August 18, 2017 - This week marked the end of the 30-day special session that started back in July. The House and the Senate were able to agree on a dozen different bills that the Governor put on the call for the special session. The Governor has signed all of the bills passed during the special session.
The one issue that was a must pass for the special session was extending the sunset dates of several agencies, including the Texas Medical Board. The House and Senate sent the Governor SB 20 & SB 60, which extends these agencies through 2019, but keeps them in the Sunset review process to find efficiencies in the next legislative session.
We also passed HB 21 which will add an additional $212 million in funding to the Teacher’s Retirement System health insurance program. This was one of the issues that I heard the most about after the regular session and I am proud that we were able to provide funding in the amount initially proposed by the House during the regular session.
HB 21 also provides hardship grants to help fund the school districts dependent upon ASATR funding. While the Senate removed $1.5 billion in additional funding for our public schools from HB 21, I remain committed to working through the interim to improve our broken school finance system and making sure we are providing the best possible education for our children.
We also passed several pro-life measures, including HB 13, HB 214, HB 215 and SB 11. These bills will work to provide accurate information about complications arising during abortions and abortions for minors approved by a judge. The legislature also removed mandatory insurance coverage for elective abortions. SB 11 will also provide guidelines for how Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders are to be issued by physicians and adhered to by hospital staff. These measures will serve to protect the culture of life in Texas.
One of the issues that the House passed in the regular session, and which was finally passed in the special session, is to extend the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force. Texas has the unfortunate designation of having the highest maternal mortality rate not only in the United States, but also amongst developed nations. This is an unacceptable fact and we must continue working to improve healthcare for all Texas mothers.
We also sent the Governor SB 5, which will work to prevent mail ballot fraud and help to preserve the integrity of our elections. We also passed SB 6, which will serve to reform the process by which cities annex additional lands into the city limits. These are both common sense reforms which I was proud to support in the special session.
If you have questions about what was accomplished during the special session, please do not hesitate to contact me at district9.paddie@house.texas.gov or 512-463-0556.
