I want to start this week’s column by expressing my sincere gratitude to everyone who exercised their right to vote in our most recent election. The American people have spoken in a historic fashion and provided our elected leaders with their vision and expectations for our country, state, and local communities. I am deeply honored to serve as your State Representative, and I remain firm in my commitment to promote and protect the interests and values that make our region such a special place to call home.
With the arrival of November, hunters across the state have finally taken afield and embraced the much-anticipated 2024 hunting season. With white-tailed deer and duck season upon us, I want to remind all of my fellow hunters to make sure you’ve purchased your hunting license and federal duck stamp before heading out to the woods.
I’d also like to encourage you to consider downloading the Texas Outdoor Annual App and the Texas Hunt & Fish App. The Outdoor Annual App allows you to access information about hunting season dates, bag limits and regulations, and public land open for hunting. The Texas Hunt & Fish App allows you to purchase your hunting license through the app, access your license on your device, and even report your take – all from the convenience of your phone. For more information, please visit www.tpwd.texas.gov.
With that, we’ll dive back into our examination of House interim charges. . .
House Interim Charge: Defense & Veterans’ Affairs
The House Committee on Defense & Veterans’ Affairs has jurisdiction over all matters related to our military bases in Texas, national defense-related issues, emergency defense preparedness, and state-level veterans’ programs. The Committee also has jurisdiction over the Texas Military Department, the Texas Veterans Commission, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and many other state agencies.
During the interim, the Committee will monitor the implementation of House Bills 90 and 671. House Bill 90 expands the benefits available to members of the Texas Military Department (i.e., the Texas National Guard and the Texas State Guard) and their survivors. Examples of those benefits include compensation for travel to and from a duty station, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a compensable injury while on active duty, and financial assistance to surviving spouses of our state’s military forces killed in the line of duty. I was proud to coauthor HB 90, which provided much-needed relief and protection to the men and women who serve our great state, and I was pleased to see it pass through the Legislature last year.
House Bill 671 directs the Texas Veterans Commission to conduct a suicide prevention campaign for veterans and establish a website to inform veterans of the state mental health services available to them. If you, or someone you know, are a veteran and need help, please visit https://veteransmentalhealth.texas.gov or call 988 and press 1.
The Committee will also study the federal criteria for initiating military base closures, evaluate the strength of bases operated by the Texas Military Department, and make recommendations to prevent base closures in Texas.
Finally, the Committee will study compliance in Texas with the Veterans Auto and Education Act, which allows active-duty service members and their spouses to transfer professional licenses from other states should they be stationed in Texas. Recommendations will be made to ensure our military personnel and their spouses can successfully continue to transfer their professional licenses to Texas.
The mobile office is on the road again in November, and our District Director looks forward to seeing you on the following dates at the following times: November 13 at the Polk County Commissioner’s Courtroom in Livingston from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and the Tyler County Commissioner’s Courtroom in Woodville from 1:30-3:30 p.m.; and November 20 at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Crockett from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762 and my Capitol office may be reached at (512) 463-0508. Additionally, I welcome you to follow along on my Official Facebook Page, where I will be posting regular updates on what’s happening in your State Capitol and sharing information that could be useful to you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/RepTrentAshby/.
