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Area lawmakers introduce major policy proposals

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By Patrick Brendel Friday, 03 April 2009

Key bills filed before March 13 deadline

Rep. Dawnna Dukes D-Austin, 463-0506, www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist46/dukes.php

Children’s health insurance and the state’s film industry headline Dukes’ efforts this session.

House Bill 647 expands the enrollment period in child Medicaid to one year so parents only have to re-enroll once per year, instead of once every six months, as they do now.
HB 743 expands Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, eligibility to families with incomes three times higher than the poverty level, up from the current eligibility requirement of two times higher.
HB 744 restores benefits under Medicaid’s medically needy program to 2003 levels. Those eligible for the program include pregnant women, children and caretakers who have high medical expenses.
HB 745 instructs the Health and Human Services Commission to create and implement a strategic plan to educate the public about CHIP and other medical assistance programs, and to streamline the enrollment process into these programs.
HB 873 expands the Texas Film Incentive Program to include film, TV series, commercials, digital interactive media and instructional videos. Grants would also be extended to smaller productions than are currently eligible. Gov. Rick Perry has thrown his support behind Dukes’ film legislation.
HB 2905 creates an office of inspector general to prevent and investigate fraud in the state’s health and human services programs.

Rep. Dan Gattis R-Georgetown, 463-0309, www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist20/gattis.php

Gattis has introduced legislation to reform property appraisals, increase health insurance for public employees, incentivize rural development and overhaul the Texas Residential Construction Commission.

HB 2290, HB 2291 and HB 2292 are a property appraisal reform package. Together, they allow for the election of an appraisal district board of directors, simplify the calculation of the effective tax rate and repeal additional taxes on agricultural land converted to other purposes.
HB 2312 creates a rural economic development and investment program. A separate state fund would be established for counties with populations less than 75,000 and cities under 50,000. Money could be used for infrastructure projects and to attract non-retail private enterprises.
HB 2470 establishes the Texas Mutual Health Benefit Plan Company. The state-owned, independently operated company would offer health benefit plans to employees of state and local governments and public schools.
HB 2695 abolishes the Texas Residential Construction Commission, which has come under fire by legislators who think the commission protects homebuilders over homeowners.
HB 3348 makes it a Class A misdemeanor to build homes without registering with the state.
HB 3349 penalizes builders for failing to complete construction contract obligations without presenting reasonable grounds for failure.

Rep. Diana Maldonado D-Round Rock, 463-0670, www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist52/maldonado.php

Former Round Rock ISD trustee Maldonado has focused mainly on education legislation during her freshman session. The first three bills she introduced make up an education reform package.

HB 1330 establishes a “Legislators Back-To-School Program” where state representatives and senators visit schools to inform students and educators about the legislative process. Legislators would have to visit at least five schools in their district every two years.
HB 1331 requires schools to conduct school bus evacuation drills only once per year, instead of the biannual drills now in place. Maldonado estimates the bill would save Round Rock public schools $100,000 per year.
HB 1332 holds students and their guardians responsible for school-issued textbooks and electronic equipment.
HB 1602 and HB 1603 together would raise nearly $100 million in tuition revenue bonds to expand the Texas State University campus in Round Rock. The money would be used to relocate the College of Health Professions from San Marcos to Round Rock and to help construct two buildings at the Round Rock Higher Education Center. She also filed HB 4172 to secure funding for Texas A&M Health Science Center.
Maldonado helped secure $10 million in funds to expand FM 1460 in Round Rock to a four-lane road with shoulders and a turn lane. She lobbied many local and state officials to support the project, which will ease commuting to medical facilities, school campuses and retail sites.

Rep. Mark Strama D-Austin, 463-0821, www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist50/strama.php

Strama has focused on promoting renewable energy, creating “green jobs” and protecting the environment, believing that Texas can emerge as king of the “clean tech” industry within the next couple of years.

HB 516 creates a green jobs skills development and training program to prepare workers for jobs in areas like energy-efficient building, renewable electric power, biofuels, energy efficiency assessments and sustainable product manufacturing.
HB 776 instructs the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to implement a low-emission vehicle program in Texas that is consistent with California’s program.
HB 880 provides tax exemptions for permanently installed energy efficiency-related property improvements.
HB 1391 authorizes the creation of local emissions management districts that could issue bonds to promote the use of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements.
HB 2019 requires new and drastically renovated state buildings to meet high-performance building standards.
HB 2867 creates a TCEQ rebate program for plug-in hybrid motor vehicles.

Sen. Steve Ogden R-Bryan, 463-0105, www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/members/dist5/dist5.htm

As chair of Senate Finance, Ogden’s time is dominated by the task of writing the state’s budget. He also has proposed legislation this session to provide greater oversight of the state pension system and help fund transportation projects.

Senate Bill 1 is Texas’ general appropriations bill for the 2010-2011 budget. Challenges to writing the budget this session include hurricane damage, a down economy and an influx of federal stimulus funds with little guidance and few clear restrictions.
Ogden has been focusing on the health and human services portion of the budget, particularly mental health and mental retardation. He is very concerned about residents of state schools being abused by staffers.
SB 505 authorizes the designation of “transportation finance zones” near state highway projects. State taxes collected from each zone would be used to pay for construction or maintenance of the adjacent project.
SB 1548 gives greater authority to the State Pension Review Board, which has oversight over state and local government pension funds. The bill also assists the Texas Attorney General in pursuing complaints against the funds.

Sen. Kirk Watson D-Austin, 463-0114, www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/members/dist14/dist14.htm

The most ambitious legislation by Watson this session is a bill package that would completely reform the state’s budgeting process. He also has proposed ways to develop renewable energy, help existing businesses be more eco-friendly and clear up confusion about health insurance.

SB 541 and 542 provide incentives, including from the Texas emerging technology fund, to promote the growth of Texas’ renewable energy.
SB 608 creates the Texas Center for Sustainable Business, aimed at helping businesses reduce greenhouse gases and carbon emissions.
SB 736, SB 737, SB 738, SB 739, SB 740 and Senate Joint Resolution 21 are a six-pronged approach to reforming the state’s budgeting process. Together, they end diversions of tax money to unintended purposes, present budget information on the internet, institute a thorough review of state programs, transfer Texas Performance Reviews from state legislators’ control to the state comptroller, ensure that Texas maximizes federal dollars for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, and increase the small-business tax exemption while closing loopholes in the law.
SB 815 makes health benefit plan providers place an “Insurance Facts” label on documents. The label would contain information on things like monthly premiums, in-network and out-of-network expenses, annual costs, expected profits and benefit levels.

Tabs on the stimulus

State officials are collaborating on how to spend stimulus funds from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Representatives formed the House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding to keep track of the nearly $17 billion expected to flow through the Texas state government. About $11 billion will go to state and local agencies for medical, environmental and infrastructure projects.

The committee has created a website, www.txstimulusfund.com, for the latest committee and Texas stimulus fund news.

State Comptroller Susan Combs also has a website, www.window.state.tx.us/finances/stimulus, featuring a continually updated database of Texas stimulus funds. The website is set up to track the spending of funds after the state government receives them.

Additionally, the independent www.stimuluswatch.org is maintaining a list of shovel-ready projects promoted by the nation’s mayors as ideal candidates for federal stimulus funds.

One local project already approved to receive federal funds is the expansion of FM 1460 between FM 3406 and University Boulevard in Round Rock. Now a two-lane road, the new FM 1460 will have four lanes, shoulders and a center turn lane.