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April 12, 2019

Thank you for subscribing to my e-newsletter. Below you will find updates from federal, state and local agencies on events from the past week and the week ahead.

The days are getting longer at the Texas Capitol, as bills move from committee to the floor for debate. As of today, the House has passed 175 bills out of the chamber and over to the Senate. This includes several large pieces of legislation like HB 1, the budget; HB 3, school finance reform; and HBs 5, 6 & 13, which together help make Texas more resilient in the face of natural disasters.

As we move into the final 45 days of the session, we will continue to address the tough issues that face this state and pass solid legislation to positively impact all Texans. On Monday, we will take up HB 2, to fix over burdensome property taxes Texans face. I will also have three bills on the floor that day, addressing issues from high school graduation requirements to tuition exemptions for disabled peace officers and firefighters and even motor fuel tax exemptions for volunteer fire departments.

Public Education is scheduled to meet twice next week to hear a large number of the remaining bills referred to our committee this session, including my HB 3906. I will also layout HB 802 in Land & Resource Management and HB 831 in Elections. HJR 3, my sales tax swap bill, is also set for a hearing in the Ways & Means committee.

Over in the Senate, HB 3, The Texas Plan for transformational school finance reform, has been set for a hearing in the Education committee. I want to thank Chairman Larry Taylor for including this important piece of legislation on the agenda for his committee meeting on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.

It is going to be a busy week and as as the days continue to count down to Sine Die, we are getting more work done for Texans. Tune in any day next week to watch us by clicking here: www.house.texas.gov.

Should you have questions regarding anything in this newsletter, please feel free to contact us directly using the information provided at the bottom of this email.

Sincerely,
April 2019 Calendar


Download my April 2019 calendar by clicking the link below. This month is full of events in and around Texas that could be 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.

Keep watch for these updated calendars at the beginning of each month. Important local and legislative dates and events will be posted here.



Hurricane Harvey Updates
Harris County: Project Recovery - Harvey
City of Houston: Hurricane Harvey
Homeowner's Assistance Program
Northeast Houston homeowners should note an upcoming Mobile Hurricane Harvey Recovery Center event taking place this month. Intake specialists will be available to assist families with guidance on recovery programs and resources under the City of Houston Homeowner Assistance Program (HoAP). 

The event will take place on  Monday, April 15 , from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m ., at the  May Community Center , 2100 Wolf Road, Huffman, TX 77336. 

If you were affected by Hurricane Harvey, please take the Harvey Recovery Survey before the upcoming event:

The Recovery Survey is a tool to direct residents to the appropriate recovery program and to help the City prioritize those with urgent needs. No documentation is required to take the Recovery Survey, and it takes less than 15 minutes to complete. While priority will be given to low and moderate income homeowners, assistance is available to homeowners of all income levels. An Intake Specialist will contact you after you complete the Survey regarding next steps. 

If you need assistance filling out the Survey, please call 832-393-0550 or visit one of the stationary HRC's:
  • Northeast: 9551 N. Wayside, Houston, Texas 77028
  • Northwest: 13101 Northwest Freeway [Hwy. 290], Suite 101, Houston, Texas 77040
  • Southwest: 6464 Savoy Drive, Suite 110, Houston, Texas 77036
  • Southeast: 11550 Fuqua St., 3rd floor, Houston, Texas 77036

The stationary centers are open Monday and Tuesday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday from 9:00 to 3:00 p.m. These centers are closed on Sundays. For a map, please click here

The City received the $1.17 billion for housing recovery through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the State of Texas General Land Office. The recovery funds include the HoAP, which offers five program options including: 
  • Reimbursement for completed repairs
  • Homeowner-managed rehabilitation
  • City-managed rehabilitation and reconstruction
  • Buyouts
  • Interim mortgage assistance.

For more information, regarding this project please contact the Houston Recovery Center by calling 832-393-0550. 
Updates from Austin
Joint Statement on HJR 3
Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen released the following joint statement:
 
“Texans are fed up with skyrocketing property taxes. At the beginning of the legislative session, the Governor, Lt. Governor and Speaker laid out an agenda for property tax relief through the passage of Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2 to limit property tax growth. In addition to that effort, today we are introducing a sales tax proposal to buy down property tax rates for all Texas homeowners and businesses, once Senate Bill 2 or House Bill 2 is agreed to and passed by both Chambers. If the one-cent increase in the sales tax passes, it will result in billions of dollars in revenue to help drive down property taxes in the short and long term.”
House Bill 13: Preparing Texas for the Next Flood
This week, the Texas House of Representatives passed a monumental series of bills to rebuild communities, strengthen infrastructure, mitigate flooding and ensure the State of Texas is better prepared to respond to future natural disasters.

The legislation fulfills a majority of the recommendations made by the Governor's Commission to Rebuild Texas and addresses the critical issues coastal Texans have faced in the months since Hurricane Harvey made landfall. The Texas House passed more than a dozen bills - including House Bills 5, 6 and 13 - to better equip the state in the event of a natural disaster. Making tangible improvements to flood mitigation and disaster response, recovery and preparedness are emergency items for the Texas Legislature, as designated by Governor Greg Abbott in his biennial State of the State address. The emergency response package includes:
House Bill 5 - Addressing Debris Removal and Management
One of the most difficult challenges the state and local jurisdictions faced during the recovery after Hurricane Harvey was debris removal. House Bill 5 directs the Texas Department of Emergency management (TDEM) to create a catastrophic debris management plan for local use as well as improving contracting for debris removal. Establishing a debris management plan allows local communities to deliver quicker responses. Additionally, this simplifies the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursing process.

House Bill 6 - Specialized Assistance for Individuals and Communities
Recovery efforts were identified as the weakest phase of the emergency management cycle in Texas. House Bill 6 would task TDEM with developing a Disaster Recovery Task Force to provide specialized assistance to support those with financial issues as well as federal assistance programs. The Task Force would also focus on recovery and resiliency planning to streamline and expedite recovery at the local level. The Task Force would operate from the beginning of a disaster through the long-term recovery period which would provide significant support for smaller communities. The mission of the Task Force is to strengthen recovery functions while utilizing resources of institutions of higher education, state agencies and organized volunteer groups.

House Bill 13 - Flood Infrastructure Fund
After a major flooding event like Hurricane Harvey, federal funds are appropriated to the state for mitigation projects. However, many counties and cities aren't able to provide the 35% of local matching funds, which is why House Bill 13 creates the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF). FIF is a statewide cooperative effort for regional flood planning, mitigation and infrastructure projects to make Texas "future-proof".

Proposes a constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the Flood Infrastructure Fund to assist in the financing of drainage, flood mitigation and flood control projects. 

Ten additional bills were passed to directly address the recommendations made by the Commission to Rebuild Texas, including, HB 2305 , HB 2310 , HB 2315 , HB 2320 , HB 2325 , HB 2330 , HB 2335 , HB 2340 , HB 2345 and HB 2708 .
Rep. Huberty's Legislative Agenda
To see a list of Rep. Huberty's filed legislation, click here.

HJR 3 - Proposing a constitutional amendment to provide funding for the cost of maintaining and operating the public school system and to reduce school district ad valorem tax rates through an increase in the state sales and use tax rate.

HJR 121 - Proposing a constitutional amendment allowing increased distributions to the available school fund.

HB 3 - Relating to public school finance and public education.

HB 76 - Relating to cardiac assessments of high school participants in extracurricular athletic activities sponsored or sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League.

HB 734 - Relating to the carrying of concealed or holstered handguns by certain handgun license holders attending a meeting of the board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of an open-enrollment charter school.

HB 766 - Relating to exemptions for disabled peace officers and fire fighters from payment of tuition and fees at public institutions of higher education.

HB 791 - Relating to the definition of volunteer fire department for purposes of certain motor fuel tax exemptions.

HB 802 - Relating to voting rights and eligibility for office of residents of certain districts subject to a strategic partnership agreement.

HB 813 - Relating to money used by counties that participate in the low-income vehicle repair assistance, retrofit, and accelerated vehicle retirement program.

HB 831 - Relating to the residency requirement to be eligible for public office.

HB 851 - Relating to the use of individual graduation committees and other alternative methods to satisfy certain public high school graduation requirements.

HB 907 - Relating to the penalty for failure to register certain aggregate production operations with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

HB 908 - Relating to the regulation of aggregate production operation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; increasing an administrative penalty.

HB 909 - Relating to best management practices for aggregate production operations.

HB 911 - Relating to the creation and functions of the Lake Houston Watershed Commission.

HB 1652 -Relating to the public resale by means of a public auction using online bidding and sale of property purchased by a taxing unit at an ad valorem tax sale.

HB 1671 - Relating to water quality protection areas.

HB 1725 - Relating to retired members of the Texas State Guard.

HB 2795 - Relating to a one-time supplemental annuity payment to certain retirees and beneficiaries of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.

HB 2961 - Relating to an allotment under the foundation school program for students with dyslexia or related disorders.

HB 2983 - Relating to the administration to public school students in certain grades of state-administered assessment instruments.

HB 3599 - Relating to certain increases in benefits under the firefighters' relief and retirement fund in certain municipalities.

HB 3904 - Relating to public school accountability, including certain assessment requirements, performance standards, and sanctions, including sanctions affecting educator contracts, and to providing alternative methods to satisfy certain public high school graduation requirements.

HB 3906 - Relating to the adoption and administration of assessment instruments used to assess the performance of public school students.

HB 3913 - Relating to an exception from required disclosure under the public information law for certain personal information obtained by certain flood control districts.

HB 3967 - Relating to access to certain health information of public school students during an emergency evacuation.

HB 4334 - Relating to the creation of the office of inspector general at the Texas Education Agency to investigate the administration of public education.

HB 4335 -Relating to the assessment and collection of ad valorem taxes imposed by a school district.

HB 4611 - Relating to certain distributions to the available school fund.

HB 4621 - Relating to the imposition of sales and use taxes and the allocation of certain revenue from sales and use taxes to school district property tax relief and public education; authorizing the imposition of a tax.

District Updates
Humble ISD Historical Commission Marker Dedication
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
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Contact Information
State Representative
Dan Huberty

Casey Christman
Chief of Staff

Jack Reed
Legislative Director

Amy Peterson
House Public Education Committee Director

House Public Education
Committee Clerk

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
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