Senator Williams represents Senate District 4 covering all or portions of Jefferson, Orange, Chambers, Liberty, Harris and Montgomery Counties. Williams serves as Chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee and as a member of the Finance, State Affairs, International Relations & Trade Committees and the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting.

Houston is at the center of state's growing problem with prescriptions

By LISE OLSEN
HOUSTON CHRONICLE Dec. 13, 2010, 5:41AM

Houston remains at the dark heart of the Lone Star State's growing prescription drug abuse problem — accounting for a quarter of complaints about doctors' suspect prescriptions and one-sixth of the state's 1,900 annual accidental fatal overdoses, according to a review by the Houston Chronicle.

But an examination of death data and interviews from around the state show the pill-popping problem is growing exponentially across Texas.

Deaths by accidental overdoses - including preventable deaths involving prescription drugs - more than doubled from 2000 to 2008, according to the latest statewide death certificates.

In San Antonio, a string of military servicemen's accidental deaths have been blamed on lethal combinations of prescription pills. Overall, Bexar County reported 184 accidental overdoses in 2008 - almost three times as many as in 2000.

The medical examiner's office in Corpus Christi has seen one of the biggest percentage increases in overdose deaths of any county in Texas.

Nueces County reported 40 poisoning deaths in 2008 - compared to one in 2000.

Some Corpus deaths appeared to be linked to a growing popularity of partying with prescription pills, including cocktails of drugs like Vicodin (hydrocodone) and Xanax (alprazolam), said Stefanie Wiser, who compiles statistics for the office.

"I know there's a huge increase," she said. "There are some cases where they buy them as recreational drugs, and they mix them. It's quite prevalent in the teenagers - it seems to be the cool thing to do."

'No one noticed'

In Dallas, two Southern Methodist University students are among those who died in recent years after reports indicate they mixed prescription drugs with alcohol or other drugs, though most victims of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describe as a national prescription pill epidemic tend to be middle-aged.

"I still find it amazing that the problem escalated to epidemic proportions right under our noses and no one noticed or tried to address it - it took the unnecessary deaths of our children to open eyes," said Anita Goodman, a Beaumont-based nurse who lost her own son Aaron, 31, to a prescription drug overdose and has spoken across the state to warn others.

Houston has been identified by the U.S. drug czar as a major hub for prescription drug diversion with hundreds of so-called pill mills and more than 1,200 related overdose deaths reported here in the past three years alone.

One Houston doctor saw his license suspended and his clinic closed last week over pending criminal allegations he oversaw a rogue pill mill operation in which fake doctors continued to dispense illegal prescriptions even after a drug raid.

The latest statewide fatal overdose statistics, compiled by the health department from 2008 death certificates, show accidental drug poisonings also jumped in many other Texas communities - including Jefferson and Orange counties, among others in East Texas, San Antonio (Bexar County), Dallas-Fort Worth (Tarrant and Dallas counties), Austin (Travis County) and Corpus Christi (Nueces County). Fifteen Texas counties reported more than 100 such deaths in the past five years.

Re-evaluating program

Jane Maxwell, a nationally known addiction expert based at the University of Texas School of Social Work, is among those calling for state legislators to fund a real-time prescription drug tracking system and to create a comprehensive monitoring system of overdose deaths to improve statewide response.

"We don't have the data we ought to have in order to be able to really determine (the scope of) the problems," she said.
Army officials nationwide are re-examining so-called polypharmacy - the practice of prescribing multiple prescription drugs to soldiers - after 32 prescription drug-related deaths of service members undergoing care in Warrior Treatment Units in Texas and other states in the past three years, according to the Military Times.

At least four servicemen treated in San Antonio have died of accidental prescription drug overdoses since 2008: Sgt. Robert Nichols, 32; Army Warrant Officer Judson Mount, 37; Army Sgt. Franklin Barnett, 29; and Army Specialist Erik George Vega, 29, according to nonprofit and press reports.

Colleges across the state are working to improve awareness of risks of mixing medicines with alcohol or other drugs, including posting emergency OD information on the doors of dorms, offering substance abuse classes and even amnesty to students who might otherwise be afraid to summon medical help if criminal drug or alcohol possession charges could result.

SMU formed a task force after one student died of a mixture of prescription pills and another drug in December 2005. John Sanger, SMU's director of alcohol and drug abuse prevention, said the university starts early by addressing incoming students at summer orientation.

Urging strong response

Prompted by increasing prescription drug fatalities in Texas and nationwide, the nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance called last month for stepped-up CDC response and emergency public education campaigns on how to prevent prescription pill overdoses as well as mass distribution of the overdose reversal drug naloxone. If administered in time, naloxone almost instantly halts potentially lethal side-effects of opiod pain pills.

"There's been a wave of overdoses and an explosion of pain killer prescriptions being written," said Meghan Ralston, a Los Angeles-based researcher for the alliance. "Many are people who are in pain or use these drugs recreationally ... and we fail to tell them that is a risk of overdose."

Many die from pills received from a legitimate physician for real medical problems, while others obtain them from street dealers or so-called doctor shoppers, according to national and local research.

Still, complaints about potentially abusive or questionable prescriptions by physicians have skyrocketed statewide, according to the state medical board. Of 324 complaints filed so far this year, 80 involved doctors in Harris County, compared with 19 in Bexar County; 32 in Dallas County and 20 in Tarrant County.

Hydrocodone big

Whatever the source of the prescription, pharmacies across Texas report sales continue to boom for the powerful opiate pain pill hydrocodone, the drug most often linked to cocktail drug overdose deaths in many communities.

Prescriptions dispensed increased 24 percent for hydrocodone, often sold as Vicodin or Lorcet, for the first nine months of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, a Chronicle analysis of state Prescription Monitoring Program data shows.

So far this year, enough hydrocodone pills have been dispensed - 734 million - that if divided equally, every man, woman and child in Texas could each consume 30 doses.

lise.olsen@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/health/7336201.html

HOUSTON CHRONICLE Nov. 10, 2010, 7:54PM

Harris County officials — working to enforce a new law targeting "pill mills" that have been prescribing dangerous pain killers in epidemic proportions — called on the public Wednesday to report any suspicious clinics operating in their neighborhoods.

In the first month after the state law took effect in September, prescriptions written for three addictive drugs that were linked to hundreds of overdose deaths dropped by a dramatic 45 percent in the Houston area compared to the same period last year.

The law requires pain clinics to register with the Texas Medical Board and abide by stricter regulations. It was passed after data showed Houston had turned into a hub for illegal prescriptions for the so-called "Holy Trinity" or "Houston cocktail" that includes a narcotic, muscle relaxant and anti-anxiety drug.

Nonetheless, some residents report seeing clinics skirt around the law and continue to hand out pain prescriptions like Halloween candy, said Esther Scarborough, whose son died of an overdose after his first visit to a Beaumont pain clinic.

"These are not the doctors that we grew up with," she said at news conference Wednesday at Memorial Hermann Hospital. "These doctors are using our loved ones as cash cows or ATM machines. They make a lot of money off these drugs."

Another mother, Anita Goodman of Houston, who also lost a son to these prescription drugs, pleaded with the public to report illegal operations.

"If you know anyone receiving what looks like excessive amounts of pills, find out who is prescribing it," Goodman said. "Speak up and save a life."

For the first time, the law empowers the Texas Medical Board to enter any questionable clinic and inspect its books and procedures, authorities said.

"We need the public to become aware and report it if they suspect prescription drug abuse," said Texas Sen. Tommy Williams, who authored the new law.

Complaints should be filed with the Texas Medical Board under consumer complaints on the agency's website, www.tmb.state.tx.us.

"We don't want to be home to the 'Houston cocktail,'?" said Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos. "These drugs are not just poisoning Texans, but also residents of other states who come here for the drugs."

She vowed to "drive these clinics out of our area" through investigations and sting operations.

"We call on the public to help us, because we now have somewhere for them to report these rogue clinics," said Sen. Williams.

cindy.horswell@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/7289006.html

Posted: November 10, 2010, 5:48 PM CST   Last updated: November 11, 2010, 6:45 AM CST

Results from a new law that took effect Sept. 1 requiring pain management clinics to be certified by the Texas Medical Board, in the hopes of weeding out illegitimate prescription providers, has made authorities cautiously optimistic.

So far, prescriptions for the "triple cocktail" - a dangerous mix of a pain killer, muscle relaxer and anti-anxiety medication - have dropped by 45 percent in the Houston area since the law took effect, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Three hundred Texas clinics have been certified to dispense controlled substances to more than 50 percent of their patients, according to the state medical board, with 82 more pending. Fifteen clinics were denied certification, 21 were canceled or withdrawn and one - at a clinic located in Houston - was suspended.

The new law, sponsored by State Senator Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, is being heralded by doctors and law enforcement alike for giving them the tools they need to take action against pain management clinics that over-prescribe pills.

In addition to the certification requirement, clinics must be owned and operated by a licensed physician who reviews one-third of all patient files.

The board also has the authority to inspect clinics and solicit complaints on its website from anyone concerned about a doctor or clinic's credentials.

If the crackdown on illegal pill mills continues to be successful, it could pave the way for two other measures Williams introduced during the last session and filed again Monday, ahead of the January session.

The bills would make it illegal for pharmacy or pain clinic employees to sell or prescribe controlled substances for recreational use and outlaw the practice of going to multiple clinics or doctors to accumulate prescriptions, known as "doctor shopping."

Williams says he is confident the measures will gain traction, as there was no opposition to the two bills in 2009, though they got stuck in the Texas House of Representatives.

If Texas passes an anti-doctor shopping law next year, it will join the ranks of more than a dozen other states that have outlawed the practice, including Louisiana.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/new__pill_mill__law_could_pave_the_way_for_additional_crackdown_legislation.html

 “Senator Williams was a vigilant and committed leader in the fight to stop dozens of bad trial lawyer bills in the State Senate last session and played a key role in the ultimate defeat of three major pieces of legislation that would have rolled back lawsuit reforms in Texas that have boosted our economy in these tough economic times. A longtime supporter of lawsuit reform, Senator Williams always stands up for the best interests of Texas.”

 TLR PAC’s Civil Justice Leadership Award is presented to lawmakers who take a stand in support of the model lawsuit reforms that are boosting the Texas economy, creating jobs and bringing doctors to every community. 

Senator Williams represents Texas Senate District 4, which includes Chambers, Liberty and Orange County, as well as parts of Harris, Jefferson Montgomery County. He is Chairman of the Administration Committee and also Education Committee, the Finance Committee and the International Relations and Trade Committee. 

TLR PAC is the political arm of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the state's largest civil justice reform organization. TLR is a bipartisan, volunteer- led coalition with more than 16,000 supporters residing in 818 Texas communities and representing 1,266 different businesses, professions and trades. For more information about TLR visit www.tlrpac.com

This is what I strive to achieve locally as your Republican State Senator, representing Chambers, Jefferson, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Orange counties, while working to ensure integrity in our state government.

When it comes to issues such as reducing school property tax rates, beefing up our borders, combating illegal immigration, helping local communities improve transportation infrastructure, passing truth in taxation laws, and fighting for Voter Photo ID requirements, I firmly believe you have sent me to Austin for one reason:

TO GET RESULTS!

My work in the Senate has also earned some recognition. The Texas Association of Business has named me a Champion of Free Enterprise. I’ve earned the Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Business for fighting against growth in government. I’ve earned the Law & Order Award from the Texas District and County Attorneys Association for fighting to protect Texas families. And I’ve been named Pro-Life Legislator of the Year – just to name a few.

I believe the principles by which I conduct myself, the conservative values that guide my votes, and the strong record of accomplishment I’ve compiled demonstrate the type of results oriented senator I am.

It is an honor and a privilege to represent you in the Texas Senate. My wife, Marsha, and I will continue to work hard on behalf of Senate District 4.

Sincerely,

Tommy Williams
State Senator District 4

Read the news article: www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7135101.html

"As the Texas Department of Transportation begins the process of solving significant organizational and fiscal challenges, the Texas Senate requires a leader who will continue to keep our transportation infrastructure on track and our state moving forward," said Lt. Governor Dewhurst. "Senator Williams is a strong advocate for reducing congestion on our roadways by ensuring dependable revenues to construct and expand new highways and build a world-class transportation system."

"It's very important we continue to improve our infrastructure and protect our citizens," said Williams. "I am humbled by the confidence the Lt. Governor has placed in me. We have hard work ahead of us, and I am ready to begin," stated Williams.

Senator Williams represents Senate District 4 covering all or portions of Jefferson, Orange, Chambers, Liberty, Harris and Montgomery Counties. Williams is a member of the Texas Senate Select Committee on Redistricting and also serves a member of the Finance, Education, International Relations & Trade Committees and the State Preservation Board.

(AUSTIN) – Senator Tommy Williams (R – The Woodlands) was honored with a Legislative Achievement Award from the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TTARA). The purpose of the award, presented at the TTARA Annual Meeting in Austin on November 12, was to recognize and express appreciation for his leadership in crafting and passing landmark property tax reform legislation in the 81st Regular Legislative Session, including three constitutional amendments overwhelmingly approved by Texas voters at the polls on November 3.

This remarkable accomplishment made major improvements in virtually all aspects of the property tax, including valuation of property, regulation of appraisal district operations and taxpayer appeals. Together, the changes enacted represent the most significant reforms since the current system of property tax administration was adopted thirty years ago. The award reads in part: “As a result of his efforts, all Texas taxpayers will benefit from a more equitable and efficient system of property tax administration.”

Specifically, I find the paper's editorial objection to protecting a homeowner from having their home appraised at a value for use other than residential to be absurd. Currently, a homeowner's residence can be appraised at a higher level if the appraisal district determines it could be used for a more valuable purpose. That's wrong. Homeowners should NOT be railroaded into moving just because commercial developers want their land. 

Texas homeowners concerned about appraisal abuses and runaway property tax appraisals should vote FOR Propositions 2, 3, and 5." 

State Senator Tommy Williams, CPA (R-The Woodlands)

State Propositions #2, #3 and #5 are reforms passed during the 81st Session of the Texas Legislature but still require the approval of Texas voters this November 3rd. These three reforms resulted from House and Senate interim studies of property tax appraisal reform. Hearings were held across the state and residential and business property owners alike asked for these needed reforms. 

Propositions 2, 3 and 5 will benefit ALL property taxpayers. These three propositions will protect against runaway residential appraisals, ensure appraisal equity statewide, and streamline appraisal district appeal operations. 

Unfortunately, misinformation is being disseminated about what these amendments will actually do. Here are the facts: 

PROPOSITION 2 requires the property tax of a residence homestead be solely based on the property's value as a residence homestead, regardless of what it might be worth if purchased for a different use, such as an office or business. This proposal is a response to residence homesteads being appraised based on what a person’s homestead would be worth if it were converted to commercial property. It applies only to residential homesteads and not to second homes or investment properties. 

PROPOSITION 3 provides for uniform property tax appraisal standards and procedures to be used by County Appraisal Districts. Currently, property tax appraisal practices and procedures vary widely across the state. This proposition will provide for the equitable treatment of all property owners by ensuring that taxable property is appraised in the same manner no matter where it is located in the state. Committees: Administration, Chair Finance Education International Relations & Trade 

PROPOSITION 5 makes it easier to form appraisal review boards for protest hearings. This proposition will allow two or more adjoining county property tax appraisal districts, if they so choose, to consolidate appraisal review board functions. The voluntary ability to consolidate smaller county appraisal review boards will help resolve property tax appraisal protests more quickly and make protesting appraisals more convenient for property owners, especially in lesserpopulated areas of Texas. 

Taxpayer advocates are calling these proposals the “most significant reforms for property taxpayers in 30 years.” 

Texans need these new protections against property tax appraisal abuse.

 "I am very proud to have authored Senate Bill 769 during the recent session," said Sen. Williams. "This bill and the recent PUC action saves millions of dollars for many hard working Texans who live along the coast and who were impacted by Hurricane Ike. It's an example of how government can sometimes do a great good for a great many. I witnessed first hand the devastation and destruction caused by Hurricane Ike, and consider this piece of legislation one of the most significant and important pieces of legislative I've passed."

 SB 769 was the first bill passed in the 81st Legislative Session, and the first bill signed into law by Gov. Perry. 

Reference: Public Utility Commission of Texas, 10/30/2009 Press Release Lower electric costs for Entergy customers - link follows: http://www.puc.state.tx.us/nrelease/2009/103009.pdf 

Senator Williams represents Senate District 4 covering all or portions of Jefferson, Orange, Chambers, Liberty, Harris and Montgomery Counties. Williams serves as Chairman of the Senate Administration Committee and as a member of the Finance, Education, International Relations & Trade and State Preservation Board.

(Dallas, TX) Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC today awarded Beaumont State Senator Tommy Williams the TLR Civil Justice Leadership Award for his support of a fair and predictable civil justice system in Texas. Speaking to a luncheon in The Woodlands, TLR PAC Chairman Richard Trabulsi said:

“Senator Williams was a vigilant and committed leader in the fight to stop dozens of bad trial lawyer bills in the State Senate last session and played a key role in the ultimate defeat of three major pieces of legislation that would have rolled back lawsuit reforms in Texas that have boosted our economy in these tough economic times. A longtime supporter of lawsuit reform, Senator Williams always stands up for the best interests of Texas.”

TLR PAC’s Civil Justice Leadership Award is presented to lawmakers who take a stand in support of the model lawsuit reforms that are boosting the Texas economy, creating jobs and bringing doctors to every community.

Senator Williams represents Texas Senate District 4, which includes Chambers, Liberty and Orange County, as well as parts of Harris, Jefferson Montgomery County. He is Chairman of the Administration Committee and also Education Committee, the Finance
Committee and the International Relations and Trade Committee.

TLR PAC is the political arm of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the state's largest civil justice reform organization. TLR is a bipartisan, volunteer- led coalition with more than 16,000 supporters residing in 818 Texas communities and representing 1,266 different businesses, professions and trades. For more information about TLR visit www.tlrpac.com

A former dealer confirms what we've been exposing for more than two years -- so-called patients can go from clinic to clinic, never see a doctor, and walk away with hundreds of prescription pills visit after visit. 

"They're basically legalized drug dealers," said Mike, an inmate serving jail time in Louisiana. "As long as you got the cash to pay, you can keep going until you drop dead." 

Mike knows the clinic system all too well. He said he used to join vanloads of users who crossed the border into Texas and headed straight for Houston pain clinics. He said scoring prescription drugs was as easy as photocopying one medical record. 

"You use some legitimate records," Mike explained. "Make some copies of them. Change out the names and the little detail numbers in it and go Houston and hit the doctors." 

The goal was to walk away with hundreds of pills in the pain clinic cocktail -- pain reliever Hydrocodone, anxiety drug Xanax, and muscle relaxer Soma. It's a combination that can cause euphoria, but many times ends up in a coma or even death. 

Mike said the so-called patients would use some of the pills and then sold the rest on the street. The van organizer would take half of each person's prescription stash as payment for the trip. 

"I was going to seven or eight doctors a month," Mike said. "And you see all the same people at all the doctors." 

When Local 2 Investigates went into Houston pain clinics, our hidden cameras often saw advertising fliers for competing clinics in the waiting room. Mike said it's all part of the system to go to clinic after clinic and add to your stash of drugs. 

"It's like a big social club. You know, you talk to the people. Oh, you know, you heard about this doctor that opened down the street. You exchange information in the waiting room." 

So why are people from Louisiana coming to Houston clinics? Louisiana toughened up their laws regulating clinics and many of them closed. The market moved to Texas and Houston became the market leader. 

"It is a wave of crime, and this is the source of that crime," said State Sen. Tommy Williams, a lawmaker from The Woodlands. 

Williams said he became aware of the problem after one of his constituent's told him the story of her son's overdose after visiting pain clinics. 

Local 2 Investigates talked with emergency room doctors at Conroe Regional Medical Center who said they now see more overdoses on prescription drugs than street drugs. The doctors told us it's all because patients can easily get large number of prescription pills and then use them in the same deadly combination. 

Williams believes tougher Texas laws would help curb the clinic problem. He's proposed three different bills -- senate bills 911, 912, and 1281. They are being considered by lawmakers in Austin. Williams said the first step is making pain clinics sign up with the state so everyone knows where they are located. 

"All we're really asking is to make them (the clinics) register," Williams explained. "And to make sure there's a doctor who sees the patients at least a third of the time -- it's not just a physicians assistant. And it should be owned by a licensed doctor."

 Add on another bill that would make it illegal for patients to "doctor shop" and hit clinic after clinic, and Williams' hope is that tougher rules will shut the current clinic system down. 

"A few bad actors are giving a lot of people a bad name as it's set up right now," he said. 

The Texas Pain Society, an organization of pain management doctors, has come out against the proposed laws. A doctor representing the group told us there is enough power in current laws to shut down illegal clinics. The group believes registering clinics would only punish legitimate doctors. 

Copyright 2009 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

In the previous eight years, he had struggled through classes in the Nederland Independent School District. Though academically he was strong, socially he was somewhat impaired. 

“He had social issues as far as he didn’t fit in,” said his father, Robert Winfrey, 42, a carpenter and director of football operations for the Southern Indoor Football League. 

“It’s like he didn’t mature along with the other kids his age. In class, as we all know, the kids are brutal about kids who are different.” 

Previously diagnosed with ADHD and severe anxiety disorder, he had been ineligible for special education classes in the public schools, Winfrey said. 

The Asperger’s diagnosis would have made that possible, but it was too late for the family. They already had decided to enroll him in a small private school instead. 

A bill in the Texas Legislature proposes options for families similar to the Winfreys. Authored by Sen. Tommy Williams, R‐The Woodlands, it would provide scholarships to parents of children with disabilities. 

Those could be used in special education programs in either a public school in another district or a private school. 

Now, students who qualify for special education programs are defined as those, with documented physical, mental or emotional disabilities. They also can be students with autism, learning disabilities or traumatic brain injuries, among other conditions. 

“My sense has been that the families and children might be better served if the parent had the ability to take that funding with them and go to private school,” Williams said by phone Thursday. 

The program would work this way: Students already participating in a public school special education program would be eligible to receive scholarship funds, according to a proposed version of the bill. 

The student would enroll in his or her home school district, but receive a scholarship to attend a qualified public or private school of their parents’ choice. 

June Gardner, whose 16‐year‐old autistic son, Thomas Savoy, attends West Brook High School, said she would be very much in favor of a program like this. 

“If he could go into a private school that would be able to teach him on his level, I think that would be great because he would be able to get an education much better,” said Gardner, 53, a homemaker. 

For the majority of this school year, her son has attended all regular education classes – they are modified – with the exception of two courses which he takes in a classroom with only autistic students. More recently, he has attended all classes in the autistic classroom. 

She said on a recent test in a “regular” class, he had 50 questions to answer. 

“It’s overwhelming to him,” she said. “If he gets overwhelmed, then he’s going to do a worse job.” 

School vouchers have come up repeatedly in the past, but typically fail in the house, said David Bradley, District 7 representative to the State Board of Education. 

Some of the opposition say vouchers pull money from the public schools to pay for private schools. 

Adam Rondeau, a media relations specialist with the Association of Texas Professional Educators, agreed with that assessment and said many parents won’t be able to use the vouchers because private schools are not required to offer special education services, while public schools are. 

Still, Rondeau said his association is willing to work with the Legislature to give students the education they need. 

Williams said his bill actually would keep federal funds and local tax revenue at the student’s home school, but move the state’s portion of the funding to the school of choice. 

On average a school district receives about $6,500 per student including federal funds, Bradley said. Special education and money for low‐income schools would add to that. 

If the bill passes, local parents would have public school options, but few choices when it comes to private school programs. 

Roger Pricer, director of Legacy Christian Academy, a private secondary school in Beaumont, said money is the primary reason his school doesn’t offer a special education program. 

“We have people knocking on our door pretty frequently that would like us to expand the types of children that we could teach and train,” Pricer said. “I would have an interest and I would explore it, but the money has got to be there.” 

Nancy Collins, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Beaumont, said that system accepts students with “learning differences,” but it does not provide its own special education services. Some students receive special services through Beaumont ISD, she said. 

Williams and Bradley said the voucher program could open up the floodgates to more non‐public school programs. Williams said a similar program in Florida resulted in a 10‐fold growth in education facilities for students with disabilities. 

Between 15 and 20 non‐public programs already contract with Texas public schools to educate students with special needs, Williams said. School in Humble and Santa Fe, near Galveston, are the closest ones to Beaumont that offer the private special education programs, Williams said. 

“What we think would happen and what the experience in Florida was is that these scholarships would create a market,” Williams said. “This creates an opportunity for alternative programs to be established.”

Proponents of the programs say private schools would provide better options for children with disabilities, such as autism. Opponents ay they would strip schools of the ability to educate special needs children who don’t qualify for a voucher. 

“We don’t want the public funds coming out of the public school system,” said Craig Tounget, coordinator of the Texas Coalition for Public Schools. 

One bill, by Republican Sen. Tommy Williams of The Woodlands, would grant publicly financed scholarships to the parents of certain disabled students. 

Besides Williams’ bill, Sen. Florence Shapiro, R‐Plano, offered a less sweeping proposal that would give vouchers to the parents of children with autism. 

Several teacher and educator groups opposed the initiatives, saying they would take much‐needed tax dollars away from the public education system. According to a Senate analysis, there are 435,000 special needs kids who would be eligible for the program that would be established by Williams’ legislation. 

The analysis estimates that about 10 percent would apply, costing the state about $1.2 million over the first two years of the program.

 “These proposed vouchers would make it increasingly difficult for public schools to serve the needs of the many special education students whose families wouldn’t be able to use such programs,” said Jerry Bonham, president of the Association of Texas Professional Educators. 

During a hearing on the proposals, advocates and parents of children with autism gave sometimes tearful testimony about their struggles with the public education bureaucracy. 

“This is not about vouchers. This is about finding solutions to these kids with autism,” said Gail Wayman of the Plano‐based Wayman Learning Center, a private school for children with special needs.

At one point during the discussion of a proposal aimed at getting non‐government help for autistic children, Sen. Dan Patrick, R‐Houston, pounded on his desk as he berated opponents and urged them to “pray about” the families who aren’t receiving proper instruction from public schools. 

“What about just doing the right thing” for children, Patrick said. “You all are just wrong on this issue.”

AUSTIN, Texas -- While Gov. Rick Perry is drawing national attention for slamming Washington bailouts and excessive spending, his own state Senate went against his wishes and voted Thursday to accept $555 million in federal unemployment benefits.

The measure, which passed 22-9 on a preliminary vote Thursday, would expand state unemployment benefits by including part-time workers and people who quit for compelling reasons, such as a child’s illness or family violence. 

Perry, a Republican, has agreed to take almost all the nearly $17 billion stimulus package slated for Texas. But he says there are too many strings attached to the $555 million in unemployment money. 

“The governor has made his position on this issue very clear,” said his spokeswoman, Allison Castle. “He does not support expanding the unemployment insurance program which will burden employers and hurt job creation.” 

The slap from the state Senate comes as the governor, facing a re-election challenge from U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, steps up his criticism of Washington spending, appearing at numerous anti-tax rallies and taking to the airwaves to bash the federal government.

 “Amid silly talk of ‘state’s rights’ and ‘secession’ by opponents of federal funding to attack an economic nosedive, today’s action by the Senate, taken with a minimum of debate, demonstrates that a bipartisan approach by legislators can address the real problems of Texas,” Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller said in a statement. “Today the Senate has done well and done right by all of Texas.” 

All 12 Senate Democrats and 10 of the chamber’s 19 Republicans formally disagreed with Perry by voting to bypass him and accept the federal dollars. Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, sponsor of the legislation, said laid-off workers needed the help from Washington, noting the federal stimulus package offers unemployment benefits for nearly a decade. 

“It’s very important to those who have lost work through no fault of their own. The stimulus money will pay for those benefits for nine years,” Eltife said. “To me it’s a no-brainer to take the money.” 

The legislation still faces more hurdles before becoming law. Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, said Texas employers would be stuck paying the bill, through higher state taxes, once the federal money ran out. “I just felt like the long-term consequences of expanding that program are not good for Texas employers,” Williams said. 

Perry hasn’t said whether he’ll veto the legislation. Castle, his spokeswoman, said it’s still not clear it will make it to his desk. “It’s still early in the process," she said.

SB 1065, The Texas Racketeering and Corruption Act, or TexRAC, will provide the Texas Attorney General with a new civil tool to go directly after organized crime's resources – their money and their property. 

"Organized crime operations like the Texas Mexican Mafia, Barrio Azteca, Tango Blast and others engage in human trafficking, drug trafficking, firearm trafficking, prostitution and other illegal activities," said Sen. Williams. "I want to be sure Texas has all the necessary criminal and civil tools to fight these despicable, illegal activities. It's time we tell these syndicates that Texas does not welcome their business." 

TexRAC would allow the Attorney General to seek court orders to seize criminals' property and freeze their assets. It also creates a new second degree felony offense punishable by between two and ten years in prison. Criminal enterprises which harm children would face a third degree felony, punishable by between two and twenty years in prison. 

"Law enforcement should not have to fight criminal enterprises with one hand tied behind their back." added Williams. "SB 1065 will allow the Attorney General to utilize our civil courts to recover the syndicates' money, property and other resources."

"Drugs flow north across our border while guns and money flow south," said Williams. "These international bridges are natural choke points in the flow of guns and money into Mexico. If we can disrupt this flow, we can disrupt the ongoing operations of dangerous transnational gangs." 

SB 2195 increases the penalties for unlawfully carrying weapons across the border, unauthorized use of another person’s motor vehicle while crossing an international border, and transporting prohibited weapons and harboring a fugitive with the intent to cross an international boundary. The bill makes these offenses a 2nd degree felony. 

"The violence and crime associated with these drug cartels is spreading north," Williams said. "The time to fix this problem is now."

The new bill would also make knowingly concealing and transporting currency in excess of $10,000 on an international bridge a 2nd degree felony charge. Currently, there is no criminal punishment in state law for the unlawful transportation of currency. 

A 2nd degree felony charge carries with it a prison sentence not less than 2 years and not to exceed 20 years and a possible fine not to exceed $10,000.

"I would like to see it some kind of way that people could purchase a hurricane policy that no matter what happens, you get covered," Hamilton said by phone. 

Bridge City residents learned the hard way that storm surge is not the same as floodwaters and Hamilton cited a situation where a fallen tree that cracked a slab was considered an earthquake. Legislators need to make sure that the companies are taking care of people, he said by phone. 

The legislative session will be made more difficult by a predicted $9 billion revenue drop. In 2007, the legislature reported $14.3 billion in new revenue, bringing them to a total of $82.5 billion. 

"That puts a little different light on what we though we were going to do," Deshotel said. "It's going to be an interesting balance." 

Still the destruction caused by Hurricane Ike will demand attention. Deshotel said the Legislature will look at how the state will respond in the future and what programs should be available. Sen. Joan Huffman said she would like to see how the state can help communities, like those on Bolivar Peninsula or Galveston Island, as they recover. She said with thousands of homes destroyed, schools damaged, and many residents gone, these communities are starved for cash. 

The question is "how do they continue to operate as a communities as they try to recover," she said by phone. She said the state will look at several options including helping the city's pay FEMA matching funds or forgiving sales tax for a certain number of years. 

These are only possibilities at this time. In addition to the damage suffered by individuals and communities, the medical field suffered a blow when The University of Texas Board of Regents announced 3,800 layoffs at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in mid-November. The hospital served between 600 to 750 of Jefferson County's poorest residents each month, according to The Enterprise archives. 

Both Hamilton and Huffman said restoring the hospital to its former state is a focus of their legislative efforts. Prior to the hurricane, the system's main John Sealy Hospital operated with 550 beds. That dropped to 300 after the hurricane, with 100 of those used for prisoner treatment, the archives state. 

Neither legislator spoke specifically about how it could be restored. The hurricane damaged most of the Galveston property, according to the archives. Apart from Ike-related efforts, education will also be a key issue statewide. 

School districts administrators are looking for some relief to help them deal with increase operational costs and a state funding cap that limits their revenue somewhat. Rep. Allan Ritter said it was too early to say what, if any, changes will be made to the funding formula for public education. 

"I'm not saying it's out of the question," he said by phone. "I think this session will be session where appropriations will be toward the end of the time when we have to do the bills." 

Students could see relief in the form of a tuition freeze. Sen. Tommy Williams, RThe Woodlands, is among a bipartisan coalition of senators who have signed on to SB 105, which would freeze tuition rates at public universities for two years, according to the Enterprise archives. 

Tuition rates have increased by 53 percent in the five years since tuition deregulation bills were passed in 2003, according to the archives. After the twoyear period, tuition increases would be tied to the consumer price index, a measure of inflation, the archives stated.

The measure was tentatively approved 19-12 after three hours of emotional debate, with Republicans saying the legislation was needed to combat voter fraud and Democrats warning it would rob eligible citizens of the right to vote. 

Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, cited reports of recent electoral fraud in South Texas, whose history of irregularities stretched back at least to the 1948 election that made Lyndon Baines Johnson — and a ballot-stuffed Box 13 — household names. Williams said allegations of voter corruption in the border town of Progreso in school board elections in May prove that the threat of fraud is real. Affidavits filed as part of an election challenge portray a political climate rife with family-controlled electoral machines, vote-buying and voter impersonation. 

"In-person voting fraud is very real. It happens," Williams said. "Texas has a legitimate interest deterring and detecting this voter fraud." 

Democrats said the GOP was pushing the bill to keep would-be Democrats away from the polls. They warn that potentially hundreds of thousands of Texans, particularly the elderly, the disabled and ethnic minorities, will ultimately not be allowed to vote because of the bill.

"This bill targets far too many of us by declaring a crisis that doesn't exist," said Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin. "This bill makes it harder for honest people to vote. It's wrong." 

Given the GOP's 19-12 majority, the bill's passage was a foregone conclusion in the Senate. But it did undergo slight changes Tuesday. Though the financial impact of the bill was estimated at zero going into the debate, Republicans agreed to put at least $2 million in funding behind a statewide voter education campaign. 

Democrats say costs could climb because of provisions requiring the state to give out free IDs and because the law will trigger lawsuits from opponents. In another last-minute change, author Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, agreed to make it clear that a voter registration card can serve as one of the two pieces of alternative identification for voters who don't show a valid photo ID. 

While Texans already must show either a voter registration card or other identification, Republicans want to strengthen the law. It would require voters to present a photo ID or, absent that, two alternatives that establish identity. Under the new legislation, a driver's license, passport or military ID are among the most common forms of photo ID that would allow citizens to vote. 

Those who don't have a photo ID could produce two alternative documents — including bank statements, mail from a government entity, a marriage license, a voter registration certificate or cards used for obtaining government benefits. 

The bill still faces a perfunctory final vote in the Senate before moving to the House, where Democrats have more sway and prospects for the Voter ID legislation are far less certain.

The 2009 National Gang Threat Assessment, produced by the National Gang Intelligence Center and the National Drug Intelligence Center, determined that criminal gangs account for as much as 80 percent of the crimes committed in many communities throughout the nation. Gang presence was reported by 58 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies in 2008, up from 45 percent in 2004. There are now approximately 1 million gang members operating in 20,000 gangs across the nation, according to the study. 

And the Houston and Harris County area is one of the most penetrated areas by gangs, accounting for more than 10,000 members. 

Gangs are linked to many crimes, including alien smuggling, armed robbery, assault, auto theft, drug trafficking, extortion, fraud, home invasions, identity theft, murder and weapons trafficking. 

And while the study determined that Montgomery County had less than 500 gang members in 2008, the Interstate 45 and U.S. 59 corridors are prime pipelines for them to transport drugs and weapons or make the short trip from Houston to commit robberies and thefts, sell their drugs, expand their territories and recruiting base, as well as hide from law enforcement. 

According to the report, they are migrating from urban areas to suburban and rural communities, making innocent residents more vulnerable. 

But state Sen. Tommy Williams, R‐The Woodlands, and Rep. Brandon Creighton, R‐Conroe, are two of a handful of Texas legislators spearheading an effort to cripple the growing gang problem. 

Last week, Williams filed Senate Bill 1065, the Texas Racketeering and Corruption Act, while Creighton filed HB 1618 and 1372, which address drug, weapon and human trafficking. 

SB 1065, co‐authored by Leticia Van de Putte, D‐San Antonio, gives the Texas attorney general the ability to seek court orders to seize criminals’ property and freeze their assets. It also makes racketeering a second‐degree felony, punishable by two to 10 years in prison, and makes criminal enterprises that harm children a third‐degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison. 

HB 1618 is the House version of Williams’ bill. HB 1372, co‐authored by Rep. Mark Shelton, R‐Fort Worth, allows victims of human trafficking to qualify for reparations under the state’s Crime Victims Compensation Fund. 

Williams calls this the most important bill he is filing this session. 

Considering Texas’ proximity to Mexico, the trafficking of drugs, weapons and illegal immigrants will continue to keep our law enforcement busy (The study determined gangs are increasing their cross‐border criminal activity). These bills help put some muscle in punishing gang members who are infiltrating our society‐bringing drugs, weapons and violence into our communities. 

Citizens will be safe only when law enforcement is equipped with the necessary manpower and tools to go after these criminals–and the judicial system has adequate punishment in place to keep them behind bars.