Legislative Achievements From The 84th Texas Legislative Session: Interim Study Bills
Since the 84th Texas Legislative Session has come to a close, I want to take this opportunity to take a look at some of the bills that I had a privilege to work on for our area. Each legislative session, there are a number of priorities facing the state and it is important that we examine some of these pieces of legislation that will be impacting the Coastal Bend. House Concurrent Resolution 96 is an important bill that we passed this session dealing with the creation of an interim committee to study the effectiveness of certain methods of providing public notices. Additionally, another such study bill from this last session was House Concurrent Resolution 108 which establishes an interim committee to explore the benefits of having the cruise industry come to the Texas Coast. I want to feature some of the themes of these two important interim study pieces of legislation.
Here is a summary of some of the important things to know about HCR 96 and why it is important that create a study to examine this.
• In the past, bills had been introduced in the Texas Legislature to modify how legally required notices are posted and advertised to the general public. Testimony against these measures in past public hearings has cited statistics that public notice placed on the Internet would not reach a large number of Texans. It is incumbent on our state to ensure that public notification about vital information be efficient and effective, and the issue of posting and advertising public notices on the Internet merits further examination. This legislation would request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study the issue of advertising public notices.
Additionally, it was also a privilege to pass HCR 108 this session which will examine the benefits of expanding the cruise industry to the Southern Texas coastline. Here is a brief summary of what this study bill seeks to try and achieve.
• HCR 108 calls for the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives to appoint a joint interim committee (comprised of House and Senate members) to study the development and potential impact of expanding the cruise industry to between Calhoun and Cameron counties (including Nueces). From the tip of the Golden Crescent, along the Coastal Bend, to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas is home to several growing cities, robust tourism, and a wealth of natural resources; the area, with more than 150 miles of Gulf shoreline, also harbors three major deepwater ports, any of which might be a viable site for a cruise line headquarters or a port of embarkation. The study will look at the current cruise market and how the cruise industry can benefit South Texas.
I invite you to follow the governor’s latest actions by going to Office of the Governor Gregg Abbot or to see the bills that have already been signed, please visit Office of the Governor bills . If you would like to see more about the legislature, please visit the Texas Legislature Online .
If you have questions regarding any of the information mentioned in this week’s article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. Please always feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or issues regarding a Texas state agency, or if you would like to contact my office regarding constituent services. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
– State Representative Todd Hunter, District 32
Rep. Hunter represents Nueces (Part) County. He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house.state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.
