80th Legislature: All Aboard For The Fight Over The Texas State Railroad

The much-anticipated showdown over the Texas State Railroad is expected to play out before the House Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism this afternoon.

The State Railroad, like many other Texas Parks & Wildlife functions, has been poorly funded for years and closure or reduced services have been a recurring threat for several bienniums now.

At issue are three different scenarios:

Some supporters, such as Mr. Presley, say the Legislature will shut down railroad operations and turn it into a “static display” at the end of the fiscal year unless a private operator is found.

So they want the Legislature to spend $12 million and turn the railroad over to the local operating agency, which would oversee operations by a private company. In a complicated agreement, the private company would eventually own the equipment, such as engines and cars, while the state would continue to own the track.

But others say that state leaders are bluffing and that the Legislature should keep the railroad and devote $7.8 million for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to continue operating it for the next two years.

Of course, the first two scenarios are dangerous. As we’ve seen time and time again with state government functions, privatization isn’t the answer. It wasn’t the answer for health and human services and it’s not the answer for state parks.

The clear answer, of course, is to keep the railroad on the same track (no pun intended) it has been for three decades:

“The static display is just a threat,” said Michael Banks, a Jacksonville dentist who is president of Save Texas Parks, which helped focus attention on the railroad’s funding crisis.

“We think the safest and surest way to operate it is the way it’s been done the last 31 years,” he said.

While a few locals favor the privatization scheme (Hop Aboard the Accenture Express, anyone?), Banks points out some flaws:

Mr. Presley and others believe a private operator overseen by locals is the best solution.

But Dr. Banks said if a private operator thinks the line has that much potential, the state should try to capitalize on it rather than getting rid of it. He also warned that a private operator may boost ticket prices, to the detriment of Texans.

Of course, when it comes to privatization schemes, you don’t even have to turn your head before you smell a Republican running around waving a piece of legislation they claim will cure all ills:

Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, and Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, have introduced twin bills focusing on the private ownership option. The House bill will be debated in the Culture, Recreation & Tourism Committee this afternoon, while the Senate bill will be debated in the Natural Resource Committee.

Mr. Cook said he expects the private option to pass with little opposition.

I don’t know about that. Maybe someone should ask Reps. Chuck Hopson (D-Jacksonville) and Jim McReynolds (D-Lufkin) about that. The railroad impacts their districts, too, in terms of jobs and tourism dollars.
The sad, sad, sad thing about this legislation is that whatever happens in Committee is likely to be  the way things will go on the floor of the House. While the TSR is a state parks issue, the Legislature has much bigger fish to fry (including funding for the whole park system) than to spend an entire day debating the ins-and-outs of the funding of something like this. And, are Democrats who otherwise may be against such privatization schemes willing to engage in a messy floor debate over something like this with such issues as health care, Voter ID, and similar issues on the table?

We’ll keep you posted.