News Network.