SD 11 SREC: District 129 Weekly Newsletter.

This week was a lighter week for the Legislature. The House and Senate were both out of session as the chambers work to get organized.

Under the Texas Constitution House Committees can not meet for the first 30 days of session and Non-Emergency bills can not be heard on the floor until after the 60th day of session. This week members worked on developing their committee preferences and members have until next Wednesday to turn their committee preferences in to the Speaker of the House. The Speaker will then make appointments during the first couple weeks of February.

If you need any further information about the session please keep reading and do not hesitate to reach out to my staff if you have any questions.

God Bless,

State Updates

Texas House Schedule for Next Week

The House will convene on Tuesday, January 26 at 1 PM and the Speaker plans to convene on Wednesday, January 27 at 10 AM.

The House will then adjourn until the following Tuesday, February 2.

State Budget

Earlier this week both the House and Senate released their base budget bills (House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 respectively). This is just the first draft of the state budget. Once committees are appointed in the House, the Appropriations Committee will begin public hearings to discuss the budget that is projected to be over $250 billion for the biennium.

Some highlights of the base budget are:

• Maintains the Legislature's commitment to House Bill 3, the school finance reform legislation passed last session, by funding the Foundation School Program (FSP) at $53 billion in all funds and $41.2 billion in general revenue, an increase of $3.8 billion. The House budget adds $3.1 billion in general revenue to fund enrollment growth, an additional $992 million in general revenue for tax compression; and $1.1 billion in general revenue to replace one-time CARES Act funding provided in 2020.

• Provides $5.9 billion in general revenue at the Teachers Retirement System with an increase of $838 million to fund the increased state contribution rate adopted last legislative session.

• Appropriates $74.2 billion in all funds for the Texas Medicaid program, including $27.4 billion in general revenue with an additional $920 million to address projected caseload growth.

• Appropriates $3.3 billion in general revenue for behavioral and mental health services, an increase of $26 million from last session.

• Maintains border security funding across multiple agencies at $800 million in general revenue.

• Does not tap into the state's Economic Stabilization Fund, more commonly known as the "Rainy Day Fund".

Summary of the House's base budget recommendations can be found here, and the full text is available here.

New Capitol Office Staff

My office has added several new members to our existing staff for this session. Returning is our Greg Bentch my Chief of Staff and Dawn McDonald my District Director. In addition I have made three new hires.

Kathy Haigler Legislative Director - Kathy is a former County Chairman who worked for Representative Paul in 2017 and is back this session as his Legislative Director. She moved from southeast Harris County to central Texas in 2010. She and her husband, Glenn, have four children and fifteen grandchildren. Kathy.Haigler@house.texas.gov

Alexandra Harber Legislative Aide/ Scheduler - Alexandra is a California native that moved to Texas over a year ago(don’t hold it against her). She previously worked at the Republican Party of Texas. While she wasn't born in Texas she got here as soon as she could! She will be handling our office scheduling as well as helping working on policy. Alexandra can be reached at Alexandra.Harber@house.texas.gov

Tyler Gustafson Legislative Assistant - Tyler is currently a freshman at The University of Texas studying Government. A Dallas native, Tyler spent his first semester interning at the Republican Party of Texas. Tyler can be reached at Tyler.Gustafson@house.texas.gov

Learn More About Session!

If you are interested in learning more about the current session of the legislature and the topics that are likely to be discussed I would encourage you to read this report from the House Research Organization. https://hro.house.texas.gov/pdf/focus/topics87-1.pdf

Procedures for visiting your Capitol

On January 4th the State Preservation Board reopened the Texas Capitol. Below, you will find the operating hours and public health precautions that are being taken.

State Preservation Board Policy Regarding the Texas Capitol

Building Public Hours

Monday - Friday, 9AM - 6PM

Closed Saturday and Sunday for building cleaning

Public Health Precautions

The public may only enter via the north door of the Capitol.

COVID-19 testing is highly recommended and easily accessible on the north plaza at no expense. No personal data will be collected.

At this time, a mask worn over the mouth and nose is required at all times inside the building.

Public visitor capacity limits will be observed and social distancing required in all public areas at all times.

All deliveries must be left at the loading dock. No delivery personnel are allowed beyond the loading dock or to enter through the public entrance.

No public tours or groups or sponsored event space will be available.

The Capitol Grounds, Capitol Visitors Center, Bullock Museum and Texas State Cemetery are open to the public.

The Capitol Grounds are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Capitol Visitors Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Please click here for Museum hours:

https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/visit/plan-your-visit

If you plan to visit the Capitol in Austin, here are some maps and guides for your reference: https://tspb.texas.gov/plan/maps/maps.htm l

COVID -19 Update

COVID-19 Vaccine Information:

As of now the COVID-19 Vaccine is being rolled out in phases. Currently Phase 1A and 1B are being made available to those who qualify.

Phase 1A is for front-line workers and residents at long-term care facilities plus those over 65 with chronic medical conditions putting them at an increased risk for severe illness. Those individuals are currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Texans in Phase 1B are currently eligible to receive the vaccine as well, the guidelines for Phase 1B are as follows :

· People 65 years of age and older

· People 16 years of age and older with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19, such as but not limited to:

o Cancer

o Chronic kidney disease

o COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

o Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies

o Solid organ transplantation

o Obesity and severe obesity (body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or higher)

o Pregnancy

o Sickle cell disease

o Type 2 diabetes mellitus

If you fall under either of those categories you may contact the testing hub in your area, listed below. The sites are requesting individuals do not show up at a hospital or clinic looking for a vaccine but either call or check the website for information prior to arrival.

Houston Methodist Hospital- TMC

6565 Fanin Street, Houston Texas

281-626-5551

website: https://www.houstonmethodist.org/texas-vaccine-hub/

Houston Health Department Immunization Bureau

8000 N. Stadium Drive, Houston Texas

831-393-4220

Wesbite: https://houstonemergency.org/covid19/

Harris County Department of Public Health

713-439-6000

2223 W Loops S, Houston, Texas

https://vacstrac.hctx.net/landing

You can find more information on COVID-19 vaccine at dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine.aspx.

How to Track Legislation

To track legislation you can visit the Texas Legislature Online. You can do this by visiting https://capitol.texas.gov/ Once there you can create a saved search for all my bills, go to https://capitol.texas.gov/MnuMyTLO.aspx . If you've never set up an account here before, go to "Login" and click "New User" to set up your account. Once you are set up and get logged in, click on "MyTLO", then "Search", then "Bill Search". In the "Author" box pull-down menu select "Paul (H-A3090)". Hit the gray "Search" button on the top-right and you will see the bills I've filed this session which already have been assigned bill numbers. We have quite a few bills still being drafted, so you'll see more entries soon. Now go to the top-right and select "Save Search" and give this search a name, like "2021 Dennis Paul bills". From now on, when you come in to "MyTLO" you go to "Saved Searches". Click "Run" on your "2021 Dennis Paul Bills" and it will give you a current list of all my bills this session.