TDNA Meeting Minutes, July 28, 2005 Page: 2 of 4
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Minutes - July 28, 2005 Board Meeting
Whalen said that TDNA's partnership with TPA worked well this session. TPA's member services
director Ed Sterling, who produces the Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC) legislative reports sent
to both TDNA and TPA members, registered as a lobbyist for the first time. This added another set of
eyes and ears at the capitol and also enabled Sterling to give more details to TPA's members.
Newspaper interests were well represented considering the funds and numbers marshaled by opposing
interests. For instance, there were 104 SBC lobbyists versus Whalen, Sterling, TDNA president
Walker and LAC chairman Donnis Baggett.
Whalen said that two bills that newspapers wanted to push got caught up in the reduction in the
number of bills that got hearings this session. The shield bill got hearings in both the House and Senate
and created better awareness, which will help in the 2007 session. School finance also failed.
On a national level, Walker added he had met a couple of times with Senator John Cornyn, who is
good on FOI but not a big fan of a shield law. It looks now like he will support a national shield law
with the very rare and narrow exceptions, which will help states to formulate their own shield law
issues.
Walker stated that he doesn't know if closing loopholes in the franchise tax law would be a good thing,
which he has discussed with Texas Sen. Jeff Wentworth. Walker believes most newspapers as well as
well as the public would be amenable to closing the loopholes, but he doesn't know how it would be
structured. Newspapers need to put pressure on the Legislature, Walker said. He noted that law firms
are exempt from any kind of taxes and wondered what papers pay a franchise tax.
Whalen presented the Finance Report (attached to file copy) and stated that TDNA has begun a solid
financial recovery. He said that changes made last year paid off for TDNA by changing the cash deficit
to a surplus. Annual budgets should product about $80,000 in surplus each year from here on out.
Income for 2005 was budgeted at $424,562 and $367,706 in expenses were budgeted, producing a
$56,856 net profit. That net profit would reverse the (-$24,489) cash deficit carried over from 2004
and turn it into a surplus of $30,528 by the end of the year. This year's income and expense
projections as of the end of May are under, but very close to, budget. Income of $423,694 is
anticipated at this time and expenses are expected to total $368,676. A budget net profit of $55,018 is
projected, (-$1,838) less than the $56,856 net profit budgeted.
Walker added that the board does not anticipate repeating the legislative assessment that has been
billed to members on a two-year cycle in recent years.
Whalen noted that the convention profit has also been reduced, which gives attendees a cost break.
Walker said he was a proponent of keeping dues at the current level in order to accumulate a reserve
equal to one year's operating expenses, while being mindful of any tax consequences.
Whalen reported that one of the things he learned in his recent management training course was the
need to establish a fund reserve policy, which is now one of his goals for TDNA. A policy governing
TDNA's surplus would specify how much could be spent for new equipment, what expenses could
appropriately be paid from reserve funds, and so forth.2
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Texas Daily Newspaper Association. TDNA Meeting Minutes, July 28, 2005, text, July 28, 2005; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1339207/m1/2/?rotate=90: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.