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President’s Letter Bob Mitchell
We are now entering the second quarter of 2021, and, as usual during a legislative year, there is much to follow during this session of the 87th Texas Legislature.
Of great importance is SB1160, a bill that would create a regional district that would manage and maintain the Coastal Barrier System to protect the upper Texas Gulf Coast from the destruction of storm surge.
The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Larry Taylor with a companion bill in the state House filed by Rep. Dennis Paul (HB3029), would establish the Gulf Coast Protection District, an entity composed of members from Harris, Galveston, Chambers, Jefferson and Orange counties. If passed, this would be a huge step toward the construction of the system for which BAHEP has been working since 2009.
By the time you read this, BAHEP will have held an Aerospace Innovation Coordination Workshop. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together the many different groups that are working on growing the Aerospace/Aviation sector in Houston now, with a special emphasis on a number of efforts surrounding new innovation, research, design, and development. This type of collaboration benefits individual entities and the region as a whole.
BAHEP’s marketing team has been busy fielding the 33 projects currently in the pipeline that are considering Bay Area Houston. Related to that, many of you participated virtually in BAHEP’s General Membership Meeting as Patrick Jankowski, senior vice president, Research, Greater Houston Partnership, delivered the State of the Economy address at the end of February. He reported that it may take two to three years for certain sectors of the economy to recover.
I believe that we in the Bay Area Houston region, because of our strong, diversified industry sectors, are definitely on an upward growth curve. The national COVID19 vaccine program continues its monumental effort. It has been instrumental in turning the country’s economy around, and 2021 promises to get us all back on the road to recovery.
Kind regards,
BAHEP Legislative Agenda for 87th Texas Legislature
BAHEP’s Political Protocol Committee, chaired by Marcy Fryday of Lakewood Yacht Club, has developed the legislative agenda for the 87th Texas Legislature. BAHEP, along with the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce (CLACC), will advocate for the legislative priorities during the legislative session in 2021. The legislative priorities are: • Education and Workforce Development • Supporting the Region’s Healthcare System • Coastal Barrier • Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program and Texas Aerospace Scholars Program
• Transportation / Bay Tran • Economic Development Incentives The leads for each legislative priority have scheduled virtual meetings with key legislators and committee members to discuss the importance of BAHEP’s legislative agenda.
BAHEP Council of Mayors Finalizes Legislative Agenda for 87th Texas Legislature
BAHEP’s Council of Mayors met monthly to discuss local issues and state legislation. The Council’s primary discussions in its meetings in January and February 2021 focused on bills in the 87th Legislative Session. The bills that the Council is monitoring include:
Regional Issues
• Legislation and/or support for solutions to the region’s flooding and drainage issues and storm surge protection
• Legislation that allows budget flexibility to be retained by cities versus state influence
• Maintaining the use of tolls for highway funding and Highway 99 as an evacuation route through North Galveston County and East Harris County
• COVID-related costs incurred by municipalities in order to comply with state requirements and the consequences of those requirements
Specific Issues
• Municipal Oversight of Building Materials: Repeal or amend the bill: (86th Session: HB 2439, Passed –Effective 9/1/19) The Council feels that this is clearly a local issue to be decided by local government according to the best interests of the citizens affected.
• Public Money for Lobbying: (HB 281, Not Passed – House State Affairs Committee) This bill relates to the use by a political subdivision of public money for lobbying activities. Should local government have a say in bills that directly affect them? The Council says, “Absolutely. The question is how to do so, especially when public funds are involved. Blanket prohibitions put cities at the mercy of special interests, or worse, who may or may not understand issues and the effects on taxpayers.”
Related to the comptroller adopting new …
• Internet Sales Tax Rules: Sourcing Change Effective October 1, 2021 Texas has been regularly chipping away at municipalities’ sources of revenue and ability to collect funds even as the population grows and the need for services expands. If allowed, this would be one additional limit on how cities can deliver necessary services.
The Council of Mayors members are: Mayors Michel Bechtel/Morgan’s Point, Sean Skipworth/Dickinson, Pat Hallisey/League City, Jon Keeney/Taylor Lake Village, Terri Gale/Kemah, Kurt Otten/Clear Lake Shores, Louis Rigby/La Porte, Tom Kolupski/ Seabrook, Bob Warters/Nassau Bay, Donna Rogers/ Webster, John Skelton/El Lago, Jeff Wagner/ Pasadena, Jason Tabor/Santa Fe, Paul Horn/Alvin, and Mike Foreman/Friendswood. Galveston County Commissioner Ken Clark has been a participant and contributor to the council. BAHEP attendees during meetings were roundtable facilitator Glenn Freedman, Ph.D., President Bob Mitchell, and Membership Director Harriet Pilgrim.
Houston Spaceport Training Center Study
BAHEP Executive Director for Economic Development Dan Seal and Marketing Manager Kim Morris participated in a teleconference on Jan. 27, 2021, with Dr. Karinda Barrett of MGT Consulting, Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz, and Dr.
Sallie Kay Janes of San Jacinto College to review MGT’s final report on the Houston Spaceport Training Center Feasibility Study for the Multi-collegiate Campus at the Houston Spaceport EDGE Center. The EDGE Center is important to the Houston Spaceport as it provides training and assists in recruiting a variety of companies.
The study concluded that a multi-collegiate campus is feasible, and next steps should be taken to implement the new campus. University research partners that are considering joining the new campus include Rice Space Institute, Texas Southern University, University of Houston at Clear Lake, Texas A&M University, and San Jacinto College District.
BAHEP collaborated with MGT on the development, distribution, and evaluation of a series of industry surveys for aerospace employers to identify skills, training, and curriculum needed for new employees and the training needs for current employees.
The surveys were sent to members of BAHEP’s Aerospace Advisory Committee and its Education and Workforce Development Committee on Dec. 2, 2020. BAHEP worked with MGT to identify job skills for the development of training curriculum.
BAHEP participated in numerous reviews of the study to provide guidance to MGT and provided comments on drafts of the final report.
BAHEP Gives Convocation for San Jacinto College’s Continuing Professional Development
BAHEP Executive Director for Economic Development Dan Seal was the featured speaker during the virtual 2021 San Jacinto College of Continuing Professional Development Convocation on Jan. 13, 2021. Seal provided an economic update for the greater Houston region and discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to Bay Area Houston businesses and industries.
Pasadena Strategy for University Campus Assisted by BAHEP
BAHEP Executive Director for Economic Development Dan Seal organized a meeting on Jan. 28, 2021, between the Pasadena Economic Development Corporation Economic Director Carlos Guzman and University of Houston at Clear Lake President Ira Blake to discuss the potential for UHCL opening a satellite campus in the City of Pasadena.
General Healthcare Update: Challenges, Collaboration, and the Future
BAHEP hosted a virtual General Membership Meeting on Jan. 13, 2021, to highlight the challenges and collaborations of healthcare institutions and where this leads into the future. The panelists and topics they addressed were: • Todd Caliva, CEO, HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake, Workforce Shortage in the Healthcare Industry • Noel Cardenas, Senior Vice President and CEO, Memorial Hermann Southeast and Pearland Hospitals, Behavioral / Mental Health due to Strain with COVID-19 • Dr. Richard Ehlers, Executive Medical Director, Division of Houston Area Locations, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, The Challenges of Treating Patients with Cancer during the COVID-19 Pandemic • Steven Foster, FACHE, South Houston Market President, St. Luke’s Health System, Collaboration that Exists Between the Region’s Healthcare Institutions / Support for Healthcare Providers from the Business Community • Stephen K. Jones, Jr., CEO Clear Lake Campus, UTMB Health, COVID-19 Updates, including the Latest on Vaccines, Testing, and the Increase of Cases • Dan Newman, CEO, Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital, Telemedicine During COVID-19 and Beyond
To view the meeting, follow this link: https:// youtu.be/5VD-mqRSh70
Assisting CenterPoint Energy with Long Range Power Planning
BAHEP Executive Director for Economic Development Dan Seal participated in a Houston Region Economic Development Alliance meeting on Jan. 13, 2021, to help develop a strategy for economic development organizations to report projects early in the development phase to CenterPoint Energy. This will allow CenterPoint Energy to more effectively include these projects in its regional power planning process.
United Airlines and Southwest Airlines Discuss Air Travel Safety During Virtual Meeting
BAHEP hosted representatives from United Airlines and Southwest Airlines to discuss air travel safety during its virtual General Membership Meeting on Dec. 2, 2020. Rodney Cox, vice president, Houston Hub, United Airlines, and Quinnie Jenkins, manager, Community Outreach, Southwest Airlines, shared with BAHEP members the safety measures their respective airlines have put in place to make air travel as safe as possible so that they are prepared to welcome travelers onboard when they’re ready to travel again. More than 175 business leaders, educators, and elected officials attended the virtual meeting.
To view the meeting, follow this link: https://youtu.be/ uEHpPx-v1xQ
BAHEP Hosts Patrick Jankowski of GHP for State of the Economy
BAHEP’s State of the Economy General Membership
