Lines in the Sand

Photo By John Anderson

Rep. Ann Kitchen, D-Austin

Capitol Phone: 512/463-0700

Former assistant attorney general Ann Kitchen easily defeated Jill Warren in November and replaces retired Dem Sherri Greenberg in the House. Kitchen, who is in the process of moving into the Capitol complex, said she'll be working on transportation issues, and will try to protect the one-quarter-cent sales tax increment Capital Metro intended to dedicate to light rail. "Transportation is a priority. I'll be working on Capital Metro issues; we need to keep the quarter-cent tax in place and examine what Capital Metro needs to do to improve transportation," Kitchen said.

Kitchen also intends to file a bill that will adjust the public school funding formula to provide more money to the Austin Independent School District -- and other urban districts that currently lose funding under the state's share-the-wealth school funding legislation. Kitchen said that the cost-of-education index needs to be adjusted to reflect the high cost of educating poor children living in urban areas, and believes that it was not the intent of the Legislature to include AISD in the law that moves funds from rich to poor districts. She also said she'd be working on health insurance for school employees. "We need a statewide plan," she said.

"Pipeline safety is an important issue to me," she added, explaining that the Longhorn Pipeline cuts through her district. "We are going to work to increase safety and increase state authority in the permitting and regulatory process," she said. Kitchen said the Railroad Commission sunset bill vote will provide an opportunity to change the way pipelines are regulated.

Kitchen's West Austin district adjoins that of West Lake Hills Republican Terry Keel, and even before the election Republicans were predicting that a majority of Republicans will be moved into the district when legislators redraw district lines.

Kitchen was elected in November and has filed one bill so far for this session.