March 15, 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.

It was a rather busy week at the Capitol, as we canvassed the large amount of bills filed on the last day. Tuesday saw many hours of testimony on HB 3, or The Texas Plan, in our House Public Education hearing. I would like to thank the members of the committee for their commitment and dedication. More than 100 witnesses spoke for a total of 10 hours and the committee members were very engaged with each one.

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of presenting HB 766, which would provide disabled firefighters and peace officers, who cannot return to their previous roles, the opportunity to attend college tuition-free. Currently, institutions of higher education may offer a cost-free education in a new trade to permanently disabled peace officers, as well as, their children and spouse. However, this is not offered to permanently disabled firefighters. This bill would require schools to offer the option and open that language to include firefighters.

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,

Texas Tribune: A Conversation with Dan Huberty

Rep. Huberty's Legislative Agenda

Representative Huberty has filed 41 bills, as of 2 PM on March 15, 2019. Here are some are those bills and captions with links to each item. 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.

Texas House Republican Caucus:

Safeguarding Texas Teacher Retirement

Texas teachers should have peace of mind that their retirement fund is secure. The Texas House is dedicated to safeguarding our teachers’ future by reforming the TRS Pension Fund. With the current projected payoff period of 87 years, the Teacher Retirement System Pension Trust Fund is not actuarially sound. If left unaddressed, this system will never be able to fully pay its obligations. The Legislature is working to remedy this with not just a quick fix, but a long-term solution that ensures stability for our educators.

HB 9 increases the state contribution to the TRS Pension Trust Fund from 6.8% to 8.8% of the statewide teacher salary cost. This increase would occur over the next five years and would account for a 29.4% increase in the state funding level. This increase will allow for the fund to be sound within the 2020-2021 biennium.

Teachers investing in retirement today deserve to have confidence that their benefits will still exist in the future. With HB 9, we will place more money in the pockets of our retired teachers and ensure future generations will have a sustainable pension plan.

The bill also authorizes a supplemental payment or "13th Check" in the 2020-2021 biennium to members who retired prior to 2017, providing a general supplemental payment of up to $2,400 or the retirees' regular annuity payment. Texas teachers can be confident that their retirement fund is secure. The Texas House is dedicated to safeguarding their future by reforming the TRS Pension Fund. HB 9 was referred to the House Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services Committee on March 5, 2019.

2019 Governor’s Volunteer Awards

Nominations Now Open

Nominations are now open for the 2019 Governor's Volunteer Awards. Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott will again serve as the Honorary Chair of the award committee. The Governor's Volunteer Awards are administered by the OneStar Foundation, and are an opportunity for the state of Texas to honor those who exhibit excellence in serving their communities.

 

Nominations are open in nine categories:

 

To nominate an individual or organization for the award, go to: https://gvas.secure-platform.com/a

To see the descriptions and criteria for each award, visit: http://onestarfoundation.org/governors-volunteer-awards/

Nominations will close on Thursday, May 16, 2019, and awardees will be honored in the fall at an evening reception at the Governor’s Mansion.

TDI: New Toolkit to Prevent Fraud After a Storm

Capitol Events and Visitors

Rep. Huberty with Kaleigh Ivy who served as a Honorary Page in the House this week

Rep. Huberty with Janie Branham and her children, David & Ruth, who also served as Honorary Pages this week

Chairman Huberty speaking with Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune

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: 

http://www.lrl.texas.gov/genInfo/stateAgencies.cfm

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