Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 163, No. 47, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 16, 2013 Page: 15 of 19
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Rusk Cherokeean and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Singletary Memorial Library.
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6B
■ Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Cljerokeeaij Herald ■ thecherokeean.com
STATE LEGISLATURE
By Sen. Robert Nichols
State Senator, Dist. 3
Happy New Year! I hope you
all had your black-eyed peas
and cabbage for luck on January
1st as I did. As I write to you
from Austin, the 83rd Legisla-
tive Session has just begun and
will soon move into full swing.
Set to last 140 days dur-
ing odd-num-
bered years,
the session is
the time the
Texas Legis-
lature has to
pass a two-
year budget
and any new
laws.
As a way to
help you keep
up with important issues during
this time, I am writing a column
I call “My Five Cents” — things
you might find interesting that
are happening at your Texas
Capitol each week.
Swearing in
State Sen.
Robert Nichols
On January 8,1 was sworn in
for my third term as your state
senator. While senators nor-
mally serve four year terms, our
House counterparts serve two.
Part of the oath of office calls
for elected officials to preserve,
protect and defend the Con-
stitution. This is an excellent
reminder as we begin a new
session to never stray from the
guiding principles in the Con-
stitution, and I take this pledge
to you very seriously.
Legislation
Though the sessionbegan this
week, we were able to pre-file
bills beginning in November.
So far, I have filed legislation
to hmit the growth of property
taxes and to prohibit the use
of eminent domain for recre-
ational purposes.
I have also signed on as co-
author to a bill to significantly
reform the state’s welfare sys-
tem. These bills represent some
of the priorities brought to me by
the citizens of Senate District 3.
The first bill, Senate Bill 95,
is to slow rapidly rising taxable
values on Texas homes.
The second bill, Senate Bill
96, would prohibit state or lo-
cal governments from taking
private land for recreational
purposes.
I co-authored the final bill,
Senate Bill 11, with Senator
Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound)
to require drug testing for wel-
fare benefits and to restrict the
items recipients can purchase
with taxpayer-paid benefits.
The bill also establishes a three-
year lifetime hmit on benefits.
New counties in
Senate District 3
Following redistricting last
session, I am pleased to wel-
come Houston, Liberty, Orange
and Trinity counties to our
district.
Their addition brings Sen-
ate District 3 to a total of 19
counties. This includes 102
school districts, 132 cities and
designated areas and 16,198
square miles. That’s larger than
60 foreign countries.
Because the 31 State Senate
districts of Texas are appor-
tioned by population, there
are about the same number of
people in each district, but the
districts may be very different
physical sizes.
For example, some more
urban districts in Houston and
Dallas maybe only a few square
miles in size, but have the same
number of residents as we do in
19 counties! Texas is a broad,
NEWS
Mission Tejas State Park
announces events
Upcoming activities at the Mission
Tejas State Park include:
• A guided hike of El Camino Real
is planned for Jan. 19.
Visitors are invited to walk in the
footsteps of history and learn aboutthe
historic road that helped give rise to
Texas. They will learn about its history,
route and natural features. The hike
will begin at 10 a.m. at the pavilion.
• “Fishing with a ranger” is planned
for 10 a.m. Jan. 26. The pond is freshly
stocked with rainbow trout. The park
has poles and worms, but fishermen
may bring their own pole. A fishing li-
cense is not required on state property.
All of the programs at the park are
free but regular park entry fees apply.
Fees are $2 for all persons age 13
and older; persons 12 and under are
admitted free.
A $1 fee is charged for senior citi-
zens with Bluebonnet Passes.
Mission Tejas State Park is located
on State Highway 21 between Alto and
Crockett. Please call (936) 687-2394
with questions.
MEALS ON WHEELS
Jan. 16-25
Wednesday: Spaghetti with meat
sauce, Italian blend veggies, cherry
crisp, spinach salad, garlic bread, milk
Thursday: Meatloaf with tomato
sauce, mashed potatoes, okra and
tomatoes, cornbread, orange man-
darin gelatin, milk
Friday: Chopped barbecue beef
on bun, baked beans, peach cobbler,
potato salad, milk
Monday: Smothered beef and
onions, garlic mashed potatoes, win-
ter mix veggies, wheat roll, tutti-frutti
pudding, milk
Tuesday: Chicken and dumplings,
broccoli with cheese sauce, apple
crisp, wheat roll, milk
Wednesday: Sliced pork with gravy,
garden mix veggies, Italian green
beans, wheat bread, ambrosia, milk
Thursday: Chicken cordon bleu,
vegetable rice, spicy buttered carrots,
garlic bread, Mandarin oranges and
pears, milk
Friday: Cajun baked fish, scalloped
potatoes, hot spiced peaches, biscuit,
coleslaw, milk.
Walker-Ross
John Walker and Lupe Doolan of Greenville
announce the engagement of their daughter,
Melody Kristine Walker, to Steven Michael Ross,
son of Mike and Glenda Ross of Rusk. The couple
will be married at 5 p.m. March 9 at Elmwood
Gardens in Palestine. The bride-elect is a 2007
graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University
in Nacogdoches and currently employed as an
elementary school teacher for Rusk ISD. Mr.
Ross is a 2005 Stephen F. Austin graduate and
is currently employed by Chevron Corporation
- North America.
diverse state.
This week, the Sunset Ad-
visory Commission held its
final meeting to make recom-
mendations for reforming state
agencies. One of our charges
involved making policy rec-
ommendations regarding the
rapidly escalating water and
sewer rates for Texans living in
rural and unincorporated areas
of the state who are supphed by
a privately owned utility.
As vice chair of the commis-
sion, I advocated moving the
rate jurisdiction of water and
wastewater from the Texas
Commission on E nvironmental
Quahty (TCEQ) to the Public
Utilities Commission (PUC).
Our workgroup reached
this conclusion because the
PUC’s structure and expertise
are focused on fair and effi-
cient rate-related regulation,
whereas TCEQ’s mission is to
protect the environment and
is not structured to regulate
rate making. The Sunset Com-
mission agreed to this transfer
of rate jurisdiction to the PUC;
the next step is for the change
to be put in bill form and sent
to the legislature for approval.
DETCOG reception
On the night before the ses-
sion began, many residents of
Senate District 3 made the trip
to Austin to attend the Deep
East Texas Council of Govern-
ments reception.
It was an amazing show of
involvement from the people
of East Texas who are making
their voice heard at the Capitol.
I look forward to working with
members of the delegation and
would encourage more constitu-
ents to become involved.
Seeing your faces is an unmis-
takable reminder of exactly who
I represent in the Texas Senate
and to whom I am accountable.
Of course, not everyone can
make a visit to the Capitol every
session, which is why I want to
update you on what is happen-
ing each week. As always, feel
free to contact your Senate office
if my staff or I can assist you.
Robert Nichols is the state sen-
ator for Senate District 3. First
elected in 2006, Sen. Nichols
represents 19 counties including
much of East Texas and part of
Montgomery County. He lives in
Jacksonville.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
ccaij
Call our office or order online.
www.thecherokeean.com • (903) 683-2257
Healthcare at
your convenience
Illness and accidents can happen at any time, that's why the
First Physicians clinic at ETMC Rusk has expanded its hours
to provide you with greater convenience. Whether you need
to schedule a physical after work or sprain your ankle at
basketball practice, we're here to help.
Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to noon
ETMC Rusk also offers advanced diagnostics and an
ETMC Rehabilitation Center.
1325 N. Dickinson Drive
903-683-3600 • www.etmc.org
A not-for-profit organization committed to improving the guality of life in East Texas communities
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Gonzalez, Terrie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 163, No. 47, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 16, 2013, newspaper, January 16, 2013; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth614653/m1/15/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.