The Texas Report 3/20

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Happy Monday!

Written by: Jay Williamson

Statewide News Round-Up

Former President Donald Trump will hold the first rally of his 2024 campaign in Waco this Saturday, March 25. The former president's team announced that the rally would be at the Waco Regional Airport. According to a recent C.W.S. Research poll in a hypothetical 2024 Texas Republican primary, Trump leads with 43% of the likely voters compared to Ron DeSantis at 27% and Nikki Haley at 5%. (More here) The event will begin with guest speakers at 2:00 p.m. and conclude with remarks by Trump at 5:00 p.m. (More here) It will be interesting to see which Texas politicians endorse the former president, as some have already thrown their support to Desantis, like U.S. Representative Chip Roy (R-Austin).

According to February polling from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, 56% of Republicans said Trump should run again. (Polling data)

I wanted to give a little update on what stage we're in legislatively. At this point in mid-March, the real work has begun, and things are picking up. With bill filing done and more and more committee hearings being scheduled, bills are starting to get voted on and moving their way through the process.

The majority of work for the Texas Legislature happens between March and the end of May when dozens of bills are being considered a day and deals are being made between the most powerful Texas politicians to help shape the future of our state. At this stage, there's much more work to be done, and both chambers have significant priorities that have yet to make any movement. However, it's also exciting because, over the next two and a half months, the Texas legislature will make critical decisions impacting over 29.53 million citizens. We're thankful for your readership, and we can't wait to help keep you informed on all these critical issues.

A Texas appeals court ruled that the Public Utility Commission (P.U.C.) overstepped when it allowed wholesale electricity prices to soar during 2021's crippling winter storm. The 3rd Court decision reignites talk that consumers and companies may receive reductions in their power bills after potentially facing nearly $16 billion in overcharges.

The court remanded the case for further hearings. However, whether further action would be argued at the court or the P.U.C. needs to be clarified. According to the appeals court, the P.U.C. violated the tenets of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) competitive market design set by state law when it set the price at the maximum allowed at the time. That price was nearly 300 times the price per megawatt-hour on a normal day as electricity was set at $9,000 per megawatt-hour cap. This cap was kept in place for four days. (Read More)

This week the Senate Committee on Education will hear proposals on some of the most contentious issues of the legislative session. Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) will be introducing Senate Bill (S.B.) 8 to establish education savings account (E.S.A.s) programs (school vouchers). Certain public school advocates say if passed, this legislation would drain money from public schools and essentially create education coupons for wealthy families. On the other hand, supporters of the legislation, like the Texas Public Policy Foundation, say that E.S.A.s allow parents to meet their child's educational needs when the "education was not the quality they expected, or it wasn't aligned with their family values."

There will be significant discussion at the Senate hearing and over the next several months of the session. However, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor Patrick seem committed to passing a voucher bill, as both have highlighted the issue as a priority for the session. Patrick has even said, "We should not leave here this year until we pass school choice. I don't care how many special sessions it takes." (More here)

Wednesday, the House State Affairs Committee will hear proposals for the legalization of sports and casino gambling. House Bill (H.B.) 1942 by Representative Jeff Leach (R-Plano) and House Joint Resolution (H.J.R.) 155 by Representative Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth). H.B. 1942 would essentially decriminalize wagering on college or professional athletics and allow the use of sports betting sights like draft kings. H.J.R. 155, on the other hand, would also allow sports wagering and authorize casinos as destination resorts. The resorts would include two locations in DFW, two in Houston, one in San Antonio, one in Corpus Christi, and one in McAllen, while also establishing rules for one other casino in a county no less than 100 miles from one of the above metropolitan areas. Both these pieces of legislation would establish the Texas Gaming Commission as the new state agency to regulate and manage all sports and casino gambling. There are similar proposals in the Senate, but it remains to be seen how much appetite there is as the Lieutenant Governor has not expressed interest in bringing gambling to Texas. Abbott has announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration (S.B.A.) approved a request from the State of Texas for a disaster declaration in communities in Southeast Texas impacted by tornadoes on January 24. Counties included in the declaration are Harris, Orange, and their contiguous counties: Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Newton, and Waller. With the approval, the S.B.A. granted access to its Physical Disaster Loan program for homes and businesses and its Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov.

Patrick recently went on Fox News to discuss the Texas Border Crisis. The Lieutenant Governor primarily spoke on what he see's as some of the significant failures of the Biden Administration and then laid out S.B. 2424 by Senator Brian Birdwell (R-Waco) as one of the steps the Texas Senate is taking to try and "secure the border." This legislation would allow Texas law enforcement to arrest and prosecute all people who cross the border illegally anywhere in Texas. Punishment starts with up to 1 year in jail for a first-time offender, then increases to two years for a second time, and up to life in prison for convicted felons who illegally cross the border.

Speaker Phelan recently Tweeted that "maternal mortality has hit the highest rate since 1965 - unacceptable in TX. H.B. 12 by Representative Toni Rose (D-Dallas) extends postpartum coverage for new mons to 1 yr. " This is a significant priority for the Speaker, who has heavily focused on expanding healthcare accessibility and affordability this session. (More here)

Committee schedule for next week:

Monday - Senate Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Finance, State Affairs, and Local Government. House Public Health, Appropriations, Business & Industry, Higher Education, Ways & Means, Pensions, Investments & Financial Services, Energy Resources, the (select) Health Care Reform, and the (select) Youth Health & Safety Committee.

Tuesday - Senate Business & Commerce, Criminal Justice, and Veterans Affairs. House Criminal Jurisprudence, Human Services, Insurance, International Relations & Economic Development, Natural Resources, Public Education, Corrections, Criminal Jurisprudence, Health Care Reform, Community Safety, and Urban Affairs.

Wednesday - Senate Health & Human Services, Education, Natural Resources & Economic Development, and the Finance Committee. House Agriculture & Livestock, Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence, Land & Resource Management, Licensing & Administrative Procedures, Pensions, Investments & Financial Services, County Affairs, Juvenile Justice & Family Issues, State Affairs, and Transportation.

Potential Articles of Interest

After a wave of teen fentanyl overdoes, a Texas community grapples with shock and anger at the epidemic's toll. (NBC NEWS)

Lottery Tickets now sold online in Texas, but the legality of the practice is questioned. (Austin American-Statesman)

Texas Republicans eye bail reform as it garners national attention. (Associated Press)

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Legislative Report

70 days till Sine Die (Last day of the legislative session)

Business & Economic Development

Natural Resources

S.B. 28 by Senator Charles Perry would establish a new fund focused on the Texas Water Supply. The fund would be focused on undertaking finance projects leading to the acquisition or creation of seven million acre-feet of new water supplies by December 31, 2023. The fund could be used to provide zero or negative-interest loans and help acquire water from other states.

Broadband

S.B. 1238 by Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) would reorganize the state Broadband Development Office to align more with federal standards. Additionally, the office would now need to prioritize fiber projects. This bill is set to be for a hearing Tuesday in Senate Business & Commerce.

Education

H.B. 900 by Representative Jared Patterson (R-Frisco) would require school districts to receive written consent from parents if their child attempts to check out or access something with "sexually relevant materials." This could include books, art, communications, and more. With approval from the State Board of Education, the state library and archives commission would develop standards for school libraries to follow. This bill is set to be heard in House Public Education Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.

HB 1614 by Representative Harold Dutton (D-Houston) Would allow any child at least three years of age to be eligible for enrollment in a prekindergarten class if it's provided between a school district or open-enrollment charter school and community-based child-care provider. And the child would need to be eligible for subsidized child-care services provided through the child-care services program via the Texas Workforce Commission. This bill is set to be heard in House Public Education Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.

Veterans Affairs

S.B. 371 by Senator Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) would expand eligibility for the Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program to include students who complete one year of ROTC training for each year the student is enrolled in a degree or certificate program at a public r private institution of higher education. This bill is set to be heard in Senate Veterans Affairs Public Education Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.

S.B. 493 by Senator Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) would allow any former member of the United States armed forces who received a less than honorable discharge due to refusing to receive a vaccination against COVID-19 to now be considered to have received an honorable discharge. This bill is set to be heard in Senate Veterans Affairs Public Education Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.

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Happy Monday!!