As a part of his regular House District 88 tour, State Rep. Ken King held a town hall meeting on Wednesday at the Levelland Fire Station to offer a summary of the 89th Legislature.
King said there were 9,000 bills filed for the legislative session with a budget of approximately $338 billion, and even with delays and special sessions being called, lawmakers moved forward to deal with many important issues facing the state.
“After the Democrats walked out for their 15 minutes of fame, we passed everything and more,” said King.
King said the legislative session addressed many key issues in the state including water infrastructure, education and property tax relief along with a range of issues including wildfire mitigation and nuclear energy.
According to King, the legislature is required to pass a budget every session and the total appropriation was approximately $338 billion. The Senate and House alternate instigating the budget bill every session and this year it was SB 1.
Some key budget items included $51 billion dedicated to property tax relief, including raising the homestead exemption and buying down property tax compression, and $75 billion for public education for raising teachers’ salaries, school safety upgrades and reducing recapture to keep local money in the local schools.
Additionally, significant investments in health and human services were made, including $215 million for rural healthcare, $1 billion to increase the wages for personal care attendants and $116 million to help support community-based care for foster children.
King said public safety was a priority and saw an investment of $3 billion in securing the bordr and an additional $330 million to support local and rural law enforcement. Infrastructure and energy saw an investment of $30 billion for road projects, $5 billion to fund the Texas Energy Fund and $2.5 billion for water and flood infrastructure.
With the legislature in session during the July 4 floods in Kerr County, disaster safety and recovery was at the top of list of priorities, particularly after the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle raised safety and recovery issues.
King was appointed chairman of the House Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding to hear legislation during the special session and will continue to research preparedness and mitigation against all disasters.
The committee held several hearings to hear from those affected by the flooding, as well as first responders and emergency managers present during the disaster.
King carried two pieces of legislation through the disaster committee and to the House Floor (HB 2 and HB 3) though they did not pass the Senate. Legislation that was passed included HB 1/ SB1 Campground Safety and SB 5 Disaster Appropriations He said with both disasters being investigated, it was found that about 80% of wildfires were very preventable, and in the case of the Panhandle wildfires, utility companies, inspections and other issues needed to be addressed and corrected and handled properly to prevent loss of life and property.
As to the floods in the Hill Country, safety concerns involved notification and communication, flood sirens and flood gauges and the emergency management engagement in the counties, noting that key city and county officials were unavailable when the flood ravaged through the area.
King noted also that Kerr County had received funds that could have addressed the flood warning systems but was spent elsewhere rather than on public safety. The legislature passed several bills that would help set up safety systems in place and protect the community.
Additionally, King noted that volunteer fire department were receiving large overdue grants for essential equipment, with several receiving over $300,000 in the region. Concerning prolife and the abortion ban in the state, King said legislation prohibits taxpayer monies from paying for abortions, but he and other legislators wanted to make sure there were stipulations to save the life of the mother. HB 7 – Ban on Abortion Drugs was passed to hold manufacturers of abortion drugs accountable for selling it illegally.
Other important bills passed included defining what a man and woman is to protect women and children in bathrooms, parental rights and the right to choose when it comes to medical treatment.