What's new in District 122

We're less than one week from Sine Die, the last day of the 82nd Legislative Session. Though May 12th was the deadline for the House to consider House bills, we may still consider bills that have been passed by the Senate until midnight today, Tuesday May 24th.

Last week, the House finally passed SB 1811, the "fiscal matters" bill. SB 1811 determines how the state will collect revenue to fund its budget for the next two years. Nearly 100 amendments were offered to SB 1811 dealing with a variety of different issues. Because the House ran out of time to consider HB 3188, the EPA push back bill, I introduced an amendment to SB 1811 that would achieve the same goal. The amendment, which would allow Texas to take back control of managing our own environment from the federal government, was adopted by a vote of 76-67.

On Saturday, both the House and the Senate passed one anothers' redistricting bills. HB 150, the House redistricting bill passed the Senate with a 24-7 vote and SB 31, the Senate redistricting bill passed the House 96-47. 

After years of attempts to address ongoing problems created by the Bexar Metropolitan Water District, the Legislature is once again working to provide Bexar Met ratepayers with a solution. This weekend, the House took up SB 341, which would allow Bexar Met ratepayers to vote on whether they want to allow the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) to provide their water and waste water services, or to continue their relationship with Bexar Met. This bill is the result of countless hours of discussions with various stakeholders, legislators and thousands of Bexar Met ratepayers. All of the Bexar County legislative delegation, with the exception of one member, is supportive of this fix to a seemingly never ending problem. Please take a moment to read this editorial in the San Antonio Express-News. SB 341 was passed by the House yesterday 129-11. We look forward to getting the bill out of conference committee, receiving the Governor's signature and finally the election in November.

Also, this weekend, I presented SB 958, which benefits animal sanctuaries in Texas, specifically Primarily Primates, a sanctuary in District 122. Primarily Primates serves as a home to wild animals that have been used in lab tests, former zoo animals, abandoned pets and a couple retired congressmen, so we hear. Without organizations such as Primarily Primates, these animals would likely be euthanized.  In 2001 the Texas Legislature enacted the Texas Dangerous Wild Animals Act to protect citizens from the threat presented by the increase in dangerous wild animal ownership in Texas. The Act doesn't ban the ownership of dangerous wild animals by Texans; rather, it requires owners to register such animals with a local animal registration agency, pay a fee, and ensure the proper care, treatment and enclosure of such animals. The Legislature has exempted certain categories of animal welfare entities from the Act because such entities are needed to ensure the well being of previously owned dangerous wild animals. Animal sanctuaries, however, are not currently included under these exemptions.  An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live in a protected situation for the rest of their lives. SB 958 provides a more extensive definition of "wildlife sanctuary" in order to ensure that only legitimate, accredited sanctuaries will be exempt under the Act. The bill also allows organizations accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) and the Zoological Association of America (ZAA) to be exempted under the Act. I am happy to report that SB 958 passed the House of Representatives 143-1 yesterday.

There is a lot of discussion about whether the Governor will call a Special Session to deal with issues that the Legislature doesn't have time to address before Sine Die. With less than a week left, we still have several major items to address before we can break until the next legislative session. Budget conferees for the House and Senate are working around the clock to come to an agreement on a budget for the next biennium that begins in September. If a budget isn't passed by Sine Die, we'll be back in the Capitol this summer. Other issues that are still outstanding include congressional redistricting and some Sunset bills for state agencies. We will also address one of the most contentious budget issues relating to public and higher education this week, which will present one of the biggest challenges of the session for all members. We look forward to providing you with a full recap of the last week of the 82nd Legislative Session next week!

With Doctor of the Day Horacio Ramirez

With constituents Cindy and Grady Payne

If we may be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact our Capitol office at (512) 463-0646 or lyle.larson@house.state.tx.us. Please continue to let us hear from you!

Best,
Lyle

What's new in District 122

Last week was quite a marathon with midnight Thursday, May 12th being the deadline for consideration of House bills on 2nd reading. Of the 927 House bills and joint resolutions that were sent to the Calendars Committee, 588 were actually placed on the calendar. The remaining 339 were not set and died in Calendars.

"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not deter us from the support of a cause we believed to be just." ~Abraham Lincoln

Bills we filed that passed out of committee and were sent to Calendars that ultimately died include HB 684 (tent jails), HJR 84 & HB 1131 (ending highway diversions), HB 2348 (paper ready inmates), HB 2349 (allowing school districts to invest in corporate bonds), HB 3188 (EPA pushback). Because the House can consider Senate bills until May 23rd, we are working to find relevant Senate bills to attach these bills to in the form of amendments.

Loan sharks, cockfighting, groping and spanking: some of the interesting issues debated by the House last week.

Some of last week's highlights include:

• The passage of HB 12, the Sanctuary Cities bill. HB 12 would prevent local law enforcement officers from refusing to ask individuals who have been arrested if they are citizens. After many hours of emotionally charged debate, HB 12 finally passed 100-47.
• HB 272, which includes major reforms to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA), passed on Thursday. As Texas continues to face hurricanes each year, HB 272 will increase transparency in the agency and better protect consumers.
• A set of payday lending reform bills were debated, with one crossing the finish line. The bill would allow the industry to continue issuing loans, but seeks to reign in the predatory institutions.
• HB 359, a bill that would require parental consent before school administrators are allowed to use corporal punishment, passed last week. Currently, public school heads are allowed to spank students when there is a breakdown in discipline, with or without parental consent. Take a look at this article to read more about this bill.
• The passage of HB 1043, which makes watching or organizing cockfights illegal.
• The passage of HB 1937, which would restrict the Transportation Security Administration in Texas from touching travelers inappropriately as part of a security screening. Texas is the first state in the nation to enact such legislation.
• HB 2817 and HB 804, two election reform bill, will prohibit vote harvesting and increase penalty for unlawful assistance of voter registration.

Also last week, I introduced an amendment to HB 2078 that would prohibit a chief appraiser of an appraisal district from changing an evaluation made by the district's appraisal review board (ARB). For several years, many Bexar County residents have experienced frustration when the chief appraiser has repeatedly manipulated the appraisal review process and changed the decision of the ARB. My amendment delineates the appraiser's role in the process and will prevent the chief appraiser from abusing his or her power.

I also introduced an amendment to HB 2347, which would allow Texas counties the option to block vehicle registration if the owner of the vehicle failed to appear in court in connection with a complaint, citation, information, or indictment. 

In case you missed it, I had the opportunity to visit with KENS 5's Barry Davis on Sunday morning. Watch the segment here.

With members of the Reagan High School girls golf team

With the Alamo Council of the Blind

If we may be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact our Capitol office at (512) 463-0646 or lyle.larson@house.state.tx.us. Please continue to let us hear from you!

Best,
Lyle

What's new in District 122

With just three weeks until Sine Die, the last day of the 82nd Legislative Session, tension is high and many bills are poised to die as deadlines approach. Each day the House calendar is packed with bills that we debate well into the night.

The House convened on Saturday, the day before Mother's Day, to take up several pieces of legislation, including HB 274, also known as the "Loser Pays bill." HB 274 is a tort reform bill that would require plaintiffs who lose in a lawsuit to pay all of the legal costs incurred. Drama ensued shortly after we convened as several members wishing to kill the legislation threatened to leave the House floor and break the 2/3 quorum necessary to take up legislation. Several terse words were exchanged, but the fill finally passed with a vote of 86-11. To read more about Saturday, read this story by the Texas Tribune.

Last night, the House approved on second reading HB 12, which would prohibit sanctuary cities. The bill was finally voted on around midnight after hours of debate and impassioned speeches by members of both parties. SB 655, the Railroad Commission sunset bill, passed last week. The bill changes the name of the commission to the Texas Oil and Gas Commission. As we have previously discussed, I filed legislation that would require all state elected officials to resign to run for another office if they have more than one year left on their term. This would prevent concerns that have arisen recently with two of the three Railroad Commissioners currently running for office. The House also appointed the members of the conference committee to work out differences in the budgets passed by the House and the Senate.

Several of our bills are moving through the process. Last week, HB 2348, which would create a Cyber Security Council, was sent to the Calendars Committee. Last night, the Select Committee on State Sovereignty approved HB 3188, the EPA push back bill. Our HB 3597, which would assist public improvement districts, like Cibolo Canyons, which is home to the world's largest JW Marriott hotel. We look forward to working to pass these bills in the next three weeks.

The Texas Legislative Process - Points of Order

To provide you with some additional background on this process, the House governs itself with a set of rules adopted at the start of Session. If a legislator believes a rule has been violated, they can call a point of order, which questions whether or not a rule has been broken. When a point of order is called, the House Parliamentarian evaluates whether the point of order is valid. Points of order often deal with the paperwork associated with a bill. Every bill that makes it to the floor for a vote includes a bill analysis, a list of witnesses and witness affirmation forms and other documentation. Example of recent points of order include an assertion that a bill analysis doesn't accurately explain the bill, or that a witness affirmation form failed to include the witness's full address. Since Session began in January, legislators have called 61 points of order on several different bills, stalling some for days and sending some back to the committees they came from to be fixed. Here are some additional stats on points of order during the 82nd Legislative Session:

·         53 by Democrats (87%)

·         8 by Republicans (13%)

·         21 have been withdrawn (33%)

·         28 have been overruled (46%)

·         11 have been sustained (18%)

·         1 is pending

If we may be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact our Capitol office at (512) 463-0646 or lyle.larson@house.state.tx.us. Please continue to let us hear from you!

Best,
Lyle

Navy SEALs - 1. Osama bin Laden - 0.

As we enter the final month of the 82nd Legislative Session, the Texas House will begin working 7 days a week to finish voting on legislation before Sine Die on May 30th. We look forward to working to pass good legislation that will benefit all Texans. We plan to open our district office shortly after Session ends. Stay tuned for an announcement in the coming weeks about our office opening and post-session town hall meeting!

Last week, after several hours of debate, the House passed CSHB 150, the redistricting bill for the Texas House at 3:00 a.m Thursday morning. To ensure that each of the 150 Texas House districts are drawn to include an equal population, several districts underwent extreme alterations. We believe the map passed by the House, with a few exceptions, represents very well the changes in population that have occurred over the last decade.

Last Friday, the House took up the TxDOT "sunset bill." Every 12 years, each state agency must undergo a review by the Legislature, during which the Sunset Advisory Committee determines whether to recommend to continue the agency or abolish it. During the review process, the Committee often discovers ways to reform agencies and provides these recommendations to the Legislature in the form of a sunset bill. There were over 100 amendments to the TxDOT sunset bill introduced by various legislators. I spoke in favor of an amendment by Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, which would change the structure of the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) from 5 appointed commissioners to an elected commissioner. Unfortunately, the amendment failed. Rep. McClendon's amendment is similar to HB 2350, which I filed this session. HB 2350 would would change the process of selecting the Commission from appointment by the governor to election by the people of Texas. Under HB 2350, the Commission would consist of 3 commissioners, each elected statewide to at-large positions for 6 year terms. Elected oversight of TxDOT would create accountability and transparency and ensure that Texans can someone who can tell them what roads are going to be built, when they’re going to be built, and how we’re going to pay for them.  We have an opportunity to reel in a bureaucracy that has had a lot of problems over the last 5 years with the TxDOT sunset bill. Unfortunately, the bill doesn't include enough changes to the structure of TXDOT to change the culture of an organization that is lacking both creditability and transparency in most Texans eyes. To learn more about the bill, take a look at this story by KVUE Austin.

On Thursday evening, I presented HJR 149 before the Appropriations Committee. This legislation would require members of the Legislature to meet for a mid-biennium special session if the Comptroller releases revenue estimates that are more than 5 percent below or above the projected revenue estimate. HJR 149 would provide a better planning process for the Legislature to use when we face situations like the current budget crisis. Simply put, it would allow the Legislature to weigh in on current revenue projections provided by the Comptroller and make appropriate adjustments to the budget between Legislative Sessions. For example, our general revenue was off projection 6% in 2010. The legislature would have been able to start cutting programs sooner to diminish some of the extreme cuts that are needed now to balance the budget.The bill was very well received and several members of the Committee voiced support for the idea.

We're also working very closely with the Governor's and Attorney General's offices to ensure our EPA pushback bill, HB 3188, gets voted favorably out of committee. We will keep you posted on HB 3188's movement.
 

Also last week, the Culture, Recreation and Tourism Committee voted to name the red drum the official State Saltwater Fish of Texas!

If we may be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact our Capitol office at (512) 463-0646 or lyle.larson@house.state.tx.us. Please continue to let us hear from you!

Best,

What's new in District 122

Last week, HB 3726, a bill that will assist the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) to continue managing the Alamo, was passed by the House. As discussed in previous newsletters, I have been working with the DRT over the past few weeks to craft legislation to address concerns dealing with their custodianship. This bill requires the DRT to submit annual financial reports to the state, and sets up a preservation advisory board comprised of representatives from the city, county, and state levels. Senator Wentworth has filed a similar bill that the Senate will take up soon. For more information, please take a moment to read this San Antonio Express News article.

During House Natural Resources Committee meeting last week, we listened to several hours of testimony on HB 814, a bill that would allow the pumping of water from Uvalde County to San Antonio, which is currently prohibited by a 1993 law that created the Edwards Aquifer Authority. There are several impassioned individuals on both sides of the argument. Based on the information we have about water available in the Edwards, this may be a plausible solution to our water needs, but it's clear that all parties involved must come to an agreement before any action may be taken. Also, a revised version of SB 332, the groundwater ownership bill, may be eligible for a vote by the Committee soon. The language was changed to replace the term "vested rights" with "owns the groundwater below the surface of his land as real property." This will codify what has been common practice in water law for the last several decades. The revised bill is considered a better compromise that will ensure property owners will be able to sell water beneath their land for market price, while ensuring our ability to conserve and plan for our state's future water needs.

 
Also this week, the House will vote on HB 400, the "School Efficiency bill" by Public Education Committee Chairman Rob Eissler. Several school district superintendents and school board members have indicated that HB 400 provides relief from unnecessary mandates on school districts and rewards effective teaching. Click here to see a complete breakdown of how the bill will help school districts.

Wednesday, the House will take up CSHB 150, the redistricting bill for the Texas House. Click here to see the proposed map. Based on 2010 Census data, the ideal size for a Texas House district is 167,637 people. Several of the 150 House districts have experienced either extreme growth or population loss. In Bexar County, District 122, the district I represent, must lose roughly 80,000 people, while many adjacent districts need to gain several tens of thousands to get as close as possible to the ideal 167,637 number. Please send me your feedback and let me know what you think about this map.

As you may know, several bills have been introduced in the House that would allow for the expansion of gambling in Texas. Proponents say that it will provide up to $3 billion in additional revenue for the state. I want to know what you think. Please click here to take a survey.

If we may be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact our Capitol office at (512) 463-0646 or lyle.larson@house.state.tx.us. Please continue to let us hear from you!

Best,
Lyle

What's new in District 122

The tempo of activity on the House Floor is picking up dramatically. The House has been spending more time in Session, voting on legislation affecting a wide range of issues. Last week, the House passed SB 18, strengthening property rights by limiting eminent domain authority.

Earlier this month legislation effectively killing the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC), HB 1201, was passed with strong bipartisan support. We've had a lot of correspondence regarding the status of the TTC and was supportive of driving the death nail into the largest land grab in Texas history!

HB 684, our tent jail bill, was voted favorably out of the County Affairs Committee. We are working to ensure it gets set for a full vote of the House in the coming weeks. Any assistance you may provide would be extremely helpful. Please call your representative and ask them to urge the Calendars Committee to set HB 684 for a vote.

Last week in the Natural Resources Committee hearing, we discussed options for funding the state water plan created by the Texas Water Development Board. As we're experiencing extreme drought conditions statewide, the discussion surrounding planning for our water needs for the next several decades has become more urgent. The state water plan includes surface water projects, desalination projects and groundwater conservation efforts, with a projected cost of $31 billion (2010 dollars). During the hearing, folks discussed several options for funding the plan, including: removing the sales tax exemption on bottled water or levying a $1.50 tap fee on both residential and commercial hookups or charging an additional $.14 per thousand gallons of water used. We want to know what you think so we can share your feedback with the Committee. Click here to take a survey about funding our state water plan.

This week, 2 of our bills will be heard in committee. They include:

HB 1628: Truth in Budgeting - Texas Parks and Wildlife

Currently, the state collects a tax from the sale of all sporting goods in Texas. The revenue is supposed to fund functions of the Texas Parks and Wildlife. Unfortunately, less than half of this money actually funds this agency and as a result, many of our state parks are in dire need of maintenance. As an avid hunter and fisherman, I have always been passionate about the outdoors. Maintaining our parks system should be quite simple, as the state levies a tax on sporting goods that was meant to support the function of the Texas Parks and Wildlife. Continuing our quest to restore truth in budgeting, and in an attempt to halt the funding crisis our parks are facing, my fellow Texas House members John Kuempel and Four Price and I filed HB 1628, which would require that our state parks and historical sites receive the entire amount of revenue raised from the Sporting Goods Sales Tax as intended in the 1993 legislation filed by Senator John Montford. Specifically, the bill requires that Texas Parks and Wildlife Department receive 94 percent and the Texas Historical Commission receive the remaining 6 percent. We believe this legislation is the next step toward ensuring fiscal discipline and restoring truth in budgeting in the Texas Legislature.

HJR 149: Better Budgeting for Texas 

This legislation would require members of the Legislature to meet for a mid-biennium special session if the Comptroller releases revenue estimates that are more than 5 percent below or above the projected revenue estimate. HJR 149 would provide a better planning process for the Legislature to use when we face situations like the current budget crisis. Simply put, it would allow the Legislature to weigh in on current revenue projections provided by the Comptroller and make appropriate adjustments to the budget between Legislative Sessions. 


 If you wish to testify for any of these bills, please contact my office as soon as possible at (512) 463-0646!

With Doctor of the Day, Michael Dominguez, and Honorary Page, Mikayla Dominguez

With members of the San Antonio Board of Realtors

If we may be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact our Capitol office at (512) 463-0646 or lyle.larson@house.state.tx.us. Please continue to let us hear from you!

Best,

What's new in District 122

  

As many of you know, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) have been custodians of the Alamo complex since 1905. We are grateful for their dedicated service and countless volunteer hours to preserve and promote the #1 tourist attraction in Texas. As discussed in previous newsletters, I have been working with the DRT over the past few weeks to craft legislation to address concerns dealing with their custodianship. The committee substitute to HB 3726 was heard in the Culture, Recreation & Tourism Committee last week, and will be sent to the House Floor for a vote very soon. This bill requires the DRT to submit annual financial reports to the state, and sets up a preservation advisory board comprised of representatives from the city, county, and state levels. We believe this will bolster the Daughters' financial and preservation efforts and help them to continue the wonderful work they've done for over 100 years. Please take a moment to read this editorial in the Austin American Statesman that discusses our legislative efforts.

Several of our bills were heard in committee last week and all were very well received. We will continue to work to pass our tent jail bill, EPA push back legislation and ending diversions from the state gas tax fund. Several of our bills received great media coverage last week. Our tent jail proposal was covered by the Houston Chronicle, KVUE Austin, and News 4 WOAI. We discussed the budget on Texas Public Radio Terry Gildea's On the Line.

On Wednesday of this week, the House will vote on HB 279, legislation that will strengthen property rights by limiting instances in which entities can take property using eminent domain.

Again this week, 3 of our bills will be heard in committee. They include:

• HB 1553: For decades, Texas taxpayers have speculated how much the state spends to provide state services to illegal immigrants. Estimates for this figure are as high as $8 billion. HB 1553 would require every agency, individual, nonprofit organization, and public or private entity that receives state funding to determine citizenship information before rendering services, and later report citizenship and cost of services to the Comptroller.  In order to hold other countries accountable for hosting their citizens, real, true numbers – not estimates - are necessary. Upon gaining documentation of how much Texas spends providing services to undocumented immigrants, the Comptroller can draft an invoice to send these countries’ governments, demanding reimbursement for services rendered. This strategy will be applied to every country in the world whose citizens are here illegally. To use Mexico as an example, if they are unwilling or unable to provide money, we should accept payment in the form of resources such as oil and minerals. Mexico, the 2nd largest exporter of oil to the U.S., is rich in minerals like oil and gas, though much of it hasn’t been developed. The United States could facilitate the extraction of mineral resources as payment for hosting Mexican citizens, while creating jobs for folks in Mexico.

• HB 1302: Our own intuition and numerous studies tell us that elected representatives are more accountable and far more likely to do what we, the voters, want because they risk being thrown out of office if they don’t. In Texas, most industries are regulated by different state agencies, many of which are lead by a board or commission appointed by the governor. For some agencies, this process seems to be sufficient, but for other agencies, especially those that oversee our basic needs, such as energy, water and transportation infrastructure, voters should choose the regulators. HB 1302 would abolish the Public Utility Commission (PUC), transfer its duties to the Railroad Commission (RRC) and rename the RRC the Texas Energy and Communications Commission (TECC). Many people have long questioned the Public Utility Commission's lack of transparency and lack of accountability to Texans. Since 1991, there have been several legislative efforts to consolidate and streamline the PUC and Railroad Commission (RRC). With the PUC slated for Sunset review this session and as Texas faces a daunting $27 billion shortfall, the 82nd Legislative Session is the optimal time to pursue and achieve this change.  

• HB 2348 A "paper-ready" inmate is awaiting transfer to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Institutional Division (TDCJ-ID) following a conviction of a felony or revocation of probation. There are approximately 250 “paper-ready” inmates in the Bexar County jail. TDCJ-ID has 45 days to transfer a “paper-ready” inmate from the county jail to a state facility. HB 2348 would allow these inmates to be held in county facilities without being subject to TCJS standards. This bill would save Bexar County money because TCJS standards are more costly and stringent than standards for state inmates.

If you wish to testify for any of these bills, please contact my office as soon as possible at (512) 463-0646!

At the Capitol

With Senator Wentworth and members of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas

Meeting with military leadership about base protection measures

If we may be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact our Capitol office at (512) 463-0646 or lyle.larson@house.state.tx.us. Please continue to let us hear from you!

Best,

What's new in District 122

 

Last week's budget debate brought another round of late night discussions and passionate arguments. In total, members of the House spent over 25 hours debating CSHB 1. Around midnight on Sunday, the vote was taken and the measure passed 98-49.

CSHB 1 is the starting point in developing a budget to fund the state's functions over the next two years.  It simply creates a budget that includes all projected revenues that will be available in the next biennium, without including any money from the "rainy day fund." This bill will be amended through the reconciliation process with the Senate. The final budget may assume the deferral of costs and/or additional use of the "rainy day fund."

The good news is that state revenue projections are up more than 7 percent compared to this time last year. After the vote to fund obligations in our current budget with $3.2 billion from the "rainy day fund," we will have approximately $6 billion leftover.

Based on discussions with my constituents and folks across the state, there are 4 areas that are consistently discussed: K-12 education, higher education, Texas Equalization Grants and Medicaid related to assisting the elderly and mentally impaired. We will do our best to ensure these essential aspects of the budget are adequately funded. 

This week, 4 of our bills will be heard in committee. They include:

• HJR 84 and HB 1131 Since 1986, more than $12 billion has been diverted from Fund 006, the state motor fuel tax fund. Fund 006 was created to provide for the maintenance and construction of state roadways, which is generated from a 20-cent tax on each gallon of gas that is purchased at the pump. As a result of the Legislature’s cannibalization of Fund 006, TxDOT has been forced to look to other funding sources to provide desperately needed additional capacity to our state road system, including toll roads. This legislation would end diversions from Fund 006 and ensure that every cent collected at the pump will be spent on maintenance and construction of our state roadways. This legislation is the companion to Senator Jeff Wentworth's senate version, SB 135.

• HB 3188 This legislation would allow Texas agencies like the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to refuse to administer federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) greenhouse gas regulatory programs. We believe environmental management is the sole responsibility of the states, as evidenced by the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. This bill would put the power back in our hands.

• HB 3533 Currently, general development surrounding Air Education and Training Command (AETC) pilot training units in Texas is increasing to accommodate a growing population in Texas. Texas is home to five of the twelve AETC programs in the U.S., located at Goodfellow, Sheppard, Randolph, Lackland, and Laughlin Air Force Bases. These five pilot training units conduct specialized undergraduate pilot training for the United States Air Force. The bases have an extremely large economic impact on their neighboring areas, making them critical to the economic well-being of the cities surrounding the bases. HB 3533 protects the areas around the AETC bases from development that may hinder their military operations, thereby securing the future of the bases and protecting the neighboring cities and counties as well. The bill authorizes the governing bodies of a municipality and the county in the regulated area to appoint a joint airport land planning board.

• HB 684 This legislation would help Texas counties to address the high costs of jail overcrowding by allowing them to house low-risk inmates in tent facilities. In 2006, I visited Maricopa County, Arizona and met with Sheriff Joe Arapaio, who runs the largest tent jail facility in the nation.  The Maricopa County Sheriff is known for being possibly the toughest sheriff in the country for housing inmates in tents. Sheriff Joe designed his tent jail facility to reduce recidivism and cut costs. In efforts to reduce the high costs of jail overcrowding, HB 684 would allow counties to house low-risk inmates indefinitely in tents or other facilities in lieu of a county jail, in keeping with standards already in place. Maricopa County Deputy Chief Jack MacIntyre is flying in from Arizona to testify in favor of this legislation!

If you wish to testify in favor of any of these bills, please contact my office as soon as possible at (512) 463-0646!

At the Capitol

Lyle Larson and Lyle Lovett

With leadership from North East Independent School District

With friend and Texas Water Development Board member Weir Labatt

 

If we may be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact our Capitol office at (512) 463-0646 or lyle.larson@house.state.tx.us. Please continue to let us hear from you!

Best,

Lyle

What's new in District 122

After 11 hours of debate, the House finally passed the Voter ID measure. We started the day at 8:00 a.m. and weren't finished until 3:00 the next morning. Earning $600 a month to work 19 hour days, my friends who question my sanity might have a point! In all seriousness, both sides presented very passionate and strong arguments and in the end, the bill passed 101-48. Requiring folks to present a photo ID at the polling place will undoubtedly ensure integrity in elections.

Last week, three of our bills were unanimously voted favorably out of committee. The bills include: HB 1499, which would designate a group of roads that were part of the Old Spanish Trail as the "Scenic Loop Road--Boerne Stage Road--Toutant Beauregard Road Historic Corridor." HB 2340 would create a "Cyber Security, Education, and Economic Development Council." The Council would create synergy between governmental agencies, businesses, and institutions of higher education to help Texas become a leader in cyber security technology. HB 1547 will provide guidelines for groundwater conservation districts that will have a major impact on groundwater planning in our state.

This week, 4 of our bills will be heard in committee. They include:

• HB 2349 which will allow public school districts to invest in corporate bonds to provide them with an additional tool to use in their investment strategy. This bill is permissive, it would only allow districts to use this method of investment if they choose to. This measure is already available to public universities.
• HB 1918 which would require the judge of a district court to appoint only one attorney to represent an indigent defendant in a capital murder case. Current law requires that judges must appoint two attorneys. This measure would save counties, and ultimately taxpayers, a lot of money.
• HB 2465 would allow commissioners courts to consider all funds received by the county in their budgeting process. Currently, county clerks, auditors and other county officials are able to use certain revenues they collect for their own purposes, independent of what they receive in their budget.
• HJR 44 and HB 431 which would allow San Antonio and Bexar County the option to consolidate. In a time of declining revenues when we're all tightening our belts, city-county consolidation makes perfect sense. It will achieve efficiency, more accountable government and better delivery of services. This bill will be heard in the County Affairs Committee on March 31st. If you wish to testify in favor of this legislation, please contact my office as soon as possible at (512) 463-0646!

Also this week, the House will take up budget bills HB 4 and HB 275. These bills will make supplemental appropriations and authorize the use of $3.2 billion the "rainy day fund" to pay for budget overruns for the current biennium. This will not appropriate any of the "rainy day fund" for the next biennium, for which we anticipate up to a $27 billion shortfall. On Friday, we will take up HB 1, the budget bill. Friday will certainly be a very long day!

At the Capitol

We received lots of constituents this week, including representatives from the Texas Computer Education Association, Texas Job Order Contracting members, several retired teachers from District 122 with the Texas Retired Teachers Association, the leadership of Texas A&M San Antonio, and the Texas Association of Nurses. We thoroughly enjoy meeting with folks from District 122!

With Texas Retired Teachers Association members

With Bexar County Commissioners Tommy Adkisson and Chico Rodriguez and residents of Bexar County.

If we may be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact our Capitol office at (512) 463-0646 or lyle.larson@house.state.tx.us. Please continue to let us hear from you!

Best
Lyle

What's new in District 122

This week, the House began debate on the Voter ID bill. Less than two hours into the debate, opponents of the bill called a point of order, indicating that wording on the bill analysis did not match the text of the actual bill. The bill analysis reads that voters have "six business days" to verify their identity after casting a provisional ballot, while the bill itself says that voters have "six days." The bill was sent back to committee, where the appropriate changes will be made. We will likely resume debate on Wednesday and vote it out of the House later this week.

Providing a photo ID is required to do many things in our daily lives, including driving a car, opening a bank account, applying for a loan, and purchasing insurance. Interestingly, there are some folks in the Legislature who don't think it's appropriate to require that individuals verify their identity before casting their vote! I look forward to voting for this legislation to help ensure integrity in elections in Texas.

As you may know, state leadership reached an agreement on paying for the $4 billion funding shortfall in the current biennium. Governor Perry agreed to support the use of $3.2 billion of the "rainy day fund" along with $800 million in additional spending cuts. There still has not been a commitment from the leadership to use any of the "rainy day fund" for the nearly $27 billion projected shortfall in the next biennium. It's becoming pretty clear that folks up here could have used a Dave Ramsey starter kit a few years ago!

During last week's Natural Resources Committee hearing, I joint authored Rep. Jose Menendez's BexarMet bill and we voted it out of committee. It has been sent to the Calendars Committee and we expect it will pass both the House and the Senate, barring any unforseseen issues. Voters will finally have the opportunity to decide between the status quo or allowing SAWS to provide their water and waste water service. Also during the Natural Resources Committee meeting, I presented HB 1547, which provides guidlines for developing long term groundwater planning. It was very well received and supported by many stakeholders.

In Committee This Week

Three of our bills will be heard in committee this week. On Wednesday, the Transportation Committee will hear HB 664, which would prohibit non-elected members of MPO boards from voting. Currently, 25 members comprise the San Antonio-Bexar County MPO. Of those, 12 are non-elected. With hundreds of millions of dollars flowing through MPOs, it's imperative that we retain the ability to hold these individuals accountable for the decisions they make in determining which roads are funded. We need to do all we can to ensure we don't imitate the Obama-style system in which unelected czars make major policy and funding decisions.

On Thursday, the House Technology Committee will hear HB 2340, which would create a Cyber Security, Education, and Economic Development Council. Cyber security is one of the fastest growing industries in the nation. In San Antonio, cyber security is part of an information technology sector whose local economic impact in 2008 was $8 billion, according to a study distributed by the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. This council will help Texas become a leader in cyber security technology and set an example for the rest of the nation.

Also on Thursday, HB 1132 will be heard in the County Affairs Committee. HB 1132 would cut the amount of time allowed for homeowners to abate a nuisance from 30 to 15 days. When owners neglect their property, it impacts the property values in the area due to the blight and unsanitary conditions. This bill will speed up the nuisance abatement process and help protect property values.

Last week, we were visited by several groups, including volunteers from the Healthy Futures Alliance, leadership of Our Lady of the Lake University, Methodist Healthcare System and the San Antonio Childrens Shelter.

Rep. Larson with leadership of the Methodist Healthcare System.

Rep. Larson with staff and volunteers from the San Antonio Childrens Shelter.