SD 11 SREC: District 129 Weekly Newsletter End of Session Recap

The 87th Session came to a close on Monday and I am proud of the many accomplishments of this session. This includes the passage of SB 1160, which I sponsored. SB 1160 creates the Gulf Coast Protection District. This district, which is designed to be the local sponsor for the Coastal Barrier. This barrier is going to have a positive impact on the residents of our region for the next 100 years and I am proud to have helped in its creation.

The Legislature also accomplished many of the goals that it set out at the beginning of the session including:

Implementing a balanced, fiscally responsible state budget for the next two years;
Strengthening our mandated constituional spending caps;
Ensuring and expanding 2^nd Amendment rights;
Preparing the state electric grid for future natural disasters;
Protecting the rights of Texans to express their religious beliefs;
Strengthening public safety standards and backing the blue;
Cutting red tape to support small businesses from COVID-19 pandemic fallout;
Helping bring broadband to rural texans;
Protecting the sanctity of life from the first signs of life.

Even with all of these great accomplishments, there is still work to be done and I look forward to the Governor calling us back into special session to finish the Legislature's work. This work includes ensuring the integrity of our elections, reforming our bail system so that violent criminals do not get released on bail and our decennial duty to draw district boundaries for legislative and congressional districts.

In closing, we accomplished a great deal in our 140 days in session, but there is still more to do and I look forward to continuing to serve the great people of House District 129.

God Bless,

Dennis Paul

State Updates

Senate Bill 1

The 2022-2023 biennium budget has been sent to the Governor's desk. This is a constitutional requirement that must be completed each legislative session. We passed a balanced conservative budget totally $248.5 Billion. For more information please see the graphic above.

Helping our states businesses recover from the Pandemic

The Legislature made it a priority to help businesses recover from the unprecedented hardships brought on by the pandemic. Please see the graphic above for a brief description of what was accomplished.

Upholding that State's Commitment to Public Education

One of my top legislative priorities is making sure that the state continues its commitment to public education. This started with the Passage of HB 3 last session and continued this session. The Legislature kept its promise and fully funded public education, even with an uncertain economic outlook. Public Education will always be a top priority of mine and the legislature.

Protecting 2nd amendment rights

I have always and will always be a strong supporter of our 2nd amendment rights. This session the Texas Legislature passed several great pieces of legislation in this area, including HB 1927.

Pro-Life Protections

The Legislature once again passed several key pieces of pro-life legislation. SB 8 the Heartbeat Act and HB 1280 the "trigger" bill, will allow Texas law to match whatever the Supreme Court rules next summer. I was a proud co-author of both of these pieces of legislation.

ERCOT Reform