Does NOT Vote for HB 1 - Appropriations Bill Which Passed 98-49
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN TX - Less than 10 minutes ago in Austin Texas State Representative Roberto R. Alonzo voted to protect neighborhood public schools nursing home jobs and financial aid for higher education by voting against House Bill 1 the states major appropriations bill which had been debated by lawmakers for the last two days at the Capitol.
HB 1 the states 2012-2013 biennial appropriations budget now moves on to the Senate where a conference committee will be formed to iron out the differences between the two versions of the financial measure. Like the Voter ID bill passed a little over one week (SB 14) the House voted pretty much along party lines reflecting an almost perfect partisan divide in the lower chamber of the legislature. And once again the House vote was pretty much a mirror reflection vote taken in the Senate on the budget bill.
While I voted against House Bill 1 I did throughout the entire process support numerous amendments that would have offered additional financial protections for our neighborhood public schools nursing homes jobs financial aid for needy students and other similar programs that hard-working average Texans sent us to Austin to advocate" said Rep. Aonzo.
I could not in good faith and with a full conscious support a measure that I knew in the long run was totally inadequate to meet the needs of average Texans damaged our economy both in the short and runs but most importantly hurt the educational opportunities of students and failed to address the demanding needs of our most needy Texans - our elderly. In the end HB 1 was far from addressing the needs of so many hard-working average Texans in so many ways that I could not support it concluded Rep. Alonzo.
