Thank you for your subscription to Rep. Dan Huberty's Newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please use the SafeUnsubscribe option at the bottom of this email. 
June 1, 2018

Thank you for subscribing to my e-newsletter.

This newsletter contains some very important announcements from Austin and updates regarding school safety and hurricane preparedness. I've also included a new calendar for you that outlines the month of June, so be sure that you check it out.

Today marks the official beginning of the 2018 hurricane season. You can read more about important events happening in the Lake Houston area that can help you and your family prepare. Additionally, please note that the Disaster Recovery Center that has been housed in Greenspoint Mall will close permanently tomorrow, June 2. You can read more about the closure, and how to get additional help below.

Next week, I will be in Austin for another meeting for the Commission on Public School Finance. You can find more information about the commission here . Remember, you can email all of the commission members at schoolfinancecommission@tea.texas.gov with any thoughts that you may have about the school finance system.

Please feel free to contact me or my staff directly about any issue with which you need assistance. You can find our contact information at the bottom of the newsletter.

I hope that you and your family enjoy your weekend.


Sincerely, 
Upcoming Events
June 2018 Calendar


Download my June 2018 calendar by clicking the link below. This month is full of events in and around Texas that could fun or useful to you and your family! This new format allows you to save the document for printing or sending to your family members.
School Safety
Governor Abbott Releases School Safety Plan
This week in Dallas, Governor Greg Abbott released his School Firearm Safety Action Plan.

The forty-page document (linked to the left) is reflective of the input that the governor received last week during three days of rountable discussions with stakeholders.

While the document is non binding, it provides suggestions for the legislature to address once session begins in January 2019. The plan includes, but is not limited to:

  • providing free school marshal training to school districts who wish to participate,
  • "hardening of schools" through increased safety measures,
  • collaborative agreements between local education agencies and law enforcement,
  • requiring parents to secure their firearms if anyone under the age of 18 resides in the home,
  • providing free gun locks to Texas gun owners,
  • and much more!
Share Your Opinion on School Safety with Governor Abbott
Governor Greg Abbott and his staff are encouraging the public to reach out and share their concerns regarding school safety. You can contact them by clicking below:
Stars for Santa Fe
In the aftermath of a tragedy like the recent school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, located between Houston and Galveston, shock and heartbreak ripple through our schools, neighborhoods, gathering spaces and places of worship. In the moments when it becomes difficult to comprehend how such terrible acts of violence are possible, we are often left only with our words of hope, encouragement and togetherness - and our urgent desire for our world to be better. As a way of honoring all those affected by the Santa Fe shootings, Volunteer Houston, a Points of Light Affiliate, in collaboration with Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale and Gallery Furniture, call upon the voices of our community to ask for help to pay tribute to the bright stars dimmed by this senseless tragedy.

We invite you to join others throughout our community and our country who are writing their thoughts and sending them to be shared and memorialized.  Follow the steps below to create and share your Stars of Santa Fe, #SantaFeStars. 

To engage your classroom, team or family in the Stars of Santa Fe project, please print a stencil by clicking HERE or go to Gallery Furniture.

Step 1: Print your star, or using a star design of your own, create and cut your star from paper, cardstock or other material of your choosing. Stars should be white to provide the best background contrast for your message and may be up to 8 ½" by 11" in size. 

Step 2: Share your thoughts, feelings, hopes and messages of support and encouragement on your star. These can be messages to victims, their families or to the Santa Fe community. Decorate how you like. Share a poem, a lyric, or a note.

Step 3: Share your Star!

  • Snap a photo of your star and post it to social media using #SantaFeStars.
  • Mail or drop off your Santa Fe Star: Gallery Furniture, Attn: God Bless Santa Fe, 6006 North Freeway, Houston, TX 77076

Volunteer Houston will collect the Stars until June 30, and share with the Santa Fe community throughout the summer. 

Stars of Santa Fe is being made possible through a collaboration with Volunteer Houston, Gallery Furniture, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston and organizations who are part of Houston's Coalition Against Hate including: Alliance for Compassion & Tolerance, Anti-Defamation League Southwest Region, Asia Society Texas Center, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Daya, eMgage, Empowering Communities Initiative-Houston, Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, My Brother's Keeper Houston, The American Pakistan Foundation, The Hindu American Foundation, University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and Zahra Jamal of The Boniuk Institute at Rice University.

Should you have any questions, please email us at Stars of Santa Fe.
Hurricane Harvey Updates
Upcoming Flood Bond Issue and
Series of 23 Community Meetings
Harris County has begun scheduling a series of 23 community engagement meetings next month to solicit public input on an expected $2.5 billion bond issue that would help reduce much of the catastrophic flooding that has struck the area in recent years, County Judge Ed Emmett said Wednesday.

Officials with the Harris County Flood Control District are scheduling public meetings in each of the county’s 23 watersheds to describe some of the projects the county is proposing and to solicit residents’ input on which projects should be included. Flood Control officials also have created an interactive website detailing the status of more than 150 proposed and current projects throughout the county.

Emmett joined Flood Control District Executive Director Russ Poppe in announcing the initiatives during a Wednesday afternoon news conference at TranStar. Poppe laid out opportunities for a series of channel improvements and repairs, floodplain buyouts, and creation of greenspace and detention basins throughout the entire county. Some of these projects have been in the works for several years, but have been stalled by a lack of money.

The initial list of potential projects and details about the upcoming community engagement meetings can be found as they become available through June 8 on a dedicated portion of the Flood Control website at www.hcfcd.org/bondprogram.  

The first of the 23 public meetings is set for June 5 at the Hiram Clarke Multi-Service center. The meetings will conclude Aug. 1, allowing time for county officials to finalize the bond package for voters.

Harris County Commissioners Court is expected to vote June 12 to place a $2.5 billion flood bond issue on the Aug. 25 ballot. If approved, issuance of the bonds would be spread over 15 years, and the expected Flood Control tax increase for most homeowners would be limited to 1.4 percent or less.
Disaster Recovery
The State of Texas/Federal Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Houston will close permanently at 1 p.m., Saturday, June 2. However, help is just a mouse click, phone call or tap on the FEMA app away.
 
The center at the following location is closing: 
 
Greenspoint Mall
12300 North Freeway
 Houston, TX 77060
     Hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
and Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
 
Individuals and businesses in counties included in the Texas federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Harvey and the subsequent floods can still get help by:
  • Logging into their account at DisasterAssistance.gov.
  • Calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS-Video Relay Service) (TTY: 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).
  • Downloading the FEMA app, available for Apple and Android mobile devices. To download, visit fema.gov/mobile-app.
  • Visiting any of the disaster recovery centers still open. Locations of other recovery centers can be found online at www.fema.gov/DRC.
Face-to-Face Claims Help at Houston Flood Insurance Week
Hurricane Harvey survivors with flood insurance claims can get personal advice from FEMA representatives at events throughout the Houston area June 2 and June 4-5 as part of Houston Flood Insurance Week, which runs May 30-June 6.  

Information and resources to help policyholders navigate the claims process will be provided at four National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Claims Open Houses and two additional events. FEMA is committed to ensuring policyholders receive every dollar they are due based on the coverage in their policy and the flood damage that occurred.

“We are concerned that many policyholders are not aware of the free resources available to them and instead turn to for-profit lawyers who typically can be paid $1 of every $3 of their flood settlement,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer Kevin Hannes. “As the deadline nears for policyholders to prove their loss to their insurer, we urge homeowners to take advantage of this opportunity to meet face-to-face with our claims experts.”

FEMA has so far paid survivors over $8.7 billion for the more than 91,000 flood insurance claims filed for Hurricane Harvey. If a policyholder finds the actual cost of repairs is more than their payout, additional payment can be requested up to one year from the date of damages. 

Policyholders with questions or concerns can contact the NFIP Call Center at 1-800-427-4661, visit FEMA's flood claim appeals and guidance webpage at https://go.usa.gov/xQdzp, learn about FEMA’s Office of the Flood Insurance Advocate at https://go.usa.gov/xQdzw or look into local disaster case managers and free legal aid organizations.

FEMA insurance claims experts will provide policyholder support at four NFIP Claims Open Houses on June 4-5. Policyholders who are unable to attend an open house can obtain guidance at two additional events June 2 (FEMA is a participant in the June 2 events but is not the host). Please come prepared with your insurance declaration page, which has your policy number, to any of the six opportunities below:
NFIP Claims Open House
June 4 from 2 p.m.-8 p.m.
Lone Star Convention & Expo Center
9055 Airport Rd., Conroe, TX 77304

NFIP Claims Open House
June 4 from 3 p.m.-7 p.m.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office
4102-B Main St., Classroom 2, La Marque, TX 77568

Houston/Galveston Extreme Weather Ready Expo
June 2 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
George R. Brown Convention Center
1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston, TX 77010
(Not a FEMA-hosted event)
NFIP Claims Open House
(Hosted by Texas Legislator Jim Murphy)
June 5 from 5 p.m.-8 p.m.
Memorial Church of Christ, Houston
900 Echo Lane, Houston, TX 77024

NFIP Claims Open House
June 5 from 2 p.m.-8 p.m.
Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center, Room 200
8440 Greenhouse Rd., Cypress, TX 77433

Hurricane Preparedness Workshop
June 2 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
The Pasadena Convention Center and Municipal Fairgrounds
7902 Fairmont Parkway, Pasadena, TX 77505
(Not a FEMA-hosted event)
For more information on Hurricane Harvey and Texas recovery, visit the Hurricane Harvey disaster web page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4332, Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMAharvey, the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at www.twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or the Texas Division of Emergency Management website at https://www.dps.texas.gov/dem/.
Austin Updates
Texas Comptroller: Start Saving for Higher Education
This week began with “529 Education Savings Day,” and Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is encouraging families to save for their children’s higher education expenses using the state’s 529 college savings and prepaid tuition plans.

“It’s never too late for Texas families to start saving for the future education of a loved one,” Hegar said. “One way to get a head start is by opening a new 529 plan or contributing to an existing one.”

Texas offers three tax-advantaged 529 plans: the Texas College Savings Plan® (TCSP) and the LoneStar 529 Plan® (LS529), both college savings plans, and the Texas Tuition Promise Fund® (TTPF), a prepaid tuition plan. The plans are known as 529 plans because they are authorized by Internal Revenue Code Section 529. 

The TTPF is designed to help families and individuals prepay and lock in today’s rates for all or some future undergraduate tuition and schoolwide required fees at any two- or four-year Texas public college or university.

The TCSP and LS529 college savings plans allow families to work toward building college savings by investing in one or more professionally managed portfolios, either by enrolling in TCSP directly or in LS529 through a financial advisor. In addition to paying for higher education costs, college savings plans such as TCSP and LS529 now can be used to pay K-12 tuition expenses.

The Texas Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board administers all three 529 plans through the Comptroller’s office. To lock in undergraduate tuition and schoolwide required fees at 2017-18 prices, TTPF enrollment for newborns is available through July 31; for 2018-19 prices, open enrollment begins Sept. 1. Texas residency requirements apply.  

The TCSP and LS529 plans are open for enrollment year-round.
TEA Responds to STAAR Testing Issue
Commissioner of Education Mike Morath announced three specific actions in response to online testing issues that occurred during the April and May administrations of the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR®). The Commissioner’s actions include:

  • Test results for students impacted by online testing issues will be taken into account in this year’s campus and district accountability ratings;
  • State passing requirements for 5th and 8th grade students impacted by online testing issues will be waived; and
  • Liquidated damages in the amount of $100,000 will be assessed against ETS (the company responsible for the statewide delivery and administration of STAAR).

“As we continue to build upon our online platform to provide greater support to students, we cannot allow technical disruptions during testing,” said Commissioner Morath. “We are committed to providing a positive assessment experience for our districts and students.”

Constituent Resources
Need Assistance?
Our office is always ready to assist you. Call or email us and we will do our best to help. Many State Agencies also have hotlines or citizen assistance offices to assist you. That contact information is available at this link, in alphabetical order: 

Live Updates
All of the relevant information our office has gathered during the week will be posted to our Facebook page. By "liking" us, you will stay up-to-date about important matters across the state that affect you and your family. Click below to find our page.
Contact Information
State Representative
Dan Huberty

Casey Christman
Chief of Staff

Molly Spratt
Legislative Director
Capitol Physical Address:
1100 Congress Avenue E2.408 Austin, TX 78701

Capitol Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 2910 
Austin, TX 78768 

Capitol Phone:
(512) 463-0520

Capitol Fax:
(512) 463-1606
District Address: 
4501 Magnolia Cove
 Suite 201
Kingwood, TX 77345

District Phone:
(281) 360-9410
This newsletter was not sent by State expense.
Paid political advertising by Friends of Dan Huberty.