Author Archive

Governor Abbott State Of The State Address 

The Governor has prioritized five key emergency items for the Legislature to address during the 140-day legislative session.  Each of these items can be taken up during the first 60 days of the session; unlike other bills affected by the 60-day calendar rule.  

Additionally the legislature was also tasked with prioritizing other critical issues as follows:  

Election Integrity – We must never allow our elections to be hijacked.  We will be shoring up loopholes where fraud runs rampant.  

Protecting Life – Ensuring the life of every child is protected and not targeted for abortion.

Religious Freedom – Protecting the First Amendment by preventing any governmental entity from shutting down or oppressing religious activities within Texas.  

Second Amendment Sanctuary State – 2nd Amendment rights shall not be infringed and we will preserve constitutional right to bear arms. 

Small Business Protections – Small business is the backbone of our economy so we need to help ensure those businesses are protected from liability during the pandemic.

I look forward to working with Governor Abbott and my other colleagues in the Texas Legislature to pass these critical initiatives and protections into law.  I am working on several of my own initiatives in these key areas.       

Keystone Pipeline Cancelled  – Killing Jobs in America and Canada

With President Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline, he effectively destroyed thousands of jobs in America and Canada. The Keystone XL pipeline was set to carry oil about 1,200 miles from the oil sands of the Canadian province of Alberta all the way to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would join an existing pipe to our Texas coast. This pipeline could carry over 800,000 barrels of oil a day. 

Not only is President Biden’s decision to cancel the pipeline a huge blow to both countries’ economies, but it is also a huge insult to one of our closest allies to cancel this pipeline on the administration’s first day in office. Alberta’s premier, Jason Kenney, even called it a “gut-punch.”

Sadly, this is just another example of how the left has cut jobs, destroyed economic opportunity, and hurt hardworking families. It’s time for Texas to step up. And I’m ready to lead the way to a more prosperous future by standing with Canada and standing up to President Biden. This session, I am making it a top priority to champion initiatives that support the energy sector. I will fight to restore oil and gas jobs so that Texas can remain a beacon of hope and a land of opportunity. 

 Spotlight on HCR 14 – 10th Amendment Resolution

Recently, I filed a HCR 14 claiming state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution over all powers otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the US Constitution

This resolution is to certify that the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees we have states’ rights that the federal government may not usurp. Unless it is specifically enumerated in the Constitution, Texas has the authority to govern its people according to our own values, beliefs, and wishes.

I am very proud of this resolution and will always champion initiatives that give Texas the freedom to act without the oversight of the federal government. I am confident this resolution will give us the opportunity to assert our own rights and shine a light on our independent and trailblazing spirit.

Parker County Hospital District to serve as Regional Rural Vaccine Hub  

We are so excited to announce that Parker County was selected by the Texas Department of State Health Services to serve as a Regional Rural Vaccine Hub for all House District 61 constituents as well as residents in the surrounding counties.    

By the end of next week, Texas will have been allocated around 2 million doses of vaccine.  It is estimated that around 13 million Texans qualify under 1A and 1B out of 29.5 million total Texans.  

The demand still far exceeds the supply coming to Texas.  It is expected when the Johnson and Johnson one dose vaccine comes online, that is when we will really see a significant increase in the supply to Texas.    

If you are eligible as part of group 1A or 1B and have not currently signed up or been put on a wait list, you can visit https://www.pchdtx.org to schedule your appointment to receive the vaccine.   

This opportunity to serve as a regional hub is a true triumph for Parker County, and I am so excited to be able to contribute in making sure our community stays healthy.  Special appreciation goes to my chief of staff, Ashley Westenhover, who did such a great job putting this together! 

I want to assure you that these vaccines are purely voluntary.  I strongly believe in individual liberties and completely respect the wishes of an individual to either get a vaccination or choose not to. As your representative, I will always fight for you to have the resources, tools, and ability to make your own choices and direct your life as you see fit.

Rally for Life 

On January 22, 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Roe v. Wade, kicking off a battle to protect the life of the unborn that still continues today, 48 years later. Did you know that abortion was the leading cause of death in the world in 2019 with estimated 73.3 million unborn babies. 

Yesterday the 2021 Rally for Life was held on the State Capitol steps with hundreds gathering to oppose the legalization of abortion and continue efforts to protect all lives.

Featured Bill of the Week: Critical Reform to Texas’ Self-Defense Laws

 Recently I filed HB 796 to clean up Texas’ self-defense laws to make sure what happened to the the McCloskey family in St. Louis will never happen in Texas.  The bill addresses a conflict between terms used in Texas’ justified defense and aggravated assault statues and also adds the offense of arson to those violent crimes where Castle Doctrine-style protections would apply when force or deadly force is used.  

This bill clarifies that Texans merely “exhibiting” a weapon in self-defense could not have felony charges applied.  We have also seen an increase in fire against buildings or vehicles as a hallmark of violence so this bill would also include such crimes in penal code where Castle Doctrine style protections apply to further protect individuals and business owners who must thwart such dangerous conduct by the use of force or deadly force.   

State Representative Phil King represents Parker and Wise counties in the Texas House of Representatives.

Complete the 2020 Census: Why Does it Matter?

Texas ranks 39th with only 59.4% of Texans responding to the census.  The deadline to complete the count is September 30, 2020, just around the corner. 

Much of the federal funding that comes to Texas is allocated on a per capita basis.  Federal funding comes from your hard earned taxed dollars that were sent to Washington, DC.  So, regardless of how we feel about federal programs, we want to get as much of our money back in Texas as we can to help fund roads, hospitals, first responders, schools, etc (over 100 federal programs).  Let’s not stand for our tax dollars going to another state.  

Also, the 435 U.S. Congressional seats are apportioned between states based on population.  Prior to the pandemic, estimates of a full count suggest Texas could have 39 seats, three more than our current 36.  However, at the current response rate, we could actually lose congressional representation.  That just sends Texas’ clout to other states.  

Finally, an accurate census lets us know where people reside along with other basic demographic information.  This helps state and local governments (and business) more efficiently allocate resources for everything from transportation to water to education.  As with everything, unreliable data leads to poor planning and mistakes.  

If you haven’t already, please join me in completing the Census by visiting https://my2020census.gov/.  

Slidell ISD in Wise County first school district to deploy COVID-killing air filtration system

 I could not be more proud of Slidell ISD.  This technology will provide unparalleled safety and peace of mind.  This just shows you don’t have to be big to lead in Texas – just smart, innovative and willing to take a different path.

To read more about IVP system featured in Wise County Messenger click HERE.

Clay Shoot Tournament

On September 24th I will be hosting a Clay Shoot Tournament to support my re-election campaign.  I have an opponent in the general election.  If you are interested in forming a team, shooting as an individual or just joining for lunch please let us know!  Hope to see you there.  For more information click HERE.   

Editorial in Fort Worth Star Telegram 

To download click HERE. 

Prayer Gathering  

Please join me tonight at Heritage Park at 7:00 pm.  Let’s join together and pray for our nation. 

Higher Burden After Successful Appraisal Protest

Many times I’ve heard constituents complain of appealing their new property tax appraisal, prevailing in that appeal, only to see their valuation raised right back up at the next appraisal. This hasn’t been unique to Parker and Wise counties. Last year I was able to pass a property owner protection measure to address this problem. (Honestly, I knew it would help but it is apparently having a much broader impact than I expected.) 

HB 1313, which went in to effect Jan. 1, prohibits an appraisal district, after a successful appeal by a property owner, from increasing a valuation during the next appraisal cycle without “clear and convincing” evidence to justify the increase. Clear and convincing is the highest standard of proof in civil law. 

So how does this play out? State law requires county appraisal districts to reappraise all property at least once every three years.  In Parker County, for example, which reappraises every other year, this means without clear and convincing evidence your valuation could be locked in for four years.  In Wise County, where property is reappraised annually, for two years.  

In this article published Monday in the Fort Worth Star Telegram the chief appraiser credited HB1313 with holding down appraisal increases in Tarrant County. “Of Tarrant County’s 662,100 residential and commercial accounts, 171,345 didn’t change in market value and 283,345 saw a decrease, said Jeff Law, Tarrant County’s chief appraiser. … One big reason for the smaller than average increases in appraisals, Law said, is because of a new law that went into effect Jan. 1.”

Let’s hope HB1313 produces the same help to property owners all across Texas.

Counties and Cities Eligible for Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund 

Texas received $11.24 billion from the United States Department of Treasury to direct toward coronavirus related expenses.  Within the funding provided by the federal CARES Act, 45% of Texas’ allocation – approximately $5.06 billion – was designated for local governments.  Unfortunately, the fed required priority to local jurisdictions with over 500,000 in population meaning that just six cities and 12 counties in Texas will receive $3.2 billion of the available funding for local jurisdictions.  That leaves approximately $1.85 billion that the state can make available to all other cities and counties in Texas. 

These charts, produced by the state, show what these allocations could look like for Parker and Wise counties.  (Note – there are a few incorporated jurisdictions that were left off unintentionally that my office is working to correct.) 

The Texas Capitol remains closed to the public but I want you to know that my office is open for business. You can reach me anytime at 512-463-0738 or [email protected]. The same is true for your Parker County and Wise County local elected officials. Although this is unprecedented territory for local government, they have done a remarkable job. I have never seen the level of coordination and cooperation between jurisdictions. It’s one of the reasons that Parker and Wise will be among the first to recover from this shutdown.

I am so frustrated over the scope of this shutdown. I represent about 200,000 constituents in the Texas House. Thirty have tested positive for COVID-19. Yet thousands have lost their job or seen their income drastically reduced.

Sheltering is a double-edged sword. Its intent is to protect our health and every life is precious. But when you lose your job you also lose the ability to pay for your child’s asthma medicine or your heart medicine or spouse’s cancer treatment. It’s also hard to think about the greater good when you’re afraid you’ll lose your home or the ability to otherwise provide for your family.

Leaders are in a tough spot. If they err they want to err on the side of public safety. Nonetheless, our Texas hospitals are now prepared, the public is educated on risks, it’s time to go back to work.

Update from the Texas Workforce Commission

Staggered Access to Unemployment Benefit Services

Over half a million Texans have filed unemployment claims in the last 18 days as a result of COVID-19. The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) will soon outpace the total number of claims received in all of 2019.

This unprecedented increase has led to long wait times, overwhelmed call centers and technical issues with the Unemployment Benefit Services portal. TWC staff is working around the clock to expand the capacity to take claims but needs your support. Effective immediately, TWC recommends that Texans stagger their calls and access to the online portal based on applicant’s area codes.

“The outbreak of COVID-19 has reminded each of us the importance of acting with others in mind,” said TWC Executive Director Ed Serna. “Just as with the virus, we can treat this problem far more effectively if we work together and space out the demand rather than having everyone call at the same time. I know there are Texans worried about being out of work and missing their paychecks. We keep working until every Texan that needs help gets help. We are asking for you to join the effort.”

Effective immediately, TWC asks that Texans use their area code to find their proposed call and access times listed below. See below chart for recommended call and access times:

Texans will not be penalized for a delay due to call or user volume. Claims for individuals affected by COVID-19 are eligible to be backdated. Staggering claims will provide help to reduce frustrations for many Texans and provide better access to needed services.

For more information on COVID-19 and unemployment benefits follow this link.

Update from the Texas Education Agency

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Waiver Approved

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) received approval from the U.S. Department of Education on March 30, 2020, to waive statewide assessment and accountability requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), for the 2019–2020 school year.

Additionally, for 2020 state academic accountability, all districts and campuses will receive a label of Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster.

Background

As announced in the To the Administrator Addressed letter dated March 18, 2020,Governor Greg Abbott used his statutory authority under Texas Government Code, §418.016 to suspend annual academic assessment requirements for the remainder of the 2019–2020 school year. As a result, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR^®) are not being administered for the 2019–2020 school year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

TEA submitted a federal assessment and accountability waiver on March 24, 2020, and will issue labels indicating Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster for 2020 to recognize that the closure of schools during the state’s testing window inhibited the ability of the state to accurately measure district and campus performance.

Update from the Office of the Governor

Conference on COVID-19, Hospital Capacity

Governor Greg Abbott  held a press conference to provide an update on Texas hospital capacity. During the press conference, the Governor and Dr. Zerwas presented an overview of statewide hospital bed capacity, as well as a detailed analysis of bed availability by region. They also explained the state’s preparations to bring additional facilities online to provide supplementary healthcare capacity if needed. Hospital bed availability in Texas has increased by more than 140% since March 18^th.

Actions Taken to Expand Hospital Capacity:

March 22^nd: An Executive Order was issued to expand hospital bed capacity. Under this order, the Governor directed all licensed health care professionals and facilities to postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately, medically necessary to correct a serious medical condition or to preserve the life of a patient. The order also suspends certain regulations to allow for increased occupancy of hospital rooms.

March 24^th: An Executive Order was issued requiring Texas hospitals to submit daily reports of hospital bed capacity to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

March 25^th: A temporary waiver was implemented for certain hospital licensing rules and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) adopted an emergency rule to meet Texas’ need for additional hospital capacity.

March 29^th: Announced a joint effort between the state, the Texas Military Department (TMD), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to identify and equip additional locations to serve as health care facilities in the event that hospital capacity is exhausted. The Governor announced the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas as the first of these sites.

View the presentation on Texas’ hospital capacity.

One of the many concerns for those that have lost income or their job is paying their bills.  Please take initiative in advance to reach out to your electric, phone, natural gas and water utilities for deferred payment options before things get to the disconnect stage.  The same goes for your creditors.  I would highly encourage you to work out deals before you get to foreclosure, eviction or shut off of services stage. 

We have been talking with the different utility providers in our district and all of our local entities have reassured us of their commitment to working with customers during these difficult times.  These companies and providers have all emphasized we are all neighbors and we will help our neighbors.  They key though is communication with your providers.  This does not give the green light to customers to not pay their bills.   

 Rental Assistance

The Texas Supreme Court has temporarily suspended residential evictions.  This is critical to many Texans who are beginning to feel the economic impact of COVID-19.  The Texas Apartment Association also has a resource page related to COVID-19 impact.  Again, I would strongly encourage you to be proactive and work with landlords on deferred payment plans because evictions will soon again be available through the courts.

Electric Service Payment Assistance

All of our electric providers have announced they will be temporarily suspending disconnections or working on deferred payment plans upon request from the customer.  I am really proud of our utility providers as they historically have always worked with their customers, many of whom live in economically disadvantaged areas.  Several electric providers are providing financial assistance resource webpages so I would suggest looking at their social media pages and websites. 

The Public Utility Commission ordered all the Retail Electric Providers to immediately offer a deferred payment plan and suspend disconnections.  Here is an additional FAQ from the Public Utility Commission about their recent order.  However, again this does not mean customers are not liable for their electric bills.  Disconnects will eventually be reauthorized.

In addition to the REPs, we have reached out to the electric co-ops and municipal electric providers to gather their COVID-19 announcements.

CoServ Electric 
CoServ announced that it is suspending disconnections, penalties and late fees for nonpayment for residential members and customers through April 13.

Pentex Energy 
Pentex announced that their member services division will be aiding their members on a case-by-case basis to offer deferred payment plans.

Tri-County Electric Cooperative 
Tri-County EC announced that their member services division will be aiding their members on a case-by-case basis to offer deferred payment plans.

Wise County Electric Cooperative 
Wise County EC announced that it is suspending disconnections, penalties and late fees for nonpayment for residential members and customers through April 16.

Weatherford Municipal
Weatherford has announced that it is suspending disconnections temporarily and penalties that are associated with late payments.    

Bridgeport Municipal
Bridgeport is currently directing customers with financial hardship to assistance programs with these community resources:  http://cityofbridgeport.net/458/Utility-Assistance

Franchise Tax Extended

Today Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced that there will be an extension to all franchise taxpayers.  The new due date for 2020 franchise tax reports will be July 15 which is consistent with the IRS extension.  This is automatic and taxpayers do not need to file any additional forms and will apply to all franchise taxpayers. 

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation 

Part of the Federal CARES Act is a newly created program for unemployment assistance for individuals who historically aren’t currently eligible for unemployment benefits through the state.  This program will be administered through Texas Workforce Commission but the state agency is still waiting for instructions from the federal government for implementation.  This new program will provide assistance for self-employed, independent contractors and workers with limited work history.  At this time, this new federal program application process is not open.  When we receive more details on who qualifies and how it will be administered through Texas Workforce Commission we will provide an update.  Here is a press release announcing the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) fund. 

I would encourage you to keep checking the Texas Workforce Commission website for updates.  In addition to this new program, the federal CARES Act also gave additional funding to supplement and extend the current state unemployment benefits program to 39 weeks (additional 13 weeks) plus increased funding at an extra $600 per week.  See TWC announcement here.   

I know everyone is still having a hard time getting through on the phones and computer to file for unemployment benefits.  Keep checking back.  They are rapidly increasing their workers at the call centers, bringing on new representatives every day.  They also implemented a new chat bot that should answer some of the more general questions.  Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. https://www.twc.texas.gov/

Many of us are trying to work through the Small Business Administration new Paycheck Protection Program application process right now. Here is a short FAQ on the PPP that I found helpful.  Another more thorough report is the Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act.

I have also had multiple calls with the Texas Workforce Commission about processing unemployment benefits. I know many of you have called our office and are having trouble getting through on their phones and website. They are seeing an unprecedented amount of traffic and are working very hard to increase their capacity and streamline the process. Information for employers, jobseekers and information related to childcare can be found here. 

On a personal note, my son Josh wed on Friday.  Although COVID-19 disrupted their original wedding plans, it was a perfect immediate family wedding with the pastor on Zoom!  You have to find some laughter and joy in everything.