By PHILLIP WILLIAMS

State Rep. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) told a Republican dinner gathering here Monday night that while other big states face financial deficits, the Texas Legislature recently approved a budget which was $1.8 billion lower than its last one—and the Lone Star State has a surplus.

Hughes spoke to about 30 at a meeting of the Republican Party of Upshur County, held at the La Finca Mexican Restaurant in Gilmer.

In a wide-ranging talk (including a question-and-answer session), the Mineola legislator addressed issues which arose in the last regular legislative session, as well as the brief recent special session.

Hughes said “every big state except for Texas is facing deficits this time,” naming New Jersey, California, and New York. Those states spent more money, raised taxes, and enlarged their governments, he said.

By contrast, when faced with a $10 billlion shortfall in 2003, he and fellow Texas legislators cut that amount from the state budget rather than raise taxes because government should be on a “diet,” Hughes said.

Texas state government is “not perfect, but it’s working,” the representative added. Meanwhile, residents of California, New York and New Jersey are leaving those states in droves, he said.

“I believe in limited government. . .(and) low taxes,” Hughes declared. He said government should “do a few things and do them well.”

On another subject, Hughes praised Gov. Rick Perry for refusing federal stimulus funds that had “direct strings attached.” Hughes said the offer of more money for unemployment insurance would have cost Texas taxpayers and businesses.

Texas accepted other stimulus funds for “one-time expenditures” like building projects, the legislator noted.

On another topic, Hughes said the legislature had granted all schoolteachers a pay raise of at least $800 yearly, more in some school districts.

“We all benefit from a strong public education system,” he said. He also noted that legislators had approved a supplemental check for retired teachers.

Hughes said he also worked to keep his district out of an “experiment” on electric service competition in order to preserve his constituents’ low electric bills.

Tyler customers of TXU pay twice as much for electricity as SWEPCO customers in this area, he said.

Concerning another topic, Hughes said the legislature approved having voters decide on whether to approve a state Constitutional amendment to limit eminent domain (government taking of private property for which the property owner is compensated).

The amendment would limit forced taking of land to be for “true public use,” such as highways, dams, and bridges, rather than for economic development, said the speaker. It was prompted by a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing eminent domain for such

development.

“If this (the amendment) doesn’t work (by sufficiently limiting eminent domain), we’ll tighten it down some more,” Hughes pledged.

During the question-and-answer session, Hughes said “I haven’t been asked to endorse either” Gov. Rick Perry or U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary. “They both serve Texas really, really well,” he said.

But he added that a primary battle for the governorship would “shed a lot of blood that could be spent somewhere else.”

Asked about illegal immigration, Hughes said Texas can’t put troops on the Mexican border, but that the legislature in 2007 put an additional $100 million into law enforcement there. With the faulty American economy, he said, fewer persons are crossing into Texas for illegal purposes.

The speaker also said that the Texas Department of Transportation had “gotten too big. . . out of control” because its leadership in Austin was “off track.”

He said a bill to reduce the number of TxDOT employees at the Austin level didn’t pass, but the department’s workforce will be reduced by thousands through attrition.

In addition, he praised the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party movement, saying “I have never been to a better event than the (July 4) Upshur County TEA Party.”

After Hughes spoke, Republican Party of Upshur County Chairwoman Brenda Patterson announced that county Pct. 1 Constable Russell Harris (who wasn’t present) had switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP.

Meantime, in an interview after the meeting, Hughes said a tort reform group which asserted he “supported the trial lawyer agenda” against the group’s position on certain bills didn’t “accurately” describe the proposed legislation in question.

He replied to published statements from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which claims more than 17,000 supporters.

In the July issue of its magazine, TLR Advocate, the organization said Hughes supported two bills it successfully opposed in the 81st Legislative Session: “the Entergy bill,” and “The Paid or Incurred Bill.”

TLR said it was against the Entergy bill partly “because it would have reversed a decades-old policy supporting workers’ compensation and allowed trial lawyers to exploit third-party lawsuits against property owners.”

The magazine stated the organization opposed “The Paid or Incurred Bill” partly “because it would have repealed a key lawsuit reform enacted in 2003 and would have allowed personal injury trial lawyers to sue for medical ‘expenses’ that had not been paid and were not owed to anyone--’phantom damages.’”

TLR described Hughes and another supporter of that bill, Rep. David Leibowitz (D-San Antonio) as “personal injury trial lawyers.” Hughes acknowledged he is a personal injury trial lawyer, but said his “general civil practice” is not restricted to that, and that he represents businesses as well as individuals.

In addition, “I don’t believe that they (TLR) accurately described what the (two) bills did,” Hughes said, though he added that “They did accurately represent who supported (and) who opposed the bills.”

Hughes also said TLR is a tort reform group and that in 2003, he “voted for the most sweeping tort reform in Texas history.” He said The Wall Street Journal labeled it “10-gallon tort reform.”

Concerning the Entergy bill, the Mineola Republican said it was “designed to reverse a Texas Supreme Cout decision” that “was a clear case of judicial activism,” which he dislikes.

“TLR liked the result that the Supreme Court came to” in that case, as did some interest groups, Hughes said. He said the bill passed the House, but failed in the Texas Senate.

As for The Paid or Incurred Bill, Hughes said the law is being interpreted in such a manner that those injured in accidents are “punished” if they have health insurance.

If someone lacks such insurance, and sues a drunk driver who injured him/her, they can show $10,000 in medical damages, the legislator said. But if the plaintiff has health insurance which covers part or all of that $10,000, the covered amount is deducted from what the plaintiff can obtain from the “drunk driver who runs over you,” he added.

The bill which failed would have let plaintiffs recover “actual value” of their medical expenses, Hughes argued.