With the Second Called Session of the 87th Legislature officially adjourned, I wanted to take this time to review the items that the Texas House worked tirelessly to pass. These pieces of legislation are now headed to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
I was honored to carry Senate Bill 15, the Virtual Education bill in the House. SB 15 creates an avenue for school districts and charters to create their own virtual education programs but includes significant guardrails to protect students, parents, districts, and charters to ensure quality, equity, accountability, and an effective system. We understand that virtual learning is not for every child, but we have heard from many parents asking for a highquality virtual option for their students, especially with the ever-changing situation that we are facing with COVID-19. SB 15 empowers our districts to be innovative and flexible to meet the needs of their students they already know. SB 15 is about kids, 21st Century learning, and local control.
Great to join colleagues and Governor Abbott at the signing of Senate Bill 1 - the Election Integrity bill. The Texas House has made it easier to vote and harder to cheat in Texas elections with the passage of Senate Bill 1 which provides practical reforms to restore public confidence in the election process. The bill ensures uniformity in the election process following the inconsistent voting protocols that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and expands voting hours for the majority of Texas voters.
As the Biden Administration continues to ignore the growing crisis at the Texas-Mexico border, Texas has stepped up to address the issue. With the passage of House Bill 9, we have committed $1.8 billion to secure the border, including:
•$1 billion dedicated to funding border security operations through border security grants to local law enforcement;
•$300 million dedicated to funding additional border security personnel;
•$750 million dedicated to building temporary and permanent physical barriers along the border; and
•$11 million dedicated to purchasing ambulances at border security processing centers.
Too many Texans are being taxed out of their homes due to the dramatic rise in property taxes across the state. Senate Bill 8 provides homebuyers with a homestead exemption immediately following their purchase of a new home. Senate Bill 12 and Senate Joint Resolution 2 gives elderly or disabled homeowners more relief by lowering the ceiling for property taxes imposed by a school district on their residence homestead to reflect any reduction from the preceding tax year in the district’s maximum compressed rate.
The average retired teacher in Texas makes $34,475 per year and more than half of Texas’430,000 retired teachers have never seen an increase in their retirement payment. Our retired teachers deserve to be rewarded for their service in our classrooms.
With the passage of Senate Bill 7, our retired teachers can expect a supplemental “13th check” payment of up to $2,400.
Senate Bill 4 regulates the use of abortion-inducing drugs. This bill protects the health and safety of women seeking an abortion by ensuring the drugs used to induce an abortion are administered by a physician. The bill also requires enhanced reporting related to adverse side effects, like heart attack, stroke, and others, that might arise from the use of these drugs. This legislation will reduce the incidence of these adverse side effects and improve health outcomes for women statewide.
Senate Bill 3 preserves core civic values in social studies education statewide. The bill accomplishes this in several ways. Senate Bill 3 highlights the importance of participation in democracy by requiring classroom simulations and models of government processes, discussions of current events, and education on media literacy. The bill emphasizes the foundations of American government, its structure and function, and the founding documents of the United States. Taken together, this bill ensures that Texas’ children receive a solid grounding in American history that gives them the ability to engage in the public marketplace of ideas in the future.
Freedom of expression should be protected no matter what platform you use. House Bill 20 protects digital expression on social media by prohibiting social media platforms from censuring a user’s content.
The data on the rise in criminal activity by repeat offenders out on bail in Texas is shocking. For example, in Harris County, 18,796 individuals were charged with new felonies or misdemeanors while out on bond in 2020. Senate Bill 6, also known as the Damon Allen Act in honor of the DPS trooper who was murdered by a criminal who was out on bail and had a history of violence, takes on several key reform issues, including adding transparency to the bail-setting process, creating a statewide framework for training and statutory guidelines, and ensuring accountability in the process to keep violent criminals off our streets.
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