Author Archive

HB 16 – Texas Born-Alive Infant Protection Act 

This week the Texas House passed an important bill that protects infants who survive abortion procedures, ensuring they receive the same care given to any other child born in a hospital. HB 16 creates causes of action for the surviving child or their parent / legal guardian to pursue against a physician who fails to provide appropriate medical treatment to the child. It creates a similar cause of action for the Texas Attorney General to pursue against the physician on behalf of the state. Along with outlining strong protections to ensure the women who seek the abortion are shielded from liability in accordance with state law, it establishes a reporting mechanism so a person who has knowledge of a physician’s failure to provide appropriate medical care can be reported to the Office of the Attorney General. HB 16 is a strong stance to defend life in Texas.

HB 1313 – Targeted Property Tax Relief 

This week I laid out HB 1313 in the House Committee on Ways & Means. HB 1313 is one of several bills I have filed that would provide targeted tax relief for Texans and is a priority issue for me. HB 1313 increases the standard of evidence an appraiser must present in order to increase the appraisal value of a property the tax year following a successful protest. This change will go a very long way in creating more transparency in our system and saving taxpayers’ valuable time.

To watch the bill lay out, click on the below image. 

HB 14 – Student Loan Repayment Assistance for Peace Officers

I was proud to Joint Author and support HB 14 which creates a student loan repayment assistance program for future peace officers. Texas is facing a critical shortage of officers putting everyone at risk. I served 15 years with the Fort Worth P.D. and was recruited by a college assistance program.  Then, as it is again today, it was tough to find people willing to serve.  Assisting with student loans will attract more officers and support the men and women that put their lives on the line to protect our communities each day. I am proud to continue to back the blue and ensure our best and brightest have the opportunity to become peace officers and provide for their families.

Property Tax Reform 

The House will be debating HB 2, the property tax reform bill tomorrow on the House Floor.  I have filed several amendments for targeted property tax relief. 

Repealing Clawback
Current law imposes a substantial penalty on landowners when they decide to change the use of his or her land from agricultural uses to something else.  A “rollback rate” or what I would refer to as a clawback tax is imposed where a landowner must pay local taxing entities 5 year clawback on the market value of the property as if it never held an agricultural exemption plus 7 percent compounded interest.         

This clawback tax substantially hinders your property rights and there is simply no justification for this excessive penalty that prevents properties from advancing to their highest and best use. I will be running with a few amendments tomorrow that are aimed at substantially reducing the clawback penalty.

Higher Burden After Successful Appraisal Protest 
Over the years I have heard stories from constituents where they have gone through the process to protest their appraisal, win and the next year it goes right back up with little explanation.  This is very frustrating and discouraging process to participate in over time.  This amendment makes a minor change that in the following tax year where the taxpayer is successful in appealing their protest that the increase presented by the appraiser must be supported by clear and convincing evidence.  This is a simple yet profound change so that taxpayers don’t feel like they are wasting their time getting involved in the process.  

The House Passed HB 347

The House passed HB 347 to protect the property rights of all Texans. I am proud to have authored HB 347 which will finally end forced annexation in Texas and will give all citizens a say in future annexations. Thank you to the residents of Parker and Wise county who supported ending forced annexation and helped me move this legislation through the House.  Senator Birdwell will now carry this important piece of legislation through the Senate and we look forward to Governor Abbott signing this critical property rights protection in the near future.

See article in the Weatherford Democrat HERE.   

School Finance Reform

Last week I was proud to support schools, students, and teachers by voting for HB 3. HB 3 is a comprehensive plan to reform school finance in the state of Texas. Through the budget and HB 3 we are lowering school district property taxes by an average of 5.5% statewide and every Texan will see a permanent property tax rate reduction. HB 3 reduces the “robin hood” burden by more than $3.5 billion over the next two years and reduces recapture by increasing the amount of money guaranteed for each student.

HB 3 provides incentive-based increases to teacher pay, more continuing education and training opportunities to teachers throughout their careers, and funding for professional development programs that train teachers. HB 3 gives local school districts more discretion to determine teacher and school support staff compensation how they see fit. Additionally, HB 3 will provide funding to ensure every student receives the help and services they need.  

The budget and school finance reform bills are now in the Senate and we look forward to seeing what the final version of these bills will look like.  Both chambers are committed to school finance and property tax reform.  

Texas Retired Teachers Day at the Capitol

I had the pleasure of meeting with the retired teachers of District 61. The Texas legislature is working hard to put TRS on a path to actuarial soundness by increasing the pension rate and providing a 13th check for retirees.  It is important to support our retired teachers and I will continue to work to ensure our retired teachers our supported in Texas.

World Down Syndrome Day

On March 21st, the Texas House observed World Down Syndrome Day to raise public awareness.  Individuals with Down syndrome have a third copy of chromosome 21, hence the celebration on 3/21.  As many of you know, my daughter Sarah and husband Jacob adopted two children from China that have Down’s syndrome.  Both Joy and Sunshine joined me on the House floor and enjoyed meeting all of my colleagues.  To watch the floor recognition, click on the image below.  

East Parker County Day  

East Parker County chamber delegation spent the day in Austin with a legislative agenda focused on water, education and transportation.  They met with stakeholders to receive a legislative update on these important issues affecting the business and local community.  

Aledo ISD State Championship Recognition 

On Wednesday, we recognized Aledo ISD football team for clinching their 8th state championship title in 2018.  The team has won the state title 7 out of the last 10 years.  We also recognized two other gentleman who received a state championship in cross country and swim.  Congratulations Aledo ISD!      

This Wednesday: House Budget To Be Considered on Floor

General Appropriations Bills, otherwise known as the state budget, are introduced by the House and Senate at the start of the legislative session following an assessment of the Legislative Appropriation Requests (LARs) submitted by state agencies over the interim and the Comptroller’s Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE).

The Legislature may change the state budget through a supplemental appropriations bill after the budget has been approved. Because the regular session begins in January, with eight months remaining in the two-year budget period, the Legislature sometimes appropriates funds to supplement an agency for the last fiscal year of a biennium.

The Comptroller anticipates state lawmakers will have $119.1 billion for spending over the FY 2020-2021 budget cycle, which is roughly 8.1 percent more funding available compared to the last biennium.

The House Appropriations Committee has been hard at work preparing House Bill 1, the state budget for the upcoming biennium, while the Senate recently passed and sent over Senate Bill 500, the supplemental budget which will address the obligations and critical needs of the state in the final months of FY 2019.

On Wednesday, the House will be considering both HB 1 and SB 500.  HB 1 spends $116.5 billion of general revenue and includes approximately $2.3 billion of funding from the Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF).  SB 500 is to fund FY 2019 obligations and includes critical funding for Hurricane Harvey damage.  The supplemental appropriations bill spends $2.7 billion of general revenue and approximately $4.3 billion of Economic Stabilization Fund.  Comptroller Hegar previously estimated that the ESF would have nearly $12 billion for budget emergencies.    

Once passed by both the House and Senate, both bills will head to a conference committee between the two chambers, where legislative members of both bodies will then finalize the budget for each chamber’s approval.  

Legislative Process

This Monday marks the 70th day of the 140 day legislative session.  The deadline for bills to be filed has passed and a total of 7,281 bills were filed.  This week we will have our first floor calendar where bills will be debated and, if passed, sent over to the Senate for consideration.  At this juncture of session, the majority of the day is spent hearing bills in committee.  Over the coming weeks, that will shift to spending the majority of time on the House floor debating bills. 

School Finance Reform: “The Texas Plan” 

House Bill 3 invests $9 billion toward advancing student achievement, supporting Texas teachers, providing property tax reform, and allocates more dollars to Texas classrooms than ever before. 

School finance reform is a top priority and paramount theme for this session.  HB 3 known as “The Texas Plan” was heard in committee this week.  In the days since the bill was filed, we have witnessed an outpouring of support from parents, teachers, school administrators, and various education and business advocacy organizations. This much needed reform invests in Texas classrooms and transforms our state’s public school finance system.  What is so exciting to see is this bill has bi-partisan support with 104 legislators who have currently signed on as co-authors to show our commitment for reform to the antiquated school finance system.  

My Legislation: Ending Forced Annexation Statewide and Repealing Clawback for Change of Use on Ag Exempt property

HB 347

Last week we had a great hearing on HB 347 to end forced annexation statewide.  Forced annexation is a legal process by which property located in an unincorporated area of a county may become part of a neighboring city against the property owner’s will.  This means without their consent, they find themselves within the jurisdiction and taxing authority of a municipality when they have intentionally chosen to live outside the limits.  Taxpayers then become responsible for paying for bonds and services for which they neither voted for nor approved.  Simply put, this is taxation without representation.

Parker and Wise counties became Tier 2 in November when a ballot measure was approved and are now protected from forced annexation but currently this protection is only in 16 counties in Texas.  

Protecting the property rights of all citizens is of utmost importance.  This legislation would streamline the process and would allow cities to make the case to all residents and landowners to be annexed into their city limits.   

HB 794 

We also had a great hearing in front of the Ways & Means committee on HB 794.  Buying property is one of the largest financial decisions most Texans make.  But did you know we have certain provisions in Texas law that prevent landowners from using their land for its highest and best use? 

This legislation is a win-win for Texans and would significantly reduce the clawback tax imposed for agricultural properties when a change of use occurs.  Current law imposes a substantial penalty on landowners when they decide to change the use of his or her land from agricultural uses to something else.  A “rollback rate” or what I would refer to as a clawback tax is imposed where a landowner must pay local taxing entities 5 year clawback on the market value of the property as if it never held an agricultural exemption plus 7 percent compounded interest.         

This clawback tax substantially hinders your property rights and there is simply no justification for this excessive penalty that prevents properties from advancing to their highest and best use. I look forward to substantially reducing the clawback tax for this unnecessary burden to landowners.  

Capitol Visits 

Important Dates of Interest 

On March 8th, the legislature will be in its 60th day of the 140 day legislative session.  This is a significant for two reasons.  This day makes the last day for bills to be filed and it also means we are able to start hearing legislation on the floor.  The Texas Constitution states that bills can not be considered on the floor until the 60th day of session unless it is declared an emergency item by the Governor.  The emergency items declared are: school finance reform, increasing teacher pay, school safety, mental health programs, property tax reform and disaster response. 
Last session at the bill filing deadline we had 6,631 bills filed with only 1,211 bills passed.  As of today we are at a total of 4,290 bills filed which is a higher number than this exact day last session.  We are also experiencing a record high of legislation being drafted by the attorneys at legislative council.  All signs point to another record breaking number of bills being filed.

Now is the point in session where I will spend most of my days in committee hearings vetting legislation and we will gradually transition to more time on the floor debating legislation.  

If you are ever interested in learning more about a bill or tracking legislation, the public has access to Texas Legislature Online where you can set up alerts and follow the status of a particular bill.  My office tracks bills that constituents call or email about so that when it is up for a vote on the house floor or in a committee that I am a member of, I know who from the district has called in favor or against.  To voice your thoughts on a bill, you can email [email protected] or call the Capitol office at 512-463-0738.   
Click here to follow Texas Legislature Online 

Parker and Wise County Days

The last two weeks residents of Parker and Wise counties joined me the Capitol to celebrate their county days.  I enjoyed attending the Wise County reception and giving Parker County residents a night-time tour of the Capitol.  I was honored to pass resolutions recognizing each counties’ achievements and contributions to the State of Texas.  It is always a pleasure to meet with officials, leaders, and residents.

First Redistricting Hearing

This week the House Committee on Redistricting which I chair held its first public hearing.  Our committee consists of 15 members with only 6 members that were in the legislature during the last redistricting cycle.   Our committee hearing focused on the data and tools used in the redistricting process with a presentation by the U.S. Census Bureau to discuss the process of conducting the decennial census.  Census Day will be on April 1, 2020.  I expressed my commitment to ensure a transparent and legal redistricting process and I appointed a bipartisan subcommittee to propose locations in Texas for our committee to hold interim hearings. We are excited to get started on this very important process for 2021 redistricting.

Ending Forced Annexation for All Texans 

In November, Parker and Wise counties approved a ballot measure to become a Tier-2 county – ending all forced annexation by home rule cities in our district.  Right now, only 16 counties in Texas are Tier-2.  This leaves 238 counties without protection!  Many others are collecting signatures to be on the May ballot but as our community knows, this is a very arduous process.  I have filed HB 347 that would end the need for county to county elections and end forced annexation for all Texans once and for all.  

We are one of the few states that allows the practice of involuntary annexation by our home rule cities.  Forced annexation is un-Texan and protecting private property rights of ALL citizens is simply the right thing to do.

Having Parker and Wise counties lead the charge last November and pass this measure with overwhelming support has built a foundation with great momentum to end all forced annexation this legislative session.   Thank you to everyone that worked so hard last year to make Parker and Wise counties Tier-2 status.  

State of The State Address by Governor Abbott 

This week Governor Abbott addressed all Texans and members of the legislature to promote legislative priorities for this session.  

The key points include:

• Texas is leading the nation in job creation and has the fastest growing economy in America.  We are the top oil and gas producer and a leader in exports.  We need to continue to look for ways to promote innovation, jobs and good regulatory environment.  
• Student achievement is top priority which means ensuring our best teachers are in the classroom serving our students.  More state funding will be necessary to invest in our students, teachers and to ensure schools are properly funded.
• No government should have the ability to tax its citizens out of their homes.  Our school finance system is too dependent on local property taxes.  We need to limit property tax growth, lower property tax bills and increase the state share of spending on education.
• Our number one priority is keeping Texans safe and investing in resources to combat gang violence, human trafficking and equipping law enforcement to keep us safe.  
• Hurricane Harvey was the costliest and most destructive storm in our state’s history.  This session we will be looking at additional financial means to support our local communities as they continue to recover.   
• We need to ensure our students are safe at school and the state will allocate the necessary resources to school districts for mental health programs, additional law enforcement and school hardening.  

Honorary Page

Last week I was delighted to have Jonathan Catlin serve as an Honorary Page for the day. The Honorary Page Program allows students between the ages of 8 and 18 to experience the Texas legislative process first-hand. Honorary pages are able to join Representatives on the House floor and shadow pages as they fulfill their duties around the Capitol. I always enjoy having young Texans join me to learn about their state government.

Remembering the Holocaust

This week I was honored to carry HR 129 commemorating the 74th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and death camp.  On International Holocaust Remembrance Day we memorialize the six million Jewish victims of the Nazi regime. It is critical that we educate future generations about the tragic events of the holocaust to help prevent future genocide.  

Property Tax Reform

 This week identical bills were introduced in the Texas House and Senate for property tax reform.  These bills increase transparency in the property tax system, lower the maximum rate of increase from 8 to 2.5%, and generally empower property owners to take a more active role in rate setting.   I know additional legislation will soon follow.  

This is a significant first step toward reforming our antiquated property tax system.  In addition to this reform, we will still need legislation that will provide true property tax relief to the citizens of Parker and Wise counties.  This relief will come through the overhaul of our school finance system and will likely be through a state buy down of local school taxes.  

Committees will begin hearings next week.  We are at the beginning of the legislative session so there is a long journey ahead for discussions on school finance reform and property tax relief before any effective change. But having identical bills filed in both chambers demonstrates legislative commitment to reform.  

Constituents Visit the Capitol 

Committee Assignments

This week committee assignments were announced.  I am honored to now chair the House Committee on Redistricting.  This is two term commitment in which our committee will redraw Texas’ electoral maps based on data from the 2020 United States census.  This is a very challenging task because of its impact on future elections.  The committee will be responsible for drawing Congressional, State House and Senate districts.  Also our State Board of Education and Appellate Court districts.  Even though the census data will not be available until 2020, the committee’s work begins this year. 

I will also serve on the State Affairs and the Criminal Jurisprudence committees.  State Affairs has broad jurisdiction covering all matters of state policy including telecommunications, electricity, cybersecurity, and pro-life matters.  Criminal Jurisprudence has jurisdiction over criminal law, probation and parole, and all criminal procedures in our Texas courts.

Analysis of Committee Assignments 

• The current makeup of the Texas House is 83 Republicans and 64 Democrats (with 3 vacant seats).
• Including the Speaker Pro Tempore (a leadership position equivalent to a chair), 22 Republicans and 13 Democrats received chair appointments.
• 19 chairs and 22 vice chairs are women, African-American, Hispanic or Asian-American.
• 15 chairs represent rural areas of the state, while 20 chairs represent urban areas. 
• 15 chairs will be serving in committee leadership for the first time.

Legislative Priorities 
With the Governor, Lt. Governor and Speaker of the House all publicly in agreement – the focus of this legislative session will be school finance reform and property tax relief.  Texans have spoken, skyrocketing property taxes that make it hard for you to own your home or operate your business is unacceptable. And investing in our next generation is of utmost importance to the future of Texas.  These issues impact all Texans in their day-to-day life and we will work diligently over the next 140 days of session to find real solutions and deliver meaningful reform.  

Meeting with constituents regarding the fight to end human trafficking in Texas

(L-R) Rep. Dan Flynn, Rep. Geanie Morrison, Rep. Phil King, Dean and Mrs. Craddick at Gov. Abbott Inauguration