State News
Perry ponders whether to ’opt out’ of health plan
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Rick Perry on Monday bashed Washington-style health care fixes, but he wouldn’t rule out taking federal incentives for insuring more people if Congress offers them.
Perry criticized the Democratic plans to overhaul the U.S. health care system, including a proposal to let states “opt out” of a government-run health insurance system. He called it a “classic Washington bait and switch” because Texans would have to pay for the program whether it joined or not.
But Perry told reporters Monday that it’s too early to say if Texas might take advantage of any optional federal programs.
“Until we see more clearly what Washington’s plan is relative to this, sure, our options are open,” Perry said.
Perry signed off on taking billions of dollars in federal stimulus money this year — helping Texas lawmakers balance an otherwise shaky state budget — even as he criticized Washington bailouts and excessive national debt.
The health care proposals working their way through Congress could give states a key role in deciding what kind of coverage their residents can get. As a way to make the plan more palatable to critics, some congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, are pushing a compromise that would allow states to opt out of the government-run health insurance provision.
Texas, where a quarter of the population lacks health insurance, leads the nation in the number of uninsured. Perry said he recognizes the need for reform but supports more modest, market-based solutions. He said, for example, that he favors initiatives allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines and proposals to help small businesses get better rates on employer-provided health care plans.
Perry, a Republican, has been a steadfast critic of the massive health care overhaul Washington Democrats are promoting.
“The federal government is doing what they do best and that is spending huge amounts of borrowed money on fixes that don’t necessarily solve the problem,” Perry said. “They want more control of your health care and they want it now.”
Perry, the longest serving governor in Texas history, has made Washington a whipping post in his campaign for re-election. But in the health care debate, he finds himself on common ground with his lead Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. She has vowed to fight the overhaul, as she put it recently, “with every bone in my body.”
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Texas ed board set to take 1st vote since primary
Texas' state education board, rocked by primary elections that may push the influential panel's far-right leanings toward the center, is set to take its first vote on a new social studies curriculum that could reverberate in classrooms nationwide.
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Condemned man who killed son loses appeal
DALLAS (AP) — A federal court on Tuesday rejected the appeal of a Houston man sent to death row for the shooting death of his 19-month-old son.
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Texas judge rescinds anti-death penalty ruling
HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas judge criticized for declaring the death penalty unconstitutional took back his controversial ruling Tuesday but scheduled a hearing for next month to hear evidence on the issue.
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2 SE Texas deputies shot; suspect dead
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Democrat White hits Perry on state budget cuts
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Gunman, 2 others wounded in Dallas shootout
DALLAS (AP) — A gunman apparently angry over business dealings wounded a father and son at their financial services company inside an office building Monday, then shot himself as police closed in, authorities said.
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Top Valero executive gets $10.9M in 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The top executive of Valero Energy received compensation valued at $10.9 million in 2009, representing a 64 percent increase from the prior year, according to an Associated Press calculation of figures disclosed in a regulatory filing by the nation’s largest independent petroleum refinery.
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$11 billion budget shortfall projected for Texas
A key state official says the Texas Legislature will face a shortfall of at least $11 billion when they meet to write the next state budget in 2011.
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Airman with shotgun disarmed at Sheppard AFB
An airman in training at Sheppard Air Force Base was in military custody Monday after toting a shotgun outside a dormitory.
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Suspected gunman killed outside Walmart in Texas
A man walked into a Walmart carrying at least two guns before engaging in a shootout with police outside the store, authorities said. The man was killed and an off-duty officer in the store who had tried to stop him was injured.
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Texas ed board set to take 1st vote since primary
