TEXAS AFT LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE--MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2009
 
* A Short Special Session?
* Health-Care Costs Rising Fast
 
A Short Special Session?  Two days before the start of the special session called by Gov. Rick Perry for July 1, both the governor and House Speaker Joe Straus, Republican of San Antonio, are sticking to the story that this one will be quick. Perry has rejected pleas to expand the agenda for the special session beyond the three topics he already announced. Those are:
 
--extending the existence of key state agencies that otherwise are scheduled to go out of business under the "sunset" procedure;
--extending authority for the Texas Department of Transportation and regional transportation authorities to develop roads, including toll roads; and
--authorizing funding mechanisms for highway construction, including issuance of already-approved bonds and establishment of a new Texas Transportation Revolving Fund.
 
That last item bears watching. We know that last year the governor, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and then-Speaker Tom Craddick announced their intent to pursue legislation to encourage the use of public investment dollars--including public pension funds--to finance state road-building projects. Texas AFT will be checking to see if the legislation filed in this special session to create the new revolving fund could become a vehicle for steering the investment of pension funds into toll-road projects.
 
Health-Care Costs Rising Fast: Even though consumer prices have actually fallen more than 1 percent over the past 12 months, health-care costs continue climbing out of control. According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute, as reported in BusinessWeek magazine: "Despite the worst recession in 25 years, U.S. employers can expect to see their health-care costs rise by 9% next year, according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute. As a result, 42% of employers expect to increase the amount that employees must contribute to health benefit plans, and 41% expect to increase the amount of co-pays, deductibles, and other health costs the employee must pay."
 
It's a toxic combination:  runaway cost inflation, shifting of costs onto employees, and a lack of even basic health-care coverage for many Americans--including 20 percent of Texas children. You can see why comprehensive health-care reform is at the top of the national agenda. Visit http://www.aft.org/fight4america for more on the health-care crisis and what you can do about it.