Legislative Update – The 88th Texas Legislature kicks off this month.

TEXAS GETS TO WORK

The 88th Texas Legislature kicks off this month and please support our industry by joining the HAA PAC.

By Gina Erwin, HAA Legislative Chair, with Bradley Pepper, Vice President of Government Affairs

ON JANUARY 10 at noon, members of the Texas Senate and House of Representatives will gather in their respective chambers at the Capitol to convene the 88th legislative session. That will begin the 140-day countdown to Sine Die (end of regular session) on May 29.

The legislature only meets every oddnumbered year beginning on the second Tuesday in January. From there members have 140 days to complete the business of the state. That said, the only items that can be voted on within the first 60 days of the session are “emergency items,” which are exclusively determined by the governor.

Members have been filing bills since November 14 and have until March 10 to file bills without restriction. Between both the House and the Senate, there will be more than 6,500 pieces of legislation filed this session. Even with complications due to COVID-19 and Winter Storm Uri during the 2021 session, 6,927 total bills were filed. Of those, only 1,030 (15%) became law.

There is only one item that the Texas legislature must pass: The Budget. The budget is written to cover the biennium following that legislative session, in this case 2024-25. While both the House and Senate work together to craft a balanced budget (the Texas Constitution requires that the legislature pass a balanced budget), the chambers alternate the responsibility of introducing the bill each session. This session, the House will author the budget which will be House Bill 1.

This session will see lawmakers with a unique circumstance of having a roughly $27 billion surplus in revenue to consider. While that seems like a good problem to have, it can be challenging to determine the best use of those dollars. When there is a deficit, no one is asking for more money, they are just trying to protect what they are budgeted. When there is a surplus, everyone is looking to fund their pet project.

We have seen it already with state agencies and universities across Texas making their cases for nearly $20 billion in new money for programs and unmet needs. Those are not the only requests though, Governor Abbott has stated he would like to earmark half of the surplus for property tax relief.

While some form of property tax relief will be a focus, there will be many other big ticket items that will be on the agenda. Expect to see legislation regarding the power grid, workforce development, energy expansion, flood mitigation, etc. etc. etc.

As we get further into the session and have a more comprehensive view of what has been filed and what is being pursued, the HAA Government Affairs team will be active in working with our delegation and TAA in Austin.

Let Your Voice be Heard. It’s Time to Join the HAA PAC.

Although we just wrapped up the 2022 elections a few weeks ago, the start of 2023 brings another election cycle and as referenced above, a legislative session year in Austin. We expect a fluid and dynamic year in politics and the HAA PAC will be engaged.

While last year saw us elect nearly every state office from Governor to State Representative, as well as every member of our Congressional delegation, commissioners, judges and JPs, this year will see every elected position at Houston City Hall on the ballot.

With Mayor Sylvester Turner and several current council members not eligible to run again because of term limits, the HAA PAC will actively screen candidates to endorse in a number of those races throughout the year.

In 2022, we met with and screened candidates throughout the year. After collaborating with both NAA and TAA, we determined a list 86 candidates to support for the November election. We are proud to say that 96.5% of HAA endorsed candidates were successful in their elections.

Elections have consequences and who we elect to offices up and down the ballot have an impact on not only our industry, but our daily lives as well. It is critical that we continue to elect candidates that are pro-industry and follow the law.

If you are not a member of the HAA PAC, please consider joining. We offer several levels of membership to accommodate your involvement. For more information on the HAA PAC, please see Page 15 and contact Madison Polston at mpolston@haaonline.org.

If you have a regulatory problem or question, call the HAA main line at 713-595-0300 and ask for Government Affairs.