SD 11 SREC: HD 129 District Newsletter

December 7, 2018

TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 129 NEWSLETTER

House Republican Caucus Unanimously Votes to Support State Representative Dennis Bonnen's Candidacy for Speaker of the House.

This past Saturday I participated In the House Republican Caucus' vote for Speaker of the House. I, along with every other House Republican, voted unanimously to support State Representative Dennis Bonnen. With the support of the Republican Caucus, Rep. Bonnen will officially be elected Speaker of the House on the first day of session, January 8, 2019.

Capitol Office Staff Changes

Recently, my long time Chief of Staff, Mitzi Stoute Faniola, left the Texas Capitol after 11 years of service to become the Executive Director of the Texas Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs. In this role, Mitzi will have the opportunity to advocate for state, federal, and private funding for Texas' most at risk youth in regards to educational programs. Additionally, Mitzi is responsible for connecting legislators with club CEOs throughout the state.

I would like to thank Mitzi for her many years of service to both HD 129 and the State of Texas, and I wish her all the best in her new endeavor.

Replacing Mitzi will be Greg Bentch. He comes to my office with over 8 years of legislative experience. He most recently was Chief of Staff for State Representative Tony Dale. Greg is a graduate of Texas State University where he earned dual degrees in Political Science and Geography. Greg started in late November and I am excited to have him on board. You can reach Greg at Greg.Bentch@house.texas.gov or by calling my Capitol Office at 512-463-0734.

My new Chief of Staff, Greg Bentch, with Governor Greg Abbott.

How to Keep Track of Legislation

Beginning on November 12th, members of the incoming 86th Texas Legislature began filing legislation. I personally have filed 6 bills so far, and have several more that I will be filing in the months ahead. To keep track of my legislation, and the legislation of other members, you can visit the Texas Legislature Online by clicking this link: www.capitol.texas.gov.

I have filed the following bills:

HB 302 Relating to the carrying, storage, or possession of a firearm or firearm ammunition by certain persons on certain residential or commercial property.

HB 303 Relating to entities eligible to authorize the creation of a spaceport development corporation.

HB 304 Relating to the governance and operation of municipal management districts.

HB 305 Relating to the requirement that a state agency or political subdivision with authority to impose a tax post certain information on an Internet website.

HB 458 Relating to notice of a scheduled disconnection of water utility service.

HB 470 Relating to the calculation of the ad valorem rollback tax rate of a taxing unit and voter approval of a proposed tax rate that exceeds the rollback tax rate.

Christmas Time Around the Capitol

While I was in Austin for the Republican Caucus meeting, Eliza and I had the opportunity to view the HD 129 Christmas Ornament. Our district ornament, along with ornaments from every House District in Texas, are displayed on the House Christmas Tree throughout the Holiday season.

Around the District

This past week I had the opportunity to speak at an event put on by the Longhorn Project and AT&T. At this event, AT&T presented a $10,000 check ' to support The Longhorn Project’s education program that combines an agriculture & STEM curriculum to reinforce TEKS standards for 9th – 12th graders.

The Longhorn Project at Johnson Space Center is a one-of-a-kind hands-on educational program created as a joint venture among The Longhorn Project, a 501(c) (3) charitable nonprofit organization, NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), the Houston Livestock and RodeoTM, Clear Creek Independent School District, and the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America.

I am very grateful to AT&T for their donation and look forward to the continued success of The Longhorn Project.

Additionally, I had the opportunity to participate in the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region's Legislative Kickoff Lunch. This is a great organization and I look forward to working with them during the upcoming session.

Upcoming Public Meetings on Coastal Study Project

The Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office have reached the mid-point on the Coastal Texas Study, commonly referred to as the Ike Dyke study.

This plan is a DRAFT plan. There is still a lot to decide, such as location of

structures and their design and features.

Please join representatives of the Corps and the GLO to discuss these issues at any one of a series of public meetings to go over the plan.

Upper Coast

12-Dec | 5:30pm – 9:00pm | Galveston

Galveston Island Convention Center

5600 Seawall Blvd

Galveston, TX 77551

15-Dec | 1:00pm – 4:30pm | Bolivar

Crenshaw Middle School 416 State Hwy 87

Crystal Beach, TX 77650

18-Dec | 5:30pm – 9:00pm | Seabrook

Bay Area Community Center

5002 E NASA Parkway

Seabrook, TX 77586

Public comments can be provided at:

1) the Public Meetings noted above;

2) mailed to USACE, Galveston District, Attn: Mrs. Jennifer Morgan, Environmental Compliance Branch, Regional Planning and Environmental Center, P.O. Box 1229, Galveston, TX 77553-1229; or

3) emailed to CoastalTexas@usace.army.mil. Comments must be postmarked by January 9, 2019.

To learn more about the Coastal Texas study, visit the coastal study here.

Thank You

Thank you for subscribing to my District 129 Newsletter. My staff and I are looking forward to serving you during the 86th session. Please do not hesitate to contact myself, or my staff, if we can ever be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Dennis Paul

State Representative

District 129