Where Have We Been?

Remember the Johnny Cash song, “I’ve Been Everywhere”? Well, that pretty much sums up our summer—and explains the disruption in our newsletter schedule!

The past few months have been filled with conferences, legislative meetings, friends’ high school graduations, family trips, and, of course, hosting the “Biggest Small-Town Parade in America” in Chappell Hill, Texas, as part of our America 250 celebrations.



We’ve traveled to South Padre Island, Dallas, Frisco, Huntsville, The Woodlands, Burton, Houston, Galveston, and even the great state of Wisconsin. It has been a busy—but incredibly rewarding—summer.

Health, Wellness and a Trip to South Padre Island

As part of our travels, I was invited in June to present at the SEA Summit (Secondary & Elementary Administrators Summit) hosted by the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (TAHPERD) for K–12 school administrators and leaders.



The summit, held in South Padre Island, brought together educators and administrators for workshops and meaningful discussions about health and wellness policies for our children—including what is working, what isn’t, and where we need to go next.

The conversations were excellent, and attendees provided valuable feedback and a number of policy ideas that could help shape discussions during the upcoming 90th Regular Session. These educators and administrators deserve tremendous credit for the work they do every day to help our children develop healthy habits and lead healthier lives.

Visiting With the “Father of Aerobics”

Speaking of children’s health and wellness, while in Dallas, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit with our good friend and mentor, Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, the “Father of Aerobics” and a lifelong champion of children’s health and fitness.

I have had the privilege of working alongside Dr. Cooper for many years on issues including smoke-free policies, physical education curriculum, nutrition, and, of course, FITNESSGRAM.

And with all the hype surrounding the World Cup this summer, did you know about Dr. Cooper’s impact on World Cup history?

When Dr. Cooper first met Brazilian soccer coach Cláudio Coutinho, he helped introduce fitness and conditioning concepts that became part of the Brazilian team’s preparation for its 1970 World Cup championship. At the time, there wasn’t even a word for “jogging” in Portuguese. Today, signs throughout Brazil mark distances for the Cooper Test. Brazilians began referring to the test simply as “doing the Cooper,” and it became synonymous with a regular workout.



It is an incredible story of how one Texan’s work in fitness and preventive health reached around the world. Learn more about this amazing story by clicking on the button below:

Family Day in Wisconsin

My wife and I, along with our seven-year-old granddaughter, trekked north to Madison, Wisconsin, to visit our son Andrew and daughter-in-law Taylor for Family Day, hosted by Andrew’s employer, EPIC.

We had a wonderful time learning more about their software company and spent several hours touring the incredible EPIC campus. We also had the opportunity to visit some of my wife’s family in Milwaukee—and, of course, we couldn’t come home without smuggling a few Wisconsin cheese curds back to Washington County!

America 250 in Chappell Hill

And, of course, we couldn’t let the summer pass without celebrating right here at home.

Our community of Chappell Hill hosted the “Biggest Small-Town Parade in America” as part of our America 250 celebrations. From our Flag Day program to We Hold These Truths and the Fourth of July parade, it was an incredible series of events celebrating faith, family and freedom.

None of it would have been possible without the many volunteers, sponsors, community organizations, businesses, friends and neighbors who stepped up to make each event a success.

We are incredibly proud of what our little community accomplished—and grateful to everyone who helped make these celebrations so special.

A Little Work, A Little Vacation—and Plenty of Sunshine

July was not only filled with patriotic celebrations. We also made numerous trips to the Capitol on behalf of our clients, participated in agency meetings, and continued preparing for the upcoming 90th Regular Session.

And, of course, we found time for our annual family vacation to Galveston!

This year, we spent a dozen days working and vacationing by the beach. We managed to catch up on our UV rays, seafood, beach time and, most importantly, family time.

It was a busy summer—but a great one.

New Texas Comptroller Sworn In

Don Huffines was sworn in as Texas’ new Comptroller after being appointed by Governor Greg Abbott. Immediately after being sworn in Comptroller Huffines pledged to root out wasteful spending, safeguard state tax dollars and deliver property tax relief to Texans. The Comptroller’s Office serves as Texas’ chief financial officer, tax collector, accountant, revenue estimator, treasurer, cashier and purchasing manager, the agency is responsible for writing the checks and keeping the books for the multi-billion-dollar business of Texas government. Many of these duties and powers are enumerated in the Texas Tax Code and in Chapter 403 of the Texas Government Code. The office collects taxes and fees owed to the state and manages the state’s fiscal affairs, and the Texas Comptroller chairs the state’s Treasury Safekeeping Trust, which invests, manages and oversees more than $150 billion in state assets. Here is a link to one of their Fiscal Notes which provide financial reports on everything from the Texas economy, infrastructure, education and government: https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/fiscal-notes/

DATA CENTERS MUST COMPLY WITH AUDIT BEFORE MOVING FORWARD



Last week, Governor Greg Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to conduct a comprehensive verification and audit of all data centers advancing through ERCOT’s interconnection process. The PUCT and ERCOT must complete this audit before any data center project moves forward. Any project that fails to comply with the requirements set forth by the PUCT and ERCOT will be denied connection to the Texas grid. In addition, both the Texas House & Senate continue to hold committee hearing on data centers exploring abolishing the various state-level sales tax incentives offered to data centers, impact on local infrastructure and potential regulatory compliance as they prepare legislation for the 90^th Regular Session. Here’s a link to Governor Abbott’s news release regarding the data center audit: https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-directs-comprehensive-data-center-audit

NO WINDSTROM RATE HIKE

While in Galveston during our vacation, on August 4^th we were able to represent our clients Nueces County and the City of Port Aransas at the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) meeting and provide public comments in opposition to any potential rate increase for policy holders along the coast. Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Todd Hunter and the Coastal Legislative Delegation, the TWIA Board of Directors voted unanimously to direct staff to file a 0% rate change in the Association’s required annual filing with the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). The filing will be made by the August 15 deadline. Big win for the Texas Gulf Coast!