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Texas
Agriculture Archive
October 4, 2002
A top slate of elected officials delivered informative messages that resounded with issues regarding the state's anticipated budget shortfall, water and the state's political climate at the recent Texas Farm Bureau legislative seminar.
State Sen. Troy Frazier and State Reps. Talmadge Heflin and Jim Dunman addressed budget issues ranging from school finance to funding the state's "wants vs. needs." One sentiment rang clear in each of the legislator's presentations; solving the budget shortfall is not as simple as cutting spending across the board. The panel agreed that some areas could be cut, but other alternatives must be studied and at day's end the state would be able to live within and function with the current budget of $114 billion.
The seminar also included a panel on transportation and water infrastructure. Sens. Frank Madla and Todd Staples and State Rep. Harvey Hilderbran agreed steps must be taken to alleviate stress placed on our highways by NAFTA truck traffic. Panelists advocated expanding the major transportation routes from Mexico to markets in the United States. Comments stressed that adequate funding be maintained for the farm to market road system, recognizing the economic benefits agriculture provides our state. Discussion also centered on the pursuit of new water resources including desalination and construction of reservoirs. The panel supported the protection of agricultural water resources from being converted to municipal or industrial use, but also stressed the importance of conservation.
Three political writers provided the membership with an assessment of the Texas political landscape during the legislative conference. Harvey Kronberg with Quorum Report, Ken Herman with The Austin American Statesman, and Ross Ramsey with Texas Weekly handicapped many of the statewide and local races of special interest. According to the panel, many Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND endorsed candidates are faring reasonably well, with Republicans Cornyn, Perry, Combs and Rylander, and Democrats Sharp and Mirabal all running strong campaigns. The candidacies of Bernsen and Boyles, as well as many judicial races, to a large part, depend upon how things end up at the top of the ticket, according to the panelists.
The participants at the seminar had the opportunity to hear from several statewide and judicial candidates endorsed by the Texas Farm Bureau Friends of Agriculture Fund, Inc. Governor Rick Perry addressed several issues important to the organization including transportation and the important role his proposed "Trans Texas Corridor" could play in the future of Texas. Comptroller Carol Keeton Rylander emphasized to the group the impact farming and ranching has on the Texas economy. She vowed to protect the current tax considerations agriculture receives if the issues are brought forward as additional revenue for the state next session. Other statewide candidates appearing at the conference included Attorney General John Cornyn for U.S. Senate, Commissioner Susan Combs for Ag Commissioner, Sen. David Bernsen for Land Commissioner, and Sherry Boyles for Railroad Commissioner.
