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Under the Pink Dome: Abbott and Patrick Sworn in for Third Terms, Senate Announces Committee Chairs, State Budget Proposals Released and Comptroller Shares Budget Revenue Estimate before Sever Winter Storm Brings 88th Legislature to a Halt
Abbott and Patrick Sworn In - Governor Greg Abbott was sworn in for his third 4-year term, in line to become Texas‘ third longest-serving Governor. In his inaugural address, Governor Abbott emphasized “Texas exceptionalism” and the state’s historic budget surplus. He outlined his priorities for the legislative session including public safety, parental rights in schools, improvements to the state’s energy grid, and providing the largest property tax cut in the state’s history. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick was also sworn into office for a third term. See his top priorities here.
Patrick Names Committee Chairs - Patrick moved quickly to announce his selected appointees to lead the Senate’s 15 Standing Committees. Fourteen committees will be led by Republicans, with Senator John Whitmire of Houston selected as the lone Democrat to oversee the Criminal Justice Committee. Senator Joan Huffman was chosen to lead the 16-member Finance Committee and oversee the drafting of the state’s two-year budget. Sen. Juan (Chuy) Hinojosa (D-McAllen) will serve as Vice Chair. A new standing Senate Committee on Border Security, chaired by Senator Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) was also created and will oversee a proposed budget of $4.6 billion. Newly elected Senator Pete Flores (R- Pleasanton) will serve as vice chair.
House and Senate Release Budget Bills - The Texas House and Senate released their initial budget proposals for the 2024-2025 biennium. Each proposal allocates a total of $289 billion, including $130.1 billion in state funds, leaving more than $50 billion in available state funds on the table. Both versions include $15 billion for property tax relief, $1.8 billion for state employee pay bumps, and $4.6 billion for the Governor’s border security initiative, Operation Lone Star. The bills also include $9 billion for mental health services spread across 26 state agencies, including increases for staff salaries at state hospitals, community-based inpatient beds, and mental health jail diversion programs. View summaries of the 1,000+ page budget proposals here.
Comptroller Hegar Releases BRE - Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar briefed Senate Finance members on the latest Biennial Review Estimates (BRE), indicating a 26.3% increase in available revenue. A summary of Comptroller Hegar’s Senate testimony can be accessed here.
Winter Storm Shuts Down Capitol - On Tuesday, January 31, the 88th Texas Legislative Session was essentially brought to a halt as a result of a severe winter ice storm in the Central and East Texas areas. The Senate Finance Committee was forced to reschedule the majority of its hearings, and picked up its schedule on Monday, February 6. Both chambers will reconvene on Tuesday, February 7th.
HHSC Reminds All Medicaid Recipients to Update Their Contact Information Before March 31 Deadline
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) issued a news release urging all Medicaid beneficiaries to update their contact information before the federal government ends the continuous Medicaid coverage period on Tuesday, March 31. Updated contact information is critical to the benefits redetermination process which has been delayed since the federal declaration of the Public Health Emergency in 2020. HHSC Executive Commissioner, Cecile Erwin Young, stated that the agency is working to prepare for the transition and the priority now is to spread awareness of the current deadline and the necessary steps to follow to redetermine eligibility. An estimated 5.6 million Texans are currently enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program. Health providers and advocates are concerned many eligible Texans will lose coverage if HHSC is unable to reach them in time.
Texas Medicaid Members: to ensure coverage continues if you're eligible, report changes (contact information, pregnancy, etc.) as soon as possible. Log into your account or call 2-1-1 and select Option 2. For more information, go online to Your Texas Benefits.
State Workforce Shortages Impacting Essential Services and Costing Taxpayers Billions
A report released by Every Texan reveals that the state’s high staff turnover rate of nearly 23% is costing taxpayers more than $1.3 billion annually, reaching an all-time high in the past 30 years. The high turnover rate is negatively impacting the delivery of vital services, including healthcare, driver’s license issuance, state park operations and public transportation. Reasons cited for the turnover focused on low pay, uncompetitive benefits, and poor working conditions; noting state employees have not received a pay increase since 2014. Policy recommendations in the report urge lawmakers to address root causes of the issue to ensure state services and programs remain available for all Texan families, especially our most vulnerable populations. Learn More.
Federal Treasury Approves Texas' Broadband BOOT Program to Connect 152,000 Unserved Locations with High-Speed Internet Access
The U.S. Treasury Department approved Texas’ plan to invest $364 million from the Capital Projects Fund (CPF) to improve the state’s broadband infrastructure. The proposed plan recommended using 73 percent of the state’s CPF funding to serve approximately five percent of locations lacking high-speed internet access. The initiative, called Bringing Online Opportunities to Texans (BOOT) Program, will benefit an estimated 152,000 locations across the state, with a focus on underserved and socio-economically disadvantaged areas. Learn More.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries and Texas A&M Health Collaborate on Safe Drinking Water Initiative for Border Colonias
On January 26, Methodist Healthcare Ministries and Texas A&M Health held a panel discussion in McAllen to provide an update on the “Safe Water Project,” a multi-year initiative aimed at ensuring clean drinking water in border colonias. As part of its community engagement efforts, students and local area residents will be trained to test their water supplies for harmful contaminants, such as arsenic, lead, and other heavy levels of metals. The findings of the water testing, expected to be released in the fall 2024, will serve as evidence of the need for increased water infrastructure funding in Texas colonias.
In the same week, the issue of water quality in Texas-Mexico border communities also received federal attention, with U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar and nine other members of congress submitting a $100M request to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand the U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program. This program is designed to aid colonias negatively impacted by untreated sewage, trash, and sediment flowing from Mexican urbanization via shared waterways.
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