Gattis sees water, health care, medical costs as top issues
On the homeowner front, Gattis said the Texas Residential Construction Commission, created at the behest of homebuilders, is not protecting the rights of homeowners. "It's a paper tiger," Gattis said of the state agency. The commission was created to reduce homeowners' lawsuits against builders. But the agency's critics say the commission has no authority to force builders to fix their houses even after a state inspector finds the builder at fault. "What good is the system if that is the final result?" Gattis asked. He is investigating how to give the commission more authority to rein in bad builders and protect consumers.

Gattis sees water, health care, medical costs as top issues
Republican is part of speaker's leadership team.

By Laylan Copelin
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, February 05, 2007

As one of two Central Texas Republicans in a Texas House dominated by Republicans, Rep. Dan Gattis plans to play a pivotal role on issues from homeowners' rights to medical prices to water.

The Georgetown lawyer, a member of Speaker Tom Craddick's leadership team, returns to the Appropriations Committee that oversees state spending and joins the Natural Resources Committee where water legislation will originate.

Water is becoming a scarce commodity in a state with a growing population.

"We need to address the need for water in the fast-growing areas," Gattis said, "but in a way where we're not just stealing water from rural areas."

Gattis can see the issues from both sides. The Williamson County portion of his district needs water. He also represents water-rich Milam County, which wants to conserve its resource.

Gattis is considering legislation that would allow water marketers to continue to buy and sell water but allow groundwater districts to get back those water rights if a rural district forecasts a water shortage.

"If a district forecasts its needs becoming greater, they can give 20 years' notice to the people selling water out of the district," Gattis said.

He admits water marketers might not like the idea, but he argues the process might free up more water for sale today.

Gattis said he believes some groundwater districts are hoarding water by making unrealistically high forecasts of the district's needs. If a water-rich district knows it can get its water rights back later, it's more likely to sell water today, Gattis said.

On the homeowner front, Gattis said the Texas Residential Construction Commission, created at the behest of homebuilders, is not protecting the rights of homeowners.

"It's a paper tiger," Gattis said of the state agency.

The commission was created to reduce homeowners' lawsuits against builders. But the agency's critics say the commission has no authority to force builders to fix their houses even after a state inspector finds the builder at fault.

"What good is the system if that is the final result?" Gattis asked.

He is investigating how to give the commission more authority to rein in bad builders and protect consumers.

On Appropriations, Gattis will be working on the governor's program to reduce Medicaid costs.

One problem in health care, Gattis said, is that cash-paying customers are subsidizing the uninsured, artificially inflating the state's cost of care.

Gattis said the state needs greater transparency on actual costs.

"We don't know what the prices are," he said of health care. "It's hard to have a market when we don't know the prices."

Gattis also returns with his so-called "dog-bite" bill that provides criminal penalties for owners whose dogs cause serious bodily injury or death.

The legislation, first introduced during last year's special session, arose from the death of a Thorndale woman mauled by a pack of dogs. Six pit bull-Rottweiler dogs attacked and killed Lillian Stiles as she rode a lawn mower in her front yard.

Gattis wants to make dog owners criminally liable because "who's in the best position to prevent such attacks?"

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