Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Our primary focus must be balancing the budget without a tax increase so I am proposing bills to eliminate fraud waste & abuse in state government said Texas State Senator Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) as she & other legislators today pre-filed bills for consideration by the 82nd Regular Session of the Legislature scheduled from January 11 2011 to May 30 2011.
We need to draw fair and legal legislative districts. We must continue to advance our regional priorities on education transportation and public safety Nelson said.
Senator Nelson filed 16 bills. Several focused on streamlining government combating fraud and more efficient use of state resources.
She also continued her ongoing legislative efforts to protect consumers promote truth in school grades and curb domestic abuse.
To learn more about bills filed in the pre-filing period visit www.capitol.state.tx.us.
Among the bills she pre-filed today:
Obsolete & Redundant Reporting Requirements: SB 71 eliminates requirements for various health and human services reports that are no longer needed or redundant. This bill can help ensure that resources and time are being committed to Texas current priorities.
Health Care Efficiency: SB 72 prevents over-utilization of services and streamlines the licensing and contracting process to promote competition and ease the administrative burden on certain health care providers. We need to ensure that these services are going where they were intended and are truly needed.
Cancer Research Funding: SB 73 uses the same amount of debt services to fund greater bond revenues for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. We can better fund the cancer institute while limiting our bond costs by allowing greater flexibility in debt service.
Computer Donations: SB 74 allows universities to donate extra computer equipment to rural hospitals for health information technology. Health information technology is an increasingly important part of 
providing health care. We need to ensure that rural hospitals have the resources and tools to continue to provide quality health care.
Background Checks: SB 75 requires FBI fingerprint checks for employees of certain facilities licensed by the Department of Aging and Disability Services that care for the elderly or disabled.
Technology has reached the point where we should not have individuals with serious criminal histories falling through the cracks of our background checks especially those working with seniors and individuals with disabilities.
Relative Day Care: SB 76 requires FBI background checks for relatives who provide unregulated child care and receive federal subsidies. I filed this bill in response to reports that taxpayer dollars were winding up in the hands of people with serious criminal histories and in some cases individuals who were not actually providing care. We must fight this type of waste and abuse which robs us of resources needed to assist those who are truly deserving. Fraud in Food Programs: SB 77 requires performance bonds for contractors who receive federal funds through the Texas Department of Agriculture to provide food at child and adult day cares and allows TDA to perform criminal background checks on these contractors. These requirements will protect taxpayer dollars and avoid situations such as what occurred in North Texas when a contractor collected funds but failed to deliver meals to day cares. Interagency Licensing: SB 78 allows state health and human services agencies to share information about adverse licensing decisions and gives agencies authority to deny an application based on another agencys decision. If a license holders privileges are revoked by one agency other agencies should seek out this information to ensure that they do not issue a license to those who have put people in danger. Minimum Grade: SB 79 reinforces a state judges ruling this spring that Texas law is unambiguous in prohibiting grade inflation for assignment cumulative average and report card grades. The Legislature unanimously passed a measure last session to prohibit minimum grade practices which
reward minimum effort from students and keep parents from having a clear picture of their childrens school performance. This bill makes clear that school districts must discontinue practices of artificially inflating student averages.
Public Health Labs: SB 80 implements financial reporting accounting collection and confidentiality improvements at the state Public Health Labs. These reforms will help our state labs operate efficiently and in a way that protects citizens information and state revenues.
Food Safety: SB 81 requires all entities that harvest package wash or ship raw produce except for small farmers to be licensed and regulated by the Department of State Health Services. Consumers need better protection from food-borne illnesses that may arise from fresh produce.
Stalking: SB 82 alters the stalking statute to make stalking behavior easier to prove. The connection between stalking and physical or sexual abuse -- and in many cases murder -- is staggering. This law will ensure that prosecutors have the tools at their disposal to effectively prove this charge and to get a victim out of harms way before it is too late.
Bigamy: SB 83 increases the statute of limitations for bigamy from 3 to 7 years unless the victim was younger than 18 years old in which case it would be 10 years from the victims 18th birthday. While investigating the situation in Eldorado in 2008 the Attorney Generals Office discovered a gap involving individuals who didnt realize their victimization until they reached their 20s.
E-Verify: SB 84 requires all state and local governmental entities in Texas and their contractors to participate in E-Verify the Employment Eligibility Verification Program. This will effectively ensure that Texas employs a legal workforce.
Jury Selection: SB 85 makes a county voter registrar responsible for maintaining a list of permanent jury duty exemptions instead of the county tax assessor/collector. This is a common sense approach to improve the efficiency of county government functions which is particularly important in a tough budget cycle.
Scofflaw Program: SB 86 allows smaller cities to participate in the scofflaw program created by the Legislature in 1997 to use vehicle registrations to locate drivers with outstanding warrants for unpaid traffic violations. It makes sense for all of our states municipalities to have the same tools to pursue outstanding warrants for traffic violations.
