Reps. Thompson (l) and Cohen: Who'll be first past the post?

Even though her last version of the Titty Tax is still stuck in court, Rep. Ellen Cohen, D-Houston, finally gets her revised attempt, House Bill 2070, in front of a House committee this week.

Cohen’s $5 per head surcharge on strip joints (pulverized in court as unconstitutional) is scheduled for a public hearing on April 1 in House Ways and Means. A rival bill, the 10% admissions tax in HB982 by fellow Houston Dem Rep. Senfronia Thompson, is sprinting to the floor and is already in Calendars.

But here’s an oddity. When HB 982 was initially filed, it was sent to Ways & Means: The same committee scheduled to hear HB 2070. For some reason, HB 982 got bounced over to Licensing & Administrative Procedures. When it was voted out 8-0 on March 18, it was sent to the Local & Consent Calendar, which then sent it back to Calendars (According to Brete Anderson, Thompson’s chief of staff, there was disagreement about whether this was really a local bill.)

Obviously, committees are set up with overlapping mandates. But two taxes, one industry? Why not the same committee?

This article appears in March 27 • 2009.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.