I recently had the pleasure of congratulating a dear friend of mine – Dr. Keven Ellis, of Lufkin – on his recent appointment by Governor Abbott to chair the State Board of Education. This occasion reminded me of how important it is to have individuals from East Texas serving in leadership capacities. Did you know that the Governor of Texas has the authority to make appointments to over 3,000 state boards, commissions, or councils? I know firsthand the Governor’s Appointments Office needs more applicants from rural and East Texas who are willing to serve in one of these appointed positions. If you are interested in exploring what opportunities are available, or in filling out an application, please visit: https://gov.texas.gov/organization/appointments
With that here’s this week’s legislative update. . .
Legislative Update
This week we’ll dive into propositions seven and eight, as we continue our weekly examination of propositions that will be on the ballot in November.
Proposition 7 proposes a constitutional amendment to extend the authority to distribute revenues derived from permanent school fund land to the State Board of Education (SBOE). The General Land Office (GLO), which is currently responsible for managing revenues, would retain that authority. The proposal also doubles the annual cap on fund distribution from $300 million to $600 million. Proposition 7 would help improve funding for public schools when sufficient revenues are available and would also give the GLO and the SBOE more flexibility to distribute proceeds.
Proposition 8 proposes a constitutional amendment to create the flood infrastructure fund as a special fund in the state treasury outside of the general revenue fund. The money in the fund would be used by the Texas Water Development Board to provide financing for drainage, flood mitigation, or flood control projects. As we continue to recover from natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey, we must also ensure that we have resources available to help mitigate damage in the future. By creating the flood infrastructure fund outside of the general revenue fund, we will better protect money needed for flood projects from being redirected for other purposes. Additionally, by providing both grants and loans, the fund will facilitate access to flood project financing for smaller, rural communities that may not have the resources to raise the local matching funds required for federal disaster programs.
Reminders
The mobile office is on the road this month and looks forward to seeing you on the following dates, in the following locations: October 2nd from 9:00-11:00am at the Leon County Courthouse in Centerville, or at the Madison County Courthouse Annex in Madisonville from 1:30 – 3:30pm; October 16th from 9:00 – 11:00am at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Madisonville, or from 1:30 – 3:30pm at the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton; October 23 from 9:00 – 11:00am at the San Augustine County Courthouse in San Augustine.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact our office if we can help you in any way. Our District office may be reached at (936) 634-2762, or you can call my Capitol office at (512) 463-0508.
