Local representatives receive committee assignments

Local representatives receive committee assignments

By Patrick Brendel Friday, 20 March 2009

Cedar Park and Leander’s legislators have earned leadership positions on important subjects, including business development, culture, recreation, education, finance and transportation.

State Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, is on the House Business & Industry and the new House Technology, Economic Development & Workforce committees, responsible for business regulations, job creation and new technologies.

State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, is vice-chair of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, a committee responsible for state parks, the music and film industries and tourism in general. She is also on House Higher Education.

State Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, returns as chair of the Senate Finance committee and is the state’s chief budget writer. He also is on Senate Education.

State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, is the vice-chair of the Senate Transportation & Homeland Security committee.

		Hometown	Number of sessions	Committees	Notes
	Rep. Dan Gattis 463-0309 www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist20/gattis.php	Georgetown	4	Business & Industry; Technology, Economic Development & Workforce	Technology, Economic Development & Workforce is a new committee responsible for incentivizing new technologies and jobs. Business & Industry considers legislation about business regulations, consumer protections, and industry and manufacturing.
	Rep. Donna Howard 463-0631 www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist48/howard.php	Austin	2	Culture, Recreation & Tourism; Higher Education; House Administration	Howard is vice-chair of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, whose responsibilities include parks, the arts, hunting and fishing. Howard retained her position on Higher Education. House Administration is responsible for the State Preservation Board and annual budgets for House departments.
	Sen. Steve Ogden 463-0105 www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/members/dist5/dist5.htm	Bryan	7	Finance; Administration; Education; Government Organization	As chair of Finance, Ogden is the chief writer of the state’s budget. His seat on Education also allows him to influence Texas’ school policy.
	Sen. Kirk Watson 463-0114 www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/members/dist14/dist14.htm	Austin	2	Transportation & Homeland Security; Business & Commerce; Economic Development; Jurisprudence; Nominations	In addition to being vice-chair of Transportation & Homeland Security, Watson has places on committees responsible for business development, Texas judges and vetting state appointees.

Gattis

• HB 2290, HB 2291 and HB 2292 form a property appraisal reform package. Together, they allow for the election of appraisal district board of directors, simplify calculation of the effective tax rate and repeal additional taxes on agricultural land converted to other purposes.
• HB 2470 establishes the Texas Mutual Health Benefit Plan Company.
• HB 2312 creates a rural economic development and investment program.

Howard

• HB 137 strengthens government nurses’ protection against retaliation from their employers for engaging in patient advocacy.
• HB 420 provides for the nonpartisan election of state school board members.
• HB 772 requires real time webcasts of State Board of Education meetings.
• HB 1828 builds a statewide immunization database using school records, which the state currently disposes of when individuals turn 18.

Ogden

• SB 1 is a general appropriations bill.
• SB 505 authorizes the designation of transportation finance zones near state highway projects. Taxes collected from each zone would be used to pay for construction or maintenance of the adjacent project.
• SB 558 creates highway safety corridors where fines for offenses are doubled.
• SB 681 creates a commission to study electric utilities’ response to major power outages.

Watson

• SB 736, SB 737, SB 738, SB 739, SB 740 and SJR 21 are a six-pronged approach to reforming the state’s budgeting process.
• SB 541 and SB 542 provide incentives to promote the state’s renewable energy industry.
• SB 813 allows sole proprietors without employees to participate in small employer health benefit plans.
• SB 815 makes health benefit plan providers place a uniform “Insurance Facts” label on documents.