Legislative Session Update: Week 7

Published Feb 22, 2019 by Taylor Landin

During the 86th Legislative Session, the Partnership will provide a weekly update on our top executive priorities and other newsworthy items from Austin.

This week, the Partnership welcomed Governor Greg Abbott for an executive roundtable discussion regarding our top legislative priorities: school finance reform and flood resilience. Governor Abbott engaged in a thoughtful and thorough discussion of these two topics along with his other top issue: property tax reform. In another development with the potential to have a direct impact on Houston, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced he has re-established the Senate Select Committee on Texas Ports to address several pressing issues regarding the state's ports.

PARTNERSHIP EXECUTIVE PRIORITIES
SCHOOL FINANCE REFORM
Public education policy discussions picked up speed this week in Austin. House Public Education Committee Chairman Dan Huberty (R-Kingwood) is expected to file the House school finance bill early next week. It will include a majority of the 35 recommendations from the Texas Commission on Public School Finance. In the Senate, Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) is expected to file similar legislation. Once the legislation is filed, we will have the opportunity to examine exactly how each bill prioritizes the Commission's recommendations and determine if the legislation adequately aligns with the Partnership’s school finance principles.

The House Public Education Committee met on Tuesday to begin considering legislation for the first time this session. The committee considered 12 bills that covered a range of topics from class size limits in pre-kindergarten to improving training for educators. The Senate Education Committee did not meet this week, but senators are expected to hear legislation next Thursday.

FLOOD RESILIENCE
The Partnership continued its work in Austin to educate legislators on the unanticipated Hurricane Harvey recovery needs of the Houston region and advocate for a statewide flood mitigation infrastructure fund. Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) continues to be well positioned to lead on issues related to recovery and mitigation funding. We also anticipate there will be a number of major bills that address flood planning and implement the recommendations of the Governor's Commission to Rebuild Texas. In the House, Representative Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) has established a leadership position on flood funding. Similar to the Senate, the House will likely have a series of bills aimed at these issues. The Partnership remains primarily focused on securing significant funding for recovery and establishing a flood mitigation fund to make Texas more resilient.

WEEK IN REVIEW
Only three weeks remain before the March 15 bill filing deadline, and we still expect major bills on topics such as school safety and mental health. There was action on a number of items this week, including two areas we are watching:

Texas Public Information Act
Identical open records bills were filed by Senator Kirk Watson (D-Austin) and Representative Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake). Last session, several lawmakers, who consider themselves transparency advocates, failed to overturn the Texas Supreme Court ruling in Greater Houston Partnership v. Paxton by attempting to codify the exact test the Supreme Court determined was “nebulous in its meaning and scope.” Over the last twelve months, both members have worked with stakeholders, including the Partnership, to draft new legislation which will close some perceived loopholes in the current open records law. The bills are likely to undergo additional revisions, but currently do not appear to threaten the independence of organizations such as the Partnership.
Senate Select Committee on Texas Ports
On Wednesday, Lieutenant Governor Patrick announced that he has re-established the Senate Select Committee on Texas Ports to address several pressing issues. Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) was named chairman of the committee and Senator Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) was named vice chair. During his announcement, Lieutenant Governor Patrick said, “Our ports are critical to ensuring that Texas competes effectively in the global marketplace. Texas Ports create nearly 1.5 million jobs, generating $92 billion in personal income. I am particularly concerned that we accommodate our increasing energy production and hydrocarbon exports. I am confident Chairman Creighton will give these issues immediate attention."

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