Election Endorsements

For a list of early voting locations and polling hours, call the Travis Co. Elections Division at 473-9553, or visit the Travis Co. Web site at http://www.co.travis.tx.us/election. For more information on the constitutional amendment proposals, an excellent place to educate yourself is at the League of Women Voters' Web site at http://www.main.org/leaguewv/home.html, where you will find not only the full text of the propositions, but also arguments pro and con. League voter's guides are also available in local public libraries. Here are the Chronicle endorsements:

Austin Community College Tax Increase: Yes

Austin Community College manages to educate Central Texans in spite of itself. Dysfunctional administration, constant conflicts between faculty and managers, sloppy performance at such basic tasks as recording students' grades -- these are not things that make us eager to give ACC more money. But ACC provides an essential service to our community. If we really want to be a City of Ideas, distinguished by our educated and worldly populace, then we need to support education at all levels. We strongly hope that, if ACC is entrusted with the money it needs, it will provide its students, faculty, and staff with the service and support they deserve.

Constitutional Amendments: No Endorsement

Our blanket position on the 17 propositions to amend the Texas Constitution is to scrap the whole thing and start over so we don't have to do this every two years. But here we go again. Here's a brief description of the proposed amendments.

1. Would clarify that the lieutenant governor must resign that job to fill a permanent vacancy in the governor's office, as may occur if Gov. Bush vacates that office for a presidential run.

2. Would ease restrictions on so-called reverse mortgages, under which senior citizens can obtain credit against their home equity.

3. Would eliminate or revise about 80 archaic and obsolete provisions of the constitution.

4. Would expand the definition of charitable institutions for purposes of property tax exemption to include those with "primarily" charitable functions; currently they must be institutions of "purely public charity" to qualify.

5. Would allow state employees to receive a salary for serving on local government boards -- e.g., Bill Spelman could be paid for being a City Council member, though as a UT professor he is also a state employee.

6. Would increase the maximum size of an urban homestead to 10 acres, making it easier for rural residents to obtain home loans, and protecting large urban estates from being seized in bankruptcy proceedings.

7. Would allow a court to garnish wages for alimony payments.

8. Would remove the current two-year term for the adjutant general and make that position directly accountable to the governor.

9. Would allow the Legislature to create a commission appointed by the governor to set pay rates for state judges, rather than having the Legislature continue to set them.

10. Would remove the current two-year term for the health and human services commissioner and make that position directly accountable to the governor.

11. Would allow political subdivisions to purchase property and casualty insurance from mutual insurance companies, instead of only stockholder-owned companies.

12. Would exempt vehicles leased primarily for personal use from property taxation. Currently, some Texas counties assess taxes on leased cars, and some don't.

13. Would authorize the state to issue $400 million in general obligation bonds to finance student loans.

14. Would clarify that all state boards must consist of an odd number of three or more members, rather than a membership divisible by three, as is currently required.

15. Would allow married couples to convert their separate property into community property, if they both agree to do so. Currently, only property acquired during a marriage can be considered jointly owned.

16. Would change the way counties determine how many justice of the peace and constable precincts they should have.

17. Would make capital gains from the Permanent University Fund available for spending by public universities (UT and A&M). Currently, all capital gains must be reinvested in the fund.