Jun
25
The 81st Texas Legislature came to a close on Monday, June 1. Overall, the Christian Life Commission was very pleased with the results of this session. As is often the case, there was much business left undone in the final push to “sine die.” While more can always be done, in four major issue areas the work of the CLC and our coalition partners helped to create meaningful improvements to public policy.
Gambling – Not a single bill to expand gambling passed the Texas Legislature. With all the high paid lobbyists that the casino interest had at the capitol, this is a huge victory for Texas. We just don’t need casinos with their predatory, regressive business model and high economic and social costs here in Texas.
Adult Education – The CLC helped to secure a funding increase of $10 million for adult basic education and literacy programs in Texas. While this was short of our goal, with the budget situation that the state is in, this is quite an accomplishment.
Human Trafficking – Major human trafficking legislation passed this session. The state now has several new tools to do more to help stop this modern day form of slavery.
Healthcare – The “Healthy Texas” plan that passed this session provides small business owners and non-profits (including churches) with access to quality, affordable health insurance through a public private partnership with the state. The budget contains $35 million allocated for this program. The CLC will keep you informed as the program is implemented so that, if eligible, your church or business may participate.
A full report of the major bills that passed this session can be found in the “Ethics in Action” section.
Special Session – With several major pieces of legislation left undone, including “Sunset” bills necessary for state agencies to continue operation, Governor Perry called a special session to begin July 1. The legislature can only address the following three issues as requested by the governor: 1) the enabling legislation to issue bonds for highway improvement projects, 2) the extension of the authority for the Texas Department of Transportation to enter into agreements with private companies to build roads and 3) the reauthorization of five state agencies due to expire before the next regular session. The five state agencies that will be considered are the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Department of Insurance, the Texas Racing Commission, the Office of Public Insurance Counsel, and State Affordable Housing Corporation. The session can technically last for up to 30 days but the governor has been quoted as saying he anticipates it lasting only a few days. Should there be a stand-alone bill reauthorizing the Racing Commission, the CLC will be watching closely that it is not used as a vehicle for expanding gambling in the state.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Austin office staff, consultants, and intern for their hard work throughout a long session. Special thanks goes to Julie Valentine, our ministry assistant whose constant presence, organization and communication helped to keep our team on track. Our lobby consultants this session greatly increased our effectiveness at the capitol. Thanks to Rob Kohler, Marshall Kenderdine and Shelton Green. Patricia Pressley provided great help tracking and researching all the criminal justice bills this session. Our intern was Reagan Reynolds who put in a great deal of time and effort with the CLC while finishing her last semester at UT. Congrats again on your graduation and best of luck on your LSAT and the law school application process.
Thanks to John Hall for a nice article in the Baptist Standard.
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