Coastal Bend lawmakers gain positions of clout and promise
Editorial Board Corpus Christi Caller Times
CORPUS CHRISTI — “Blessed,” because of the word’s religious overtone, is an odd choice to describe anything having to do with the Texas Legislature. Nevertheless, the Coastal Bend is blessed to have Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, in the position of Calendars Committee chairman and Sen. Juan “Chuy Hinojosa, D-McAllen, assigned as vice chairman of Finance for another two-year term.
Their assignments to such powerful positions is especially fortuitous considering that Nueces County lost a state representative district to redistricting. In the grand scheme, that’s only one vote out of 150 House members. But it’s also one-third of the county’s membership, and that’s huge.
Hunter’s position is particularly key — the second most powerful in the House. It requires an iron-like firmness of velvet-gloved hand. An ideologue, which Hunter is not, would be a bad fit. “The role of Calendars,” he told Rick Spruill of the Caller-Times, pragmatically, “is to be fair, firm, effective.”
Hunter proved himself in the brutal 2011 session, memorable for the $27 billion revenue shortfall, redistricting and — if those weren’t enough — the hyper-ideological non-emergencies that Gov. Rick Perry nevertheless designated as emergencies, such as the abortion sonogram and voter identification bills.
This session, blessedly, is free of dubious emergencies. The main philosophical battleground is public education — whether to reverse the severe cuts of 2011, whether to allow more charter schools, whether to spend state tax dollars on private school tuition vouchers.
The fiscal situation is another blessing. The Legislature’s main responsibility — passing a budget — will be done with a surplus of revenue.
Hinojosa’s position as second in command on the Finance Committee isn’t as unlikely as it seems for a member of the outnumbered opposition party. He has seniority, commands respect and can’t in good conscience be labeled a liberal.
Rep. J.M. Lozano, R-Kingsville, received a key appointment to the coveted Energy Resources Committee, which is especially germane to energy-producing South Texas, home of fracking and vast wind farms. Lozano, in only his second term, also received a vice chairmanship to the International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. That committee’s bailiwick includes matters relating to the Port of Corpus Christi.
Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, received the honor of a chairmanship despite the “D” in front of “Robstown.” He’ll lead the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. It’s not directly related to the issue he has emphasized the most — education. Not to be deterred, he reached for a parallel and found one in the fact that 80 percent of adult inmates are high school dropouts.
We commend his determination. Herrero is quiet by nature. But in recent emails to constituents he has been vocal on the matter of school funding. What we hear in those messages is an intent by Herrero to step out as an opposition leader. We hear more conscience than political grandstanding in those messages.
So maybe “blessed” wasn’t such a bad choice of word. The Coastal Bend delegation is deployed strategically to fight a good fight.
