SNEAKY. That’s what it was. Not only did the Conference Committee pull the wool over the eyes of their fellow legislators, which they did—they pulled the wool over the eyes of every taxpayer in Texas. They did this by surreptitiously eliminating the requirement to publish in newspapers notices of the final tax rate set by a governing body. This was done outside the normal rules of procedure, which insured that no light would shine upon it. No one knew it was part of the property tax-reform bill, SB 2, voting against which would have been akin to voting against motherhood and apple pie. “Nobody knew,” said our own state Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi), himself a champion of government transparency. “It bothers me that they didn’t tell anyone.” Hunter said. The “public notice” of the final tax rate of governing entities in Texas now will be required to be posted on the entities’ websites, which get a fraction of the traffic that newspapers and their websites get. And that was the idea. To keep this information out of public view. Shame on these legislators! They have, in effect, spat in the face of the very people who put them in office. Members of that conference committee include, from the House, Reps. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), chair; Terry Canales (D-Edinburg), Ryan Guillen (D-Rio Grande City), Jim Murphy (R-Houston), and Candy Noble (R-Allen); and from the Senate, Kelly Hancock (R-Fort Worth), Chair; Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston); Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe); Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen), and Charles Perry (R-Lubbock). To add insult to injury, the official title of SB 2 is “The Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act of 2019.” This flies in the face of other legislation that did restore and/or protect transparency in government, that has either been signed or will be signed by the governor, including SB 943, that requires government contracts with businesses to be open, so taxpayers can see how their money is spent. This under-the-table move is contrary to HB 81, that requires government entities to disclose information about contracts for concerts and other public events funded by taxpayers. It contradicts SB 944, that compels government officials to make public documents available from their private devices. It is counter to SB 1740, that prohibits a “walking quorum” of public officials, i.e., private meetings between small groups (not an official quroum) of elected officials, from reaching a consensus, essentially behind closed doors. Members of the Legislature should rightfully take issue with the Conference Committee members who duped them and their fellow Texans. The voters of Texas are not stupid. They know a cover-up—a sleazy, sneaky scheme—when they see one, and they have memories that extend through the next election.