News

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

Texas Right to Life Pro-Life Scorecard

This week Texas Right to Life announced their pro-life scorecard to inform Texans on where legislators stand on various life issues. I am proud to have received a 100.

We passed several additional pro-life matters during the 85^th session including the dismemberment abortion ban, patient consent for DNR orders and pro-life health insurance reforms.

Parker County I-20/Center Point Road Interchange Construction Starting in October

The $30 million Interstate 20/Center Point Road Interchange project is a collaborative effort between Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the City of Hudson Oaks and Parker County. Construction on the project is to begin in this October. Below is a one pager with information on the project. My office will remain informed on the project timeline and impact to our community as we move forward.

Hurricane Harvey Response

Now that Texas is through the immediate emergency response stage for Hurricane Harvey, we are assessing the huge toll on the Gulf Coast of Texas. This disaster has not only impacted the coast but the entire state and nation. Rough estimates put the devastation at $190 billion – losses to individual Texans, Texas businesses, and Texas communities.

Governor Abbott has named 60 Texas counties in the disaster declaration. This encompasses 42% of the state’s population and 42% of the market value of property in the state and 58% of the state’s industrial property. Over 300 school campuses sustained damage with 52 remaining closed.

We have a very long journey ahead as a state. Part of chairing the Homeland Security and Public Safety committee in the Texas House is overseeing Texas Division of Emergency Management. During the interim my Committee will be meeting to discuss what we have learned after responding to Harvey and making sure we have the best practices in place when coordinating between the municipalities, state agencies and counties during a natural disaster.

Since passage in 2011, Texas’ Voter ID Law has been under continual attack in federal courts.

In an effort to preserve a Voter ID law in Texas elections, earlier this year Senator Joan Huffman and I authored SB 5. This legislation was skillfully constructed to ensure that every eligible Texan who wishes to vote can do so.

Under SB 5 as signed into law, every individual whose circumstances the court found of concern will be able to cast a regular ballot in the ballot box.

Unfortunately, yesterday U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of Corpus Christi ruled again against Texas’ voter ID law by granting a permanent injunction. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will immediately appeal this ruling.

I am confident that our Voter ID law will be upheld and that Texas will preserve this integral tool to maintain election integrity in our state.

I’m disappointed that a handful of people successfully blocked passage of property tax reform this summer. However, the greatest frustration to me was that the proposed legislation–had it even passed–would have provided little true relief in Parker and Wise counties.

The real solution is legislation I carried in the House at Governor Abbott’s request. Originally filed as SB 16 and HB 191, it was successfully rolled in to HB 21 last week. The legislation creates the Texas Commission on Public School Finance.

From 50% to as much as 70% of your property tax bill is for public schools. In many districts much of the locally collected school taxes don’t even stay at home but are sent off by a court ordered Robinhood school finance plan. Bottom line, our public schools desperately need an adequate and sustainable funding source and our property owners desperately need relief from school property taxes.

Texas needs a method of school finance that is reflective of our current economy, not the 1940’s economy that designed today’s system. Designing that system will be the job of the new 13 person Commission comprised of legislators, business and civic leaders, tax and education experts. Their goal is to provide recommendations to the Legislature for new funding model that supports an efficient and equitable school finance system.

Texas schools and Texas taxpayers need solutions for overhauling our antiquated system. Here is a message from Governor Greg Abbott on the importance of the Texas Commission on Public School Finance.

Friends,

Last week the Legislative Special Session concluded. We passed some very important measures that are great for Texas. One bill, SB 6, will better protect property owners from involuntary annexation of their homesteads and other property.

When this annexation bill came to the House floor for vote it only restricted cities with a population of 500,000 or more! It required three runs at amending the bill, but I was eventually able to add an amendment to allow counties such as Parker and Wise to come under the new property owner protections.

It is important for these landowner protections to be afforded to all Texans and not just those in large urban areas. Here is a summary of the new law which will go into effect December 1.

PROPERTY OWNER PROTECTION

• Current Texas law authorizes a home rule city (most Texas cities with a population over 5,000) to annex surrounding areas without a property owner’s consent, subjecting the people whose land is annexed to the regulations, ordinances, taxation, and fees of the municipality annexing the land.

• General law cities (those cities under 5,000 in population) typically must receive consent from landowners prior to annexing.

• Beginning December 1, 2017, Texas law will require approval of landowners in unincorporated areas before they can be annexed. This restriction initially applies to home rule cities of 500,000 or more in population.

• However, in addition, all Texas property owners will have the right to petition their county to hold an election to opt-in to the new law and prohibit involuntary annexation. If approved by this local election, the new restrictions against involuntary annexation will apply to all home rule cities within counties where the opt-in election prevails.

• You can read the amended bill in its entirety HERE.