State lawmakers and Huston Tillotson students announced their intent to form Texas' first Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus to help provide the state's HBCUs with "necessary resources and support to thrive."  This effort is an outgrowth of a three-year partnership between Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) and Central Texas Interfaith (CTI), involving leadership education and preparation of students studying political science.  Fannie Akingbala, a leader from Ebenezer Baptist Church, co-chaired the press conference.      

[Excerpts]

HBCU students helped organize the caucus, which hopes to assemble state lawmakers from both the Senate and House who represent, attended or support HBCUs and obtain funding for them "commensurate with the role they have played in developing the prosperity" of Texas...

[Excerpt]

"HB5 takes the failed and destructive Chapter 313 corporate giveaway program and makes it worse: worse for taxpayers, worse for schools, worse for workers, and worse for the environment. It is shameful to think that the Legislature might pass an expansion of a failed and corrupt program that benefited multibillion-dollar multinational corporations to the tune of now $31 billion at the expense of Texas taxpayers and 95% of the students in the state. Rather than creating a real economic development strategy, industry lobbyists are taking crony capitalism to its greatest heights in the form of HB5. House Republicans and Democrats need to stop it in its tracks. Texas taxpayers and voters will be watching." - Jose Guerrero, CTI [Central Texas Interfaith] leader - Austin Business Journal

“As a result of this policy, taxpayers are on the hook for an estimated $31 billion, according to the comptroller.  In a demonstration analysis of “winners and losers,” the Texas IAF took the $1billion a year that taxpayers spend on Chapter 313 agreements, and instead ran it through the per student funding formulas for each district in the state. We found that 95% of students in Texas are in districts that lose potential funding because corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes due to Chapter 313 agreements.”  - Eloiso Davila, EPISO/Border Interfaith leader - El Paso Matters

New Texas Incentives Program Tweaked as It Advances at Capitol, Austin Business Journal [pdf]

Opinion: Texas Shouldn’t Bring Back this Corporate Welfare Vampire, El Paso Matters [pdf]

Labor allies, environmental groups and public policy nonprofits have joined the Texas IAF-led effort to oppose the renewal of Chapter 313.  And this week, independent editorials opposing the bill have been published by the Houston Chronicle and Austin American Statesman.

[Photo Credit: Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle]