President Doug McCulloch, Representative Lanham Lyne
By Lee Grace Classified Writer
State Representative Lanham Lyne discussed a quick recap of the regent legislative session on Friday, Aug. 5, to the members of the North Texas Home Builders Association. The luncheon was held at Coyote Ranch Resort.
He said more than 5800 bills were filed during the session. A total of 1380 passed with 1327 being signed into law by the governor. Twenty-four were vetoed and 29 were not signed but allowed to become law. Lyne said he filed four bills during the term. One was a fee bill for Midwestern State University. Another was a co-generation bill to allow people with gas compressors to run small engines to operate without having to report themselves as a power company.
A third bill was to improve enforcement of hotels and motels in filling our certain forms. A fourth bill to help businesses didn’t pass. “I sponsored two tax bills, a fee bill and a ‘green’ bill,” he noted.
He said we are spending more state revenues now that federal revenues. This year’s legislature had to cut $15 billion from the budget to keep it balanced.
“We spent too much time passing ‘feel good’ legislation,” he stressed. “You can’t eliminate risk from everyday life. Trying to eliminate it is what I call ‘feel good’ legislation.”
He noted that his philosophy is that “the government should protect you from me and me from you. The government should not protect me from me.”
He asked the members to ask themselves this question: When I go to the city council or the legislature or county government, do I really want government involved in what I am approaching them about?
“Small business from throughout the state tells me: Just stay out of my business!”
He added, “It seems like government wants to protect us in all things at all costs!”
Two accomplishments were the passing of a balanced budget and the redistricting of legislative districts. “We had 12 hours of name calling for a bill that will go to federal court for approval anyway.”
Lyne also spoke about using common sense in government and in our everyday lives. “I am very passionate about these things. It takes all of us to step up and say this is not right.”
An example of the lack of common sense in government rules and regulations concerns the amount of arsenic found in drinking water. “Arsenic is an element naturally found in nature. Currently drinking water is 99 percent pure. But government regulators want to remove the remaining one percent to make drinking water absolutely pure. But this will double or triple your water rates.”
He asked, “Where is personal responsibility? People are always throwing the blame at someone else! We always want to blame someone else. That is how government works today.”
He added, “Ask yourself how much you want government to be involved in your daily life? How much do you want to pay? As a community, we are going to have to take more responsibility.”
He closed by saying that 75 to 80 percent of state income is through sales taxes. “As the economy improves, it will lead to higher state income.”