In Texas, we’re all in the minority
Lawmaker proposes way for everybody to qualify for programs.
In
general, I’ve found that Republicans favor prosperity. I like that about them because prosperity is among my life goals, one I should have pondered prior to becoming a journalism major largely because it didn’t require much math or foreign language.
With the GOP/prosperity link in mind, it’s odd that a GOP legislator wants to declare everybody in Texas “economically disadvantaged.” That means you, me, Michael Dell, the squeegee guy at the red light, everybody.
This legislation comes from state Rep. Drew Springer, RMuenster. I introduced you to freshman Springer on Wednesday as sponsor of legislation to overturn Austin’s bag ban. I’m not stalking this guy, really. But it’s easy to keep an eye on the stuff Springer files because he issues press releases about it, which is very thoughtful.
In Wednesday’s release (“Rep. Springer Files Several Bills to Benefit District 68”), he listed seven bills “for the benefit of rural Texans,” including measures about school start dates, notification of controlled burns, burn violation fines, libraries in unincorporated areas, juror compensation and housing projects.
And then there’s his HB 2522, which would deem all of us economically disadvantaged.
The fact is many of us are not as economically advantaged as we’d like to be. But I’m not sure it’s accurate to
say we’re all economically disadvantaged. I, for example, have a 73-inch TV. You also probably have some nice things (though perhaps nothing as life-changingly important as a 73-inch TV).
Springer wants state law to say we’re all economically disadvantaged. It’s part of his effort to erase the “historically underutilized business,” or HUB, process that helps minority- and women-owned businesses get government contracts. A key to getting HUB designation is meeting the state law definition of “economically disadvantaged person.”
Here’s the current standard: “Economically disadvantaged person means a person who is economically disadvantaged because of a person’s identification as a member of a certain group, including Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, women, Asian Pacific Americans, and Native Americans, and who has suffered the effects of discriminatory practices or other similar insidious circumstances over which the person has no control.”
That’s pretty much everybody other than plain ol’ white guys, pretty much the only demographic you can still make jokes about without earning a trip to the human resources department.
Springer, a plain ol’ white guy, wants to simplify the definition of economically disadvantaged person to a “person who is a member of a racial or ethnic group that comprises less than 50 percent of the state’s population.”
According to the U.S. census, that’s everybody. The 2011 stats say 44.8 percent of Texans are non-Hispanic whites, 38.1 percent are Hispanic, 12.2 percent are black, and 4 percent are Asian.
Springer’s statement says the bill reflects “the shifting demographics in the state of Texas” and would “level the playing field for all businesses, regardless of the race of the owner, to compete for state contracts.”
On the House floor Thursday, despite battling laryngitis, Springer was nice enough to briefly speak with me about his bill.
It’s simple, he said, “We’ve got to that point now. Everybody in the state is a minority now.”
True, but counter to what his bill says, we’re not all economically disadvantaged.
Programs like HUB contracting and affirmative action are valuable as we work toward the goal of a discrimination-free world. My question, perhaps a rhetorical one, always has revolved around what we’ll do if we ever reach that goal. Are these programs here in perpetuity? I’ve got to tell you that, selfish idiot that I can be, I’d be for keeping them around forever if I benefited from them.
My attempted point is I have no problem with periodic review of programs like HUB contracting.
I’m sure there is room for discussion about how it works and if it achieves what it’s supposed to achieve.
I’m equally sure the way to do that does not include declaring all of us economically disadvantaged, regardless of the size of our TVs. and $1.6 million from the city of Austin.
The deal was praised by representatives of Austin Interfaith because the company agreed to a floor wage of $11 an hour for all jobs, including construction jobs tied to the project. The company also agreed to work with contractors to ensure that construction workers on the project will be covered by worker’s compensation insurance.
The city estimates that its net benefit from the project will total $7.1 million over 10 years.
Mayor Lee Leffingwell said that this project, like others receiving incentives from the city, generates more benefits than costs to the city. “We are not spending money,” he said. “We are making money on this project and all these projects” that receive incentives. by Cook-Walden/Capital Parks. SEEMAN,Annie Grimm, 92, rancher, of Giddings died Wednesday. Visitation 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Phillips & Luckey Funeral Home, Giddings. Services 10 a.m. Monday, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Giddings. Burial Giddings City Cemetery. SULLIVAN, Hellen B., 61, registered nurse, of Austin died Tuesday. Services 11 a.m. Saturday, First United Methodist Church. Arrangements by All Faiths, south location. WILLIAMS, JB, 84, retired carpenter, of Liberty Hill, formerly of Burnet, died Wednesday. Survived by wife Grace. Visitation 6 p.m. Friday, Cook-Walden/Davis Funeral Home, Georgetown. Services 10 a.m. Saturday, Cook-Walden/Davis. Burial Liberty Hill Cemetery, Liberty Hill. WOLFF, Carolyn Louise, 67, retired home health care worker, of La Grange died Feb. 26. Services 10 a.m. Saturday, Waldeck Cemetery, Round Top. Arrangements by Koenig & Strickland, La Grange.