Item 15: Update Regarding SBEC-Related Filed Legislation During 87Th Texas Legislative Session
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87Th LEGISLATIVE SESSION and COVID RESTRICTIONS On
87th LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND COVID RESTRICTIONS On January 12, 2021, lawmakers from across the state will convene the 87th Texas Legislative Session, meeting for the Regular Session over the following 140 days through May 31. This will be the first time that all 181 legislators will come together since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the virus is top-of-mind for everyone involved. While the Governor recently announced the re-opening of the Capitol building on January 4, we have minimal knowledge of the health and safety protocols the members, staff and Capitol visitors will have to follow when they enter the building next week. It will surely be a much different environment than previous sessions. We know the following requirements will be in place as of today, per a memo released by the State Preservation Board last week: • The Capitol building will only be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday; it will be closed Saturday and Sunday for cleaning. • The public may only enter through the North Capitol entrance. • Covid testing will be encouraged and provided on the North Plaza at no expense. • A mask will be required to be worn inside the building at all times. • All deliveries to the Capitol, including food and beverage, must be left at the loading dock; no delivery personnel will be allowed beyond the loading dock or through the public entrance. • No public tours or groups or sponsored event space will be available. • The House and Senate will manage public access to their offices once convened and rules are adopted, and the public will need to check with the offices directly for specific guidelines. -
Bills to Watch During the 87Th Texas Legislature (2021) Last Updated: March 19, 2021
Bills to Watch During the 87th Texas Legislature (2021) Last Updated: March 19, 2021 At Every Body Texas, we believe that all people deserve access to safe, unbiased, high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare services. We advocate for policies and investments in communities across Texas that increase access to care for all people. Every Body Texas’s Bills to Watch list makes it simple to follow bills that intersect with our policy priorities for the 87th Texas Legislature: Support the Safety Net, Healthcare Coverage, and Provider + Program Flexibilities. Click on the bill number for more information via the Texas Legislature Online. We aim to update this list weekly. Support the Safety Net Bill Number Author Description Status HB 1 Rep. Greg Bonnen Providing appropriations for the 2022-2023 Article II testimony taken biennium in House Appropriations Subcommittee on Article II on 3/1/2021 – 3/4/2021; Next hearings set for 3/22/2021 and 3/23/2021 HB 320 Rep. Donna Howard Providing for the creation of Women’s Health Referred to House Public Advisory Committee Health HB 3825 Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos Expanding access to women’s health care services Filed Bills to Watch During the 87th Texas Legislature [Last Updated: March 19, 2021] 1 Bill Number Author Description Status SB 1 Sen. Jane Nelson Providing appropriations for the 2022-2023 Article II testimony taken biennium in Senate Finance on 2/25/2021 and 2/26/2021; Next hearings set for 3/24/2021 and 3/25/2021 SB 1722 Sen. Sarah Eckhardt Expanding access to women’s health care services Filed Healthcare Coverage Bill Number Author Description Status HB 98 Rep. -
The Big Freeze I Am Glad to See Warmer Weather No Way for the County to Continue Normal Operations Has Returned to Tarrant County
March 2021 County News Update Volume 4 No. 1 The Big Freeze I am glad to see warmer weather no way for the County to continue normal operations has returned to Tarrant County. It under such extenuating circumstances. I am glad to has been a while since we have say the county was only closed for one week in or- seen temperatures that cold. der for us to address critical repairs needed for us to While I believe locally we did all operate. within our power to keep folks Of particular note, our Juvenile Detention Center safe and warm, there were many experienced a litany of challenges. From heating Tarrant County Judge shortcomings statewide which units failing to a water main break which caused a B. Glen Whitley could have and should have been water pressure loss to the entire facility, our staff avoided. I, like many of you, went days without responded well to the situation and worked tirelessly power at a time when we needed it the most to keep along with the City of Fort Worth to restore services our homes warm and our water flowing. Equally as as quickly as possible to those under our care. frustrating was sitting on hold to schedule an ap- pointment with a plumber to fix ruptured pipes. This is something that no Texan should ever have to experience. While the finger pointing continues in Austin, Tar- rant County and its facilities continue to recover. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of the first responders who braved these winter storms to minimize what could have been an even more catastrophic event. -
August 1, 2019 Texas Windstorm Insurance
August 1, 2019 Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, Board of Directors c/o John Polak, General Manager P.O. Box 99090 Austin, Texas 78709 Dear TWIA Board of Directors: We, the undersigned coastal members of the 86th Texas Legislature, respectfully request the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) board to postpone or reject consideration of any proposed rate increase on residential and commercial policyholders for the reasons outlined below. In early October, 2018, prior to the 86th Legislature convening, Governor Greg Abbott utilized his executive power in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey to protect coastal homeowners and business owners from any unnecessary barrier that would impede recovery efforts post-disaster. He wrote a letter to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Commissioner, Kent Sullivan, directing him to "delay any decision to approve or disapprove the proposed rate increase, and any deemed approval of the proposed rate increase, until the Legislature has had a full opportunity to address the matter." The Governor's order to suspend windstorm rates remained in effect until June 16, 2019. On May 24, 2019, the TWIA Board of Directors voted unanimously to withdraw the Association's annual rate filing made in August 2018. The Governor also emphasized the statutory timeframe within which the TWIA board and Commissioner of Insurance were required to consider rate adequacy: "strict compliance with this time frame would deprive the Legislature of the opportunity to address any actuarial deficiency in TWIA during the upcoming legislative session…". The 86th Legislature followed suit by passing significant legislation, Senate Bill 615 and House Bill 1900, addressing rate adequacy transparency and requiring two interim legislative committees, appointed by state leadership, to thoroughly inspect and review the current funding structure. -
Legislative Staff: 86Th Legislature
HRO HOUSE RESEARCH ORGANIZATION Texas House of Representatives Legislative Staff 86th Legislature 2019 Focus Report No. 86-3 House Research Organization Page 2 Table of Contents House of Representatives ....................................3 House Committees ..............................................15 Senate ...................................................................18 Senate Committees .............................................22 Other State Numbers...........................................24 Cover design by Robert Inks House Research Organization Page 3 House of Representatives ALLEN, Alma A. GW.5 BELL, Cecil Jr. E2.708 Phone: (512) 463-0744 Phone: (512) 463-0650 Fax: (512) 463-0761 Fax: (512) 463-0575 Chief of staff ...........................................Anneliese Vogel Chief of staff .............................................. Ariane Marion Legislative director .....................................Jaime Puente Policy analyst ...........................................Clinton Harned Legislative aide....................................... Jennifer Russell Legislative aide.............................................Brian Aldaco ALLISON, Steve E1.512 BELL, Keith E2.702 Phone: (512) 463-0686 Phone: (512) 463-0458 Chief of staff .................................................Rocky Gage Fax: (512) 463-2040 Legislative director ...................................German Lopez Chief of staff .................................... Georgeanne Palmer Scheduler ...............................................Redding Mickler -
April 29, 2020 the Honorable Greg Abbott Governor of Texas P.O. Box
April 29, 2020 The Honorable Greg Abbott Governor of Texas P.O. Box 12428 Austin, TX 78711 Delivered via Email Dear Governor Abbott: Long-term care facilities like nursing homes, state supported living centers, and group homes are now the epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic. While media outlets have rightly focused on the deaths in nursing homes across the country, people with disabilities and older adults face increased risks in all institutional and congregate settings. Like nursing homes, there have been similar outbreaks and deaths in our state supported living centers, state hospitals, and group homes. Our state government can and must do more to protect our most vulnerable Texans. That is why we respectfully request the following critical measures to defend our elderly Texans, Texans with disabilities, and the Texans on the frontline serving these communities. • Immediate additional funding through an emergency Texas Medicaid rate increase for long-term and intermediate care facilities to help cover increased costs for direct-care staff wages and personal protective equipment (PPE); • Greater transparency in the reporting of COVID-19 deaths and cases in nursing home facilities, state supported living centers, state hospitals, and group homes; • Mandatory available COVID-19 testing for every employee and resident of a nursing home facility, state supported living centers, state hospitals, or group home in Texas. Thank you for your consideration of our request, and ensuring Texas protects our most vulnerable. Please do not hesitate -
IDEOLOGY and PARTISANSHIP in the 87Th (2021) REGULAR SESSION of the TEXAS LEGISLATURE
IDEOLOGY AND PARTISANSHIP IN THE 87th (2021) REGULAR SESSION OF THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE Mark P. Jones, Ph.D. Fellow in Political Science, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy July 2021 © 2021 Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy This material may be quoted or reproduced without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given to the author and the Baker Institute for Public Policy. Wherever feasible, papers are reviewed by outside experts before they are released. However, the research and views expressed in this paper are those of the individual researcher(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the Baker Institute. Mark P. Jones, Ph.D. “Ideology and Partisanship in the 87th (2021) Regular Session of the Texas Legislature” https://doi.org/10.25613/HP57-BF70 Ideology and Partisanship in the 87th (2021) Regular Session of the Texas Legislature Executive Summary This report utilizes roll call vote data to improve our understanding of the ideological and partisan dynamics of the Texas Legislature’s 87th regular session. The first section examines the location of the members of the Texas Senate and of the Texas House on the liberal-conservative dimension along which legislative politics takes place in Austin. In both chambers, every Republican is more conservative than every Democrat and every Democrat is more liberal than every Republican. There does, however, exist substantial ideological diversity within the respective Democratic and Republican delegations in each chamber. The second section explores the extent to which each senator and each representative was on the winning side of the non-lopsided final passage votes (FPVs) on which they voted. -
Amicus Brief of Former Speakers of the House
No. 21-0538 In the Supreme Court of Texas IN RE CHRIS TURNER, IN HIS CAPACITY AS A MEMBER OF THE TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND HIS CAPACITY AS CHAIR OF THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS; TEXAS AFL-CIO; HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS; MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS; TEXAS LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS; LEGISLATIVE STUDY GROUP; THE FOLLOWING IN THEIR CAPACITIES AS MEMBERS OF THE TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: ALMA ALLEN, RAFAEL ANCHÍA, MICHELLE BECKLEY, DIEGO BERNAL, RHETTA BOWERS, JOHN BUCY, ELIZABETH CAMPOS, TERRY CANALES, SHERYL COLE, GARNET COLEMAN, NICOLE COLLIER, PHILIP CORTEZ, JASMINE CROCKETT, YVONNE DAVIS, JOE DESHOTEL, ALEX DOMINGUEZ, HAROLD DUTTON, JR., ART FIERRO, BARBARA GERVIN-HAWKINS, JESSICA GONZÁLEZ, MARY GONZÁLEZ, VIKKI GOODWIN, BOBBY GUERRA, RYAN GUILLEN, ANA HERNANDEZ, GINA HINOJOSA, DONNA HOWARD, CELIA ISRAEL, ANN JOHNSON, JARVIS JOHNSON, JULIE JOHNSON, TRACY KING, OSCAR LONGORIA, RAY LOPEZ, EDDIE LUCIO III, ARMANDO MARTINEZ, TREY MARTINEZ FISCHER, TERRY MEZA, INA MINJAREZ, JOE MOODY, CHRISTINA MORALES, EDDIE MORALES, PENNY MORALES SHAW, SERGIO MUÑOZ, JR., VICTORIA NEAVE, CLAUDIA ORDAZ PEREZ, EVELINA ORTEGA, LEO PACHECO, MARY ANN PEREZ, ANA-MARIA RAMOS, RICHARD RAYMOND, RON REYNOLDS, EDDIE RODRIGUEZ, RAMON ROMERO, JR., TONI ROSE, JON ROSENTHAL, CARL SHERMAN, SR., JAMES TALARICO, SHAWN THIERRY, SENFRONIA THOMPSON, JOHN TURNER, HUBERT VO, ARMANDO WALLE, GENE WU, AND ERIN ZWIENER; AND THE FOLLOWING IN THEIR CAPACITIES AS LEGISLATIVE EMPLOYEES: KIMBERLY PAIGE BUFKIN, MICHELLE CASTILLO, RACHEL PIOTRZKOWSKI, AND DONOVON RODRIGUEZ, Relators. Brief of Amici Curiae Former Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives and former Lieutenant Governor of the State of Texas in Support of Petition for Writ of Mandamus Jessica L. Ellsworth Blayne Thompson (pro hac vice application forthcoming) State Bar No. -
2016 Lilly Report of Political Financial Support
16 2016 Lilly Report of Political Financial Support 1 16 2016 Lilly Report of Political Financial Support Lilly employees are dedicated to innovation and the discovery of medicines to help people live longer, healthier and more active lives, and more importantly, doing their work with integrity. LillyPAC was established to work to ensure that this vision is also shared by lawmakers, who make policy decisions that impact our company and the patients we serve. In a new political environment where policies can change with a “tweet,” we must be even more vigilant about supporting those who believe in our story, and our PAC is an effective way to support those who share our views. We also want to ensure that you know the story of LillyPAC. Transparency is an important element of our integrity promise, and so we are pleased to share this 2016 LillyPAC annual report with you. LillyPAC raised $949,267 through the generous, voluntary contributions of 3,682 Lilly employees in 2016. Those contributions allowed LillyPAC to invest in 187 federal candidates and more than 500 state candidates who understand the importance of what we do. You will find a full financial accounting in the following pages, as well as complete lists of candidates and political committees that received LillyPAC support and the permissible corporate contributions made by the company. In addition, this report is a helpful guide to understanding how our PAC operates and makes its contribution decisions. On behalf of the LillyPAC Governing Board, I want to thank everyone who has made the decision to support this vital program. -
Advocacy Report Q1 2020
Quarterly Report Q1 2020 Introduction • Texas Association for Marriage and Welcome to the Texas Psychological Family Therapy Association’s (TPA) new quarterly report. • NAMI Texas The information contained within is • Texas Society of Psychiatric intended to provide a brief snapshot of the Physicians advocacy efforts conducted by TPA during • Disability Rights Texas each three-month period. • Texas Medical Association Outreach Elected Officials’ Staff • During the first quarter of 2020, TPA Gov. Greg Abbott • conducted the following outreach and Sen. John Whitmire participated in or attended the following • Sen. Judith Zaffirini meetings on behalf of TPA members. • Rep. Donna Howard • Rep. Giovanni Capriglione Regulatory Agencies • Rep. Vikki Goodwin • Texas State Board of Examiners of • Rep. Four Price Psychologists (TSBEP) • Rep. Stephanie Klick • Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC) Quarterly Meetings • Texas Health and Human Services • The Coalition for Healthy Minds (HHS) • Texas Society of Allied Health • Texas Department of State Health Professionals Services (DSHS) • Texas Family and Protective Services • Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Council • Governor’s Regulatory Compliance • Behavioral Health Advisory Division Committee • TSBEP Stakeholders • BHEC • Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards Regulatory Advocacy • National Association of Social HHS Workers-Texas In January, TPA submitted a letter to HHS • Texas Counseling Association regarding proposed rules for Outpatient 1 Competency Restoration programs. TPA is COVID-19 Advocacy concerned the standards proposed do not COVID-19 has led to extraordinary advocacy align with the standards the legislature efforts by TPA staff, consultants, and established for jail-based programs under members, on behalf of all psychologists in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. -
(April 4, 2019) Bills That
86th Legislative Session Legislation Supporting or Related to Austin ISD’s Legislative Priorities (April 4, 2019) Bills that support or relate to Austin ISD’s legislative priorities are listed below. To see a complete list of the district’s priorities, go to https://www.austinisd.org/legislature. To track legislation, read bill analysis, or watch committee hearings, please visit www.capitol.state.tx.us. Public School Finance A state system of public school finance that provides an adequate and equitable public school finance system, ensuring an excellent education for all Texas students. Supports • HB 3 by Rep. Dan Huberty sets the minimum basic allotment at $6,030; provides an incentive for additional instructional days for students to attend up to 30 days of school during the summer; creates the dyslexia allotment with a weight of 0.1; amends the compensatory education allotment to be based on the census block in which the student resides, and requires the Commissioner of Education to establish an index for economically disadvantaged census blocks with five tiers; the compensatory education allotment would have a weight of 0.225 to 0.275; modifies the bilingual education allotment to provide an additional 0.05 weight to students using a dual language immersion/one-way or two-way program model; expands the eligibility for the career and technology allotment to grades 6 through 8; creates the early reading allotment, which would provide an additional weight of 0.1 to each student in grades K-3 that is educationally disadvantaged or a -
TIPRO Election Results and Analysis As the 2020 Election Cycle
TIPRO Election Results and Analysis As the 2020 election cycle concludes and all votes are counted, we can all agree that this one will long not be forgotten. The pandemic, economic crisis and a renewed struggle for racial justice aside, more tangible factors like record fundraising totals and banner turnout numbers have created new swing districts and have had a significant impact on many hotly contested races across the state. This is also the first cycle in Texas that voters aren’t able to push a button for straight ticket voting. For the first time in almost two decades, it was anticipated that a Democratic candidate could win a statewide election in Texas, and the Texas House, controlled by Republicans since 2002, could see a Democratic takeover. It’s important to note that Republicans have not had a net gain in the House since 2014 – Democrats have picked up 15 seats since then. Texas is truly becoming a battleground state. A few highlights: TURNOUT During the extended early voting period from October 13 – 30, almost a full three weeks of Early Vote for the first time in history, 57.03 percent of registered voters cast ballots either through in- person early voting or through mail-in ballots. The overall number of early voters – 9,669,246 – broke the previous record of almost nine million (8,934,718) in the 2016 Texas General Election. That number is expected to rise as mail-in ballots continue to be delivered to elections offices, so long as they’re postmarked by November 3. One driver of increased turnout was the high numbers of voters in the state’s most populous counties, such as Harris County, where more than 1.4 million people have already voted, compared to 1.34 million TOTAL votes in the last presidential election in 2016.