May 5, 2017 - The next few weeks are the busiest weeks of any session. The House has strict rules and deadlines that govern the end of the legislative session. All House bills must be debated and voted out of the House by May 12th or they cannot advance. All Senate bills must be debated and voted out of the House by May 24th or they cannot advance. These deadlines can be a blessing and a curse, as many bad bills die, but many good ones are victims of the legislative process.

April 20, 2017 - Well, after 15 hours of debate, I am proud to let you know that the Texas House of Representatives has passed a conservative, balanced budget. This budget funds our priorities, increasing funding to our public schools, maintaining a strong presence on our southern border, preventing state dollars from being used for abortions and maintaining the voter approved increase in highway funding.

April 6, 2017 - Last week was another busy one in Austin as the House and Senate continued committee hearings and chamber debates.

Last week the House of Representatives passed the Railroad Commission Sunset bill that I talked about previously.  I am glad to see this bill move on for Senate debate, and hopefully passage, so that we can continue to have the fair and strong regulator that we need to have a vibrant oil and gas industry.

March 16, 2017

While many of you enjoyed Spring Break last week, the legislature continued full steam ahead, with the House and Senate holding committee hearings and debating bills.

February 23, 2017 - This week, the House Appropriations Committee began the long process of producing a budget that will fund our state government for the next two years.  You may have heard about changes in the budget, be it increases or reductions, that give you concern or that you agree with.  The budgets that you have heard about are the base budgets, which are the starting point for each house as the develop a budget that reflects its priorities.