Fort Hood Sentinel (Temple, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 28, Ed. 1 Friday, September 14, 1973 Page: 4 of 20
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Page Four
CHAMPUS look closer
Rep. Lane Denton says
With most of the other Ft. Hood area news media
the Sentinel attended the local media club meeting
this week when Rep. Lane Denton from nearby
McClennan County (Waco) spoke Denton is chairman
of the Public Welfare Subcommittee from the Texas
legislature.
This particular subcommittee has been making
some startling discoveries about the care given ex--
ceptional and disturbed children in private in
stitutions around the State of Texas.
To date sickening stories have come forth from
one prominent case in south eastern Texas where one
instiution owner has been indicted for murder. Other
tales of beatings shaved heads administrations of
tranquilizing drugs and dipping children into septic
tanks have multiplied in subcommittee hearings.
Denton alleges that public agencies including
CHAMPUS have not monitored the privately run
children's homes in Texas as closely as they should.
In addition he stated that parents of CHAMPUS
beneficiaries mistakenly think only two or three
homes are available to their dependents.
Contacting Champus offices in Denver the Sentinel
was able to learn that the Department of Defense
agency works through state agencies and contractors
to find suitable homes for these special children.
Usually the rule of thumb is the institution's standing
with Medicare and other Federal agencies.
If a family wants to use an institution not already
approved an investigation must be made. CHAMPUS
officials must rely on state contractors to investigate
which is usually a major insurance company. This is
sometimes blocked by red tape. Hence military
families hesitate to put children into institutions not
already approved by CHAMPUS.
Rep. Denton suggests a cure for such institutional
problems would be community level programs. The
child would stay with its family at night but have
educational and day-care available when parents are
at work or busy. State and Federal funds would be
channeled into such a system.
While this would benefit the state's problem the
elimination of institutional facilities by the State of
Texas could be disasterous for military families in
volved.
Educational benefits under CHAMPUS have just
been stopped (See Page 5). It is suggested by
CHAMPUS that is such community level programs
are created for special children military families
should contact state education officials for help.
If no help would be available from these sources
would the costs be totally paid for by the military
family out of an already beleaguered paycheck?
Or would it just be better to return these
educational benefit to the CHAMPUS program spon
sored by the Department of Defense?
PHANlfM
The Phantom has had occasion to visit Darnall
Army Hospital recently. Taking into account what
those signs in each clinic tell us i.e. the number of
patients treated daily and the shortage of personnel)
the overall operation of the hospital seems to be quite
efficient. Long lines and hours of waiting are under
standable when one considers the patient load at
DAH.
However proper medical care is hindered when the
treating physician or phsyician's aide must rely on
the untrained forgetful memory of the patient for
pertient medical history. It seems that this is the
case all too often as those records which contain the
medical history of a patient have been lost or
misplaced in the Medical Records Section. As the
Phantom has been a victim of such blundering the
Phantom knows the frustration of attempting to ex
plain in common language the highly-technical
procedures of medical science.
Add to this inefficiency an indifferent attitude on th
epart of some of the employees of the Medical
Record Section and one wonders how they manage to
function. While many of them work friendly the
Phantom has observed certain individuals whose curt
replies and sarcasm take away from the positive ef
forts of others. A little bit of caring on th epart of
these individuals would be an important step to bet
ter care. After all that's what it's all about at DAH.
If you have compliments or complaints on agencies
which serve you write: The Phantom III Corps
HRD Fort Hood Texas 76544.
Fort Hood Sentinel
Published in the interest of military and civilian personnel at Fort Hood. Texas every
Friday by the Community Enterprises Inc.. Temple. Texas. Policies and statements
reflected in the news and editorial columns represent views of the individual writers and
under no circumstances are to be considered those of the Department of the Army. Ad-
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sent to the Information Office Fort Hood Sentinel. Fort Hood
rexas
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material without permission from AFNB O.L.E.
Advertising copy should be sent to: Business Office. P. 0. Box 868 Temple. Texas 86501
or Business Office P. 0. Box 27 206 West Avenue B Killeen. Texas 76541. Subscription
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WELDON KNAPE. 778-4444 Advertising Manager
Walter M. Tilley 526-5141 Killeen Sales Representative
Neva Billington. 526-5141 Killeen Sales Representative
Janie Montang 526-5141 Killeen Sales Representative
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
W. B. Bradbury Company
6 East 43rd St. New York N. Y. 10017
76544 Telephone 685-
RIGHT AMP UP 1
TV
PfRfCTOR.
FORT HOOD SENTENEL
rjinnniimnnv
GET MB
73AT
(This article was printed in the Fort Worth Star-
Telegram on July 8 1973 and was written by Janice
Williams. Through permission from the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram we publish this article for the benefit
of Ft. Hood personnel and dependents.
Sweeping changes are in sight for Texas landlords
and tenants as a result of new legislation signed into
law by Gov. Dolph Briscoe.
House Bill 877 co-sponsored by Rep. Gib Lewis
puts some teeth into regulations on rental security
deposits an area that in the past has caused more
friction than any other contractual stipulation.
The second House Bill 1684 in effect re-defines
the ancient landlord-teneant relationship a concept
going back to the Middle Ages.
Both laws go into effect Sept. 1 promising reforms
that cover not just apartment complexes but every
type of rental housing: single-family homes govern
ment properties even mobile homes.
COMPROMISE
The president of the Texas Apartment Association
Ronny Finger of Houston said that the security
deposit bill is the result of compromise on the part of
his industry the Texas Consumers Association and
various tenant groups to resolve long-standing
inequities and provide penalties for violation by
either party to a rental agreement.
"We know that there are many apartment owners
who always have conducted their operations in a
businesslike manner but a minority of landlords
have been giving the "good faith" ones a black eye
and something needed to be done" Finger said.
"We are delighted with this new law since it gives
protection for the tenant and for the landlord as
well."
Basically the bill calls for a 30-day time limit for a
landlord to return a security deposit after a tenant
vacates the premises or to provide him with a writ
ten accounting of any deductions.
"Normal wear and tear" is not counted in this
since that is defined simply as natural deterioration
over a period of time (fingerprints on the wall small
spots on the carpet or some staining of appliances
or plumbing perhaps) as opposed to damage
through negligence accident or deliberate abuse.
On the other hand the bill also protects landlords
whose tenants move out during the night before their
lease is up leaving their deposit in lieu of unpaid
rent.
The penalty for failure to comply with the law is
stiff in either case. Landlords may be fined three
times the amount of deposit (usually $50 to $100)
plus $100 plus attorney fees.
Tenants may be fined three times the amount of
rent left owing plus legal fees.
THIS WEEK
SPEC. 5 LAWRENCE J.
OWENS "A" TRP. 1ST OF
9TH CAV. 1ST CAV. DIV.
Not as far as black and
white are concerned. Rank-
wise there is discrimination.
A lot of people don't want
rent or sell to the lower
ranks. A lot of the mobile
homes sale places won't sell
to the lower ranking EM. I
guess the people think that
the lower ranking EM can't
make the payments.
SGT. G.F. PEDRAZA HHC
III CORPS
Yes I think there is
discrimination between black
and white. There is also
discrimination against single
people. If four or five blacks
are looking for a place to
rent people will say no but
if four or five whites or
Mexican Americans are
looking for a place to rent
they'll say yes.
SARSEV BOSS
WANTS LC REPLFTCE~
You For A TALLER
'STROH&ER. GUY.
TENANTS COMPLAIN
For some time apartment residents have been
complaining loudly about landlord abuses with
security deposits and some consumer
TENANT'S DUTIES
On the other hand the tenant's obligations are
clearly spelled out. The law reads: "The tenant
shall not withold payment of the last month's rental
or any porition thereof on grounds that the security
deposit serves as security for the unpaid rentals."
Maddux says that those who move off in the middle
of the night constitute one of the landlords biggest
headaches. For one thing it may be some time
before it is discovered that the unit is empty and lost
time is lost money to a property owner.
And the ones who move away stealthily all too
frequently are the undesirables who have wrecked an
apartment pulling out plumbing from the wall
shredding carpets and destroying appliances wan
tonly. More time is lost in getting repairs done and
the unit back in shape again.
"We can tell a few horror stories of our own" he
comments wryly.
COSTS TOLD
Most renters have little or no conception of the
cost of a unit Maddux believes.
It costs in the neighborhood of $10000 to $15000 to
construct and equip a unit for moderate-income
families. In addition the tenant upon moving in has
use of a number of community "consumables"
water gas and electricity to get the benefit of
volume rates.
SPEC. 4 THOMAS H.
GREENE JR. HHC 163rd
MI Bn. (C)
I believe so at least against
single people but not racial
discrimination. Three of us
were looking for an apart
ment and the ones we did
find the people would only
rent to married couples.
Finally we found a place but
the rait was outrageous so
we didn't take it.
WHO PoES
&6T
Sweeping changes due landlords
SKAKIN6 OUT
He-
THINK We IS
MY A6£NT?
HE'S ONLY
"31X
STRIPES /...
(groups
been clamoring for interest to be paid on deposits.
John Maddux head of Ridgemar Development Co.
Inc. the immediate past president of TAA worked
closely with legislators consumer groups and other
industry members during hearings that preceded
passage of the bills and while compromises were
being ironed out.
"A parade of horror stories" is the way he
describes the testimony of some witnesses who
related the familiar stories of unscrupulous landlords
who pocketed the security deposits and never refun
ded them.
There was another oftentold story about their
apartment being sold to a new owner who assumed
no responsibility for the original deposits.
This too has been amended with the legislation
providing that a former owner is liable for the funds
until the new owner has received them and notified
the tenants in writing of the transfer.
Proposed legislation on payment of interest on
deposits ultimately was abandoned. Maddux says
that cost of administering the funds would be higher
than the maount of interest due to each tenant.
have
QUESTION: Do you think there is discrimination in hous
ing in the Ft. Hood area?
MRS. DAVID M. POLE 3338
KIETH AVE. KILLEEN
Well in the area where we
live for 2y2 years I didn't see
any. I don't personnally know
of any problems that existed.
I feel sure that racial
discrimination does exist. I
hope that people will over
come the problem.
Friday September 14 1973
&UILOIM6
For this he puts down what Maddux considers to
be a mere token a security deposit that rarely ex
ceeds $100.
"Unscrupulous residents jeopardize the good ones
who pay their rent and conduct themselves in a
civilized manner" he says. "Cost have to be absor
bed for the 2 or 3 per cent of residents who willfully
tear up apartments in other words the good
people have to pay more rent because of a few bad
guys."
SLUMLORDS HIT
In the category of bad guys at the other end of the
spectrum are what Maddux calls "slumlords" and it
is at them that H. B. 1684 is aimed.
The new law attacks the age-old and often abused
system of absentee landlords who handle their
business through managers or rent collectors.
In the past these landlords have for many tenants
been a faceless nameless entitles who could not
legally be forced to keep their properties in con
dition.
The new law specifies that if a tenant wants to file
suit against a landlord to enforce a legal obligation
the papers may be served simply on his agent or
management company.
This law Maddux says will nail down the out-of-
state or slippery landlord who uses a local "touch"
as his agent to collect for shoddy run-down housing.
The obvious injustices have been too long
overlooked he believes.
"When raw sewage flows through a house and a
poor uneducated laborer is unable to use the due
process of law to force a landlord to fix it then it's
high time to do something about it.
"Speaking not for the industry but as a human
being I object violently to the squalor that is found'
in some projects and row housing simply becuase
tenants aren't able to find the landlord."
NO FORCED EVICTION
The law also prevents a landlord from trying to
evict tenants by force rather than by due process.
It provides that he cannot cut off any utilities if the"
tenant pays directly to utility company (on a
separate rather than a community meter).
Nor can he lock a tenant out of his house or apart
ment for failure to pay rent. What he can do is!
change the lock thus forcing a confrontation sooner
or later with a deadbeat tenant but he must fur--
nish him with the new key on demand whether the'
rent is paid up or not.
The law also repeals the old "baggage lien" statute
and sets up a new one exempting a number of
household items and personnel goods which a lan
dlord formerly could hold in lieu of unpaid rent.
DAVID W. MERIDETH
P.O. BOX 26 FLORENCE
Not that I know of. At least
to my knowledge it doesn't.
With the amount of rent
property available there
a
discrimination.
SSG. Hector A. Vazquez
Btry. "A" 1st of 3rd ArtyM
2nd Armd. Div.
I haven't experienced any
discrimination. It's just in the
individual's mind because
some people think there is
racial discrimination. Some
people misinterpret the ac
tions of their landlords as
discrimination.
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Fort Hood Sentinel (Temple, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 28, Ed. 1 Friday, September 14, 1973, newspaper, September 14, 1973; Temple, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth255197/m1/4/: accessed June 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Casey Memorial Library.