E-Newletter from State Representative Dennis Paul

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE ANNOUCES 2017 NASA ASTRONAUT CANDIDATES CLASS The 2017 NASA Astronaut Class: (from left) Zena Cardman, Jasmin Moghbeli, Jonny Kim, Frank Rubio, Matthew Dominick, Warren Hoburg, Robb Kulin, Kayla Barron, Bob Hines, Raja Chari, Loral O' Hara and Jessica Watkins. Photo Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz Last week Representative Paul was honored to be invited by the White House to attend the  NASA ceremony introducing their twelve newest astronauts. These 12 candidates were chosen from 18,300 applications. As a very motivated and educated group you can't help but be proud to be an American.    In attendance along side Representative Paul was State Senator Larry Taylor, US Senator Ted Cruz,  US Representative Brian Babin,  and Governor Greg Abbott.  Congratulations to NASA on a great new group of astronauts.         William Staples Announces Retirement From UHCL Presidency William Staples, the University of Houston-Clear Lake's longest standing president, has announced he will retire from the role of president at the end of August 2017.  Staples joined the UHCL faculty in 1979 as an associate professor of marketing in what was then the School of Business and Public Administration. Before becoming president in 1995, Staples served as professor of marketing, program director, associate dean and dean of then School of Business and Public Administration.   Last Friday a ceremony was held to honor Dr. Staples and his contribution to our community and University of Houston Clear Lake.  During the 85th Legislative Session, the Texas House recognized Dr. Staples with House Resolution 665.  The full text can be found on The Texas Legislature Online.   A MESSAGE FROM CHANCELLOR RENU KHATOR UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM   It is with great pleasure that I announce Dr. Ira K. Blake as the sole finalist to be the next president of University of Houston-Clear Lake. Today's decision comes after conducting a thorough and exhaustive national search, aided by a search firm and search committee comprised of students, faculty, deans, alumni and other supporters, that helped yield a strong and diverse pool of experienced candidates for consideration. I thank the members of the search committee for their hard work and commitment during this process and appreciate their service to UHCL.    Dr. Blake, who is scheduled to take office August 01, 2017, has been serving as senior vice president and provost at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania focusing on the university's academic mission.  She holds a Ph.D. and master's degree in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and a secondary master's degree in Educational Psychology from San Francisco State University.    UHCL plays a vital role in our UH System's overall delivery of higher education resources to this region, so we are fortunate to have an experienced educator and inspiring administrator of Dr. Blake's caliber lead this institution. Now that Dr. Blake has been named the sole finalist for the president position, state law requires that 21 days must pass before final action can be taken by the Board of Regents on her formal appointment. After that time, I look forward to introducing Dr. Blake as the fifth president and first woman to lead UHCL. I would like to thank Richard Walker, Ed.D., vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment services, UH System, for overseeing this very productive search committee and express our appreciation to the faculty and community members who participated in this process. In addition, we are deeply indebted to President William A. Staples, who has served so adeptly as UHCL president for the last 22 years. President Staples will stay on in his current role until Dr. Blake takes office.   Please join me in congratulating Dr. Blake on her selection as sole finalist and in celebrating this exciting announcement for the University of Houston-Clear Lake. With warm regards, Renu Khator Chancellor, University of Houston System  Governor Greg Abbott Announces Special Session To Begin July 18, 2017 Special session agenda items will include: Sunset legislation Teacher pay increase of $1,000        Administrative flexibility in teacher hiring and retention practices School finance reform commission School choice for special needs students Property tax reform Caps on state and local spending Preventing cities from regulating what property owners do with trees on private land Preventing local governments from changing rules midway through construction projects Speeding up local government permitting process Municipal annexation reform Texting while driving preemption Privacy Prohibition of taxpayer dollars to collect union dues Prohibition of taxpayer funding for abortion providers Pro-life insurance reform Strengthening abortion reporting requirements when health complications arise Strengthening patient protections relating to do-not-resuscitate orders Cracking down on mail-in ballot fraud Extending maternal mortality task force To read more about the Texas Legislature click here To read more about Governor Abbott's initiatives click here   Capitol Visitor Information My staff and I welcome everyone to visit our office as well as the historic Capitol building.  If you are planning a trip to the Capitol be sure to stop by our office, Room E2.814.  Here are some helpful tips for your visit: - Texas Capitol Visitor Center - Texas State Preservation Board - The Bullock Texas State History Museum             Stay Connected

Office of State Representative Dennis Paul, 1400 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701 SafeUnsubscribe™ info6426.densrec@blogger.com Forward this email | Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by dennis.paul@house.state.tx.us in collaboration with Try it free today