March 14, 2021 - Last week marked one of the first important procedural deadlines of the 87th Legislative Session: the bill filing deadline. Friday (March 12th) was the last day that members of the Legislature could file bills for consideration. As you can imagine, that resulted in a flurry of bill filings.
Last week, I filed several bills on a wide range of topics. I filed two bills stemming from the Sunset process. One would dissolve the Texas Anatomical Board and transfer their responsibilities to the Texas Funeral Services Commission. The second reauthorizes and enhances a program that is popular with many Texans, the Texas Prepaid Higher Education Board.
I also filed a bill that would protect police officers and their children from hostile situations in schools by allowing officers to move their children out of schools and school districts where there are suspects and criminals that the officer has arrested. This is a common sense tool to provide our police officers and their families a well-deserved measure of safety.
I also filed a bill and a constitutional amendment which would ban the implementation of a tax on financial transactions in the state of Texas. We are seeing an increased movement in liberal states to tax stock and bond trades made by their citizens, hurting all participants in the market, including retirement funds and charities, in addition to every day citizens. This is another way that we are differentiating Texas from high-tax states. I hope you will be able to vote on this ban in November.
The State Affairs Committee met this week with the highlights of the hearing being an update from the Public Utilities Commission on the financial fall out from last month's storm. This is an issue that we are going to continue exploring and working to find solutions to protect Texas consumers. I will keep updating you on all of the electricity reforms that we are working on.
We also heard testimony on HB 3, which would curtail the governor's emergency powers that we have seen in play this past year. I have heard from many of you with concerns about this bill and there was a substitute at the hearing which made several improvements to the filed bill. I am confident that there will be additional changes that will make further improvements. You are able to find the substitute language for HB 3 by visiting the State Affairs Committee website.
I want to encourage you to reach out to me about issues that concern you or legislation that you would like to see advanced. I can be reached at 512-463-0556 or district9.paddie@house.state.tx.us.
In addition, my district director, Joe Buck Crisp, will be spending time each month in every county to meet with you about legislative concerns and to help with issues you may be having with the state government. Please contact our Marshall office at 903-935-1141 to find out when he will be in your town.
