, represents Corpus Christi and its industry-dense environs in Nueces and Aransas counties, where school districts have awarded Chapter 313 agreements to numerous petrochemical companies.
Under HB 5, approved companies would be required to report various project data to the comptroller’s office, including the total number of jobs created by the project, the total wages paid and the total amount of the investment. “Just because you have to report on something doesn’t mean there are any standards,” he said. “Why wouldn’t a school district just approve anything if state taxpayers have to pay for it?”, existing Chapter 313 agreements — hundreds of which were approved in a mad rush in the months before the bill expired — have “put taxpayers on the hook for a projected $31 billion in tax breaks for nearly three decades to come.
“I think it needs to be redone to address the concerns folks have about the 313 process. It needs more transparent reporting mechanisms,” he said. “Accountability means that the system or program doesn’t get abused, that it’s not cheating school systems in Texas and that it’s fair and equitable in terms of how it’s used to grow industry.”Lozano serves as chair of the House Higher Education Committee.
“A serious program would be targeted at those specific projects where it’s really necessary to have an incentive to attract them to Texas,” Lavine said, “where the approval process is a thoughtful and legitimate one and not one where school districts are paid to say yes.” “They can’t escape the connection: Tax breaks for big businesses equals less money for school districts,” he said.