SD 11 SREC: District 129 Weekly Newsletter.

Yesterday, the Speaker of the House appointed members to the various House Committees. I was honored to be appointed to the House Insurance Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee.

This will be my 4th session on the Insurance committee and my 1st session on Natural Resources. I asked the Speaker to be placed on both of these committees and look forward to working with my fellow members on these important issues.

Also, earlier this week the Governor gave his State of the State address where he laid out his agenda for the legislative session. He further asked the legislature to take up 6 emergency items which I will detail below.

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 February 9th at 2:00 PM

State of the State Address

Earlier this week Governor Abbott gave his biannual State of the State Address, where he laid his out priorities for the 87th Legislative session. During this address he also gave 5 "emergency items." Constitutionally, these emergency items are allowed to be taken up at any time prior to the 60th day of session when ordinary bills are allowed to be heard. The 6 emergency items are listed below:

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

Individuals who fall under Texas DSHS’s 1A and 1B prioritization categories can register to be placed on the waitlist for the COVID-19 vaccine at Register for COVID-19 Vaccine | Harris County Public Health (harriscountytx.gov). For individuals who do not have internet access, they may call HCPH at (832) 927-8787 to sign up on the waitlist.

In HCPH’s efforts to ensure equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, individuals are selected at random based on the prioritization group in which they fall. Once they are selected to come off the waitlist, they will receive a link to schedule their appointment

For more information please visit the Harris County Public Health FAQ's here

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.