House hearing on 3028

[Getting Fat]

In case you want to watch or pass it on.  The hearing can be found currently online at:
 
http://www.house.state.tx.us/video-audio/committee-broadcasts/committee-archives/player/?session=82&committee=400&ram=11041914400
 
The HB 3028 portion is begins at 5:49:00 and ends at 6:20:15.  beginning at 5:49, after the bill layout, there are 3 TASO members that testified FOR the bill (Chief Harold Thomas, Tommy Moore, Ed Thompson)  followed by one witness testifying against (Mike Motheral - TASA)
 
Also, Mark Cousins with UIL was called as a resource witness and asked about the reason for the creation of a new department of sports officials, and you can listen to his answer and testimony at the 6:10:20 mark.
 
Lastly, Mike Fitch did do a quick comment at the 6:18:00 mark, commenting about the TASO loyalty and questioning the committee if they truly believe they would be as loyal to a "beauracratic state agency."
 
anyway, just thought id pass along.

This was passed to me by a loyal TASO member who works as a legislative aid.

[fencewire]

Why didn't anyone ask Cousins about why what they(uil) wants has changed over the course of this saga...

[TXMike]

The main points I saw:
Mr Motherall, the witness opposing the bill, clained the UIL is the schools and it is not righht to say the schools have no right to register the officials.  He said if you officiate pee wee football in Lubbock you have to be registered with the Lubbock Pee Wee assn.  He said schools are worried about the part of the bill that does away with set fee structure as it can lead to "home field advantage" officiating.  His argument was effectvely countered by a Representative who said that since both schools agree on the officials, if the visitors have reason to question an official they can refuse to let him work the game.  Motherall had no clue as to why the UIL created a Sports Officiating Dept and deferred to Cousins who also spoke.  Rep Weber agreed to communicate with Moptherall after the hearing on the registration component of the bill. 

Cousins said there were 2 reasons for the UIL officiating dept:  1 - Some schools had been "held hostage" by refs who refused to work at scale. and 2 - some officials asked for another organization to provide the services they had been receiving from TASO.  Cousins claimed there were 15,000  officials and claimed  31 Chapters had already registered with UIL.  He claimed that represented 7,000 - 8,000 officials althouigh he also said 12,000 had registered with UIL. (I am not sure what the corrrect number is but Rep Weber asked if he could get a list of those who had registered if he wanted and Cousins said yes).

One last interesting comment, the chairman read off a list of folks who had registered for or against the bill and DW Rutledge of the THSCA  was one of those who had registered against the bill but elected not to testify.

[JKS]

No surprise Rutledge was opposed to the bill his members work defacto for the UIL.  He is probably at the most ambivalent and probably thinks the UIL attempted take-over is a waste of time, but who can blame him for opposing it on behalf of his coaches.

If we have to register then I think the TDLR sounds like the place to do it.  Just like other registered agents of the state.  Leave the UIL out of it.

[ETXZebra]

The UIL website shows 28 basketball chapters, 7 softball, 1 wrestling & 2 volleyball.  I have no idea which of these were TASO chapters.  The numbers Cousins quoted may be correct.  The best part for me is that they show NO football chapters.

[JasonTX]

No surprise Rutledge was opposed to the bill his members work defacto for the UIL.  He is probably at the most ambivalent and probably thinks the UIL attempted take-over is a waste of time, but who can blame him for opposing it on behalf of his coaches.

If we have to register then I think the TDLR sounds like the place to do it.  Just like other registered agents of the state.  Leave the UIL out of it.

It's humorous that off the record they say they support TASO, but on the record they support UIL.  These people fear the UIL, but supposedly the UIL is controlled by these same school administators so what is there to fear.

[Getting Fat]

"so what is there to fear." - redistricting

[fencewire]

3028 is Out of committee

Status: Out of committee 
Vote: Ayes=7   Nays=3   Present Not Voting=0   Absent=1

H  Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) 

so...

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB3028

[Welpe]

So the failure of it to receive enough affimative votes on the 5th was not it's death knell then? I wonder what changed in a week or so?

[Arbitrator]

 

While Texas HB3028 did manage to get out of House Committee, it certainly failed to make it to the House Floor for ultimate debate and passage by the COB on Thursday. While this pretty much intones that this particular bill is now near DOA status, it now only harbors a slim chance for debate by being brought up and passed prior to May 30th. If not by then, it would have to be brought back up for due consideration under a Special Legislative Session authorized, of course, by  Governor Goodhair! Barring anything coming out from the Texas Legislature, this thing would appear to be in jettison mode, full-throttle, to the district trial court  

[DallasLJ]

While Texas HB3028 did manage to get out of House Committee, it certainly failed to make it to the House Floor for ultimate debate and passage by the COB on Thursday. While this pretty much intones that this particular bill is now near DOA status, it now only harbors a slim chance for debate by being brought up and passed prior to May 30th. If not by then, it would have to be brought back up for due consideration under a Special Legislative Session authorized, of course, by  Governor Goodhair! Barring anything coming out from the Texas Legislature, this thing would appear to be in jettison mode, full-throttle, to the district trial court  

  No sir -- there is a Santa Claus.  See HB 1286.

  The House already passed the bill which prohibits the UIL from making any rule changes without an analysis of the costs to be borne by the schools.  The Senate passed the bill on Friday, with some very interesting amendments.  Amendment No. 1 prohibits the UIL from charging any kind of fees or doing any registration and bars the UIL from telling the school districts who it can use.  Amendment No. 3 rolls all the private schools into the UIL.

  So, now, it is off to committee to be reconciled between the House and Senate versions.  The saga continues.

 

[TXMike]

This is the one of the 3 amendments to the Senate version that affects us.


It was authored by State Sen Wendy Davis  http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist10/dist10.htm

The amendment:

Amend HB 1286 (senate committee report) as follows:
Amend Sec. 33.0831 of the Texas Education Code by adding new
subsections (e) and (f) to read as follows:
(e)The University Interscholastic League may not impose a
fee or charge to any person, organization, or school district for
services being provided by a statewide association.
(f)Notwithstanding any other law, a school district shall
not be subject to any rule or decision by an interscholastic league
regarding the hiring or employment of a person, other than coaches
or assistant coaches, by the school district.

[Arbitrator]

 No sir -- there is a Santa Claus.  See HB 1286.

  The House already passed the bill which prohibits the UIL from making any rule changes without an analysis of the costs to be borne by the schools.  The Senate passed the bill on Friday, with some very interesting amendments.  Amendment No. 1 prohibits the UIL from charging any kind of fees or doing any registration and bars the UIL from telling the school districts who it can use.  Amendment No. 3 rolls all the private schools into the UIL.

  So, now, it is off to committee to be reconciled between the House and Senate versions.  The saga continues.

 

 


I'm sincerely hoping that this is good news of some kind for us at TASO. In your opinion, would the ultimate passage of this bill strengthen TASO's stance and at the same time weaken the autocracy over there on Manor Road? Does it realistically stand a decent chance of getting out of reconcilliation committee and being passed by both state legislative bodies? And while all of this is transpiring up there on Capitol Avenue, what exactly is going on these days at the Travis County Civil Courts Building regarding the TASO v. UIL lawsuit while this legislation is pending?  

[DallasLJ]

 


I'm sincerely hoping that this is good news of some kind for us at TASO. In your opinion, would the ultimate passage of this bill strengthen TASO's stance and at the same time weaken the autocracy over there on Manor Road? Does it realistically stand a decent chance of getting out of reconcilliation committee and being passed by both state legislative bodies? And while all of this is transpiring up there on Capitol Avenue, what exactly is going on these days at the Travis County Civil Courts Building regarding the TASO v. UIL lawsuit while this legislation is pending?  

  Last point first -- Fitch sent an email last week on the legal update.  Nothing happening in Civil Courts Building because UIL appealed the denial of their plea to the jurisdiction (Motion to Dismiss).  On Friday, May 6th, the Austin Court of Appeals granted TASO's Writ of Injunction stopping the UIL once again while the case is on appeal.  So, what, the last time we had a state appeal, it took 5 months before we got an answer.  So, case seems parked in orbit for now.

  As for the legislation -- who knows.  I think 1286 takes the best part of 3028 in getting the UIL out of the officiating business.  I think that survives the reconciliation process.  The more interesting amendment is that one that allows all private schools to join the UIL if they want.  Not sure how the house addresses that.  If added, I think it make for some interesting things for officials.  It would destroy TAPPS -- so to the extent they have separate playoffs -- does that reduce play off games?  Does it get rid of separate championships help in Waco only?  But regardless, the UIL cannot tell the schools which officials to use  -- at least as I read the current amendments.