The 84th Texas Legislative Session Begins
The 84th Texas Legislative Session begins Tuesday, January 13th. A Texas House of Representatives swearing-in ceremony will be held on the House floor at noon, and Governor-elect Greg Abbott will be sworn in the following week on the Capitol grounds as well. If you are unable to join us, I would like to invite you to come to Austin sometime during the 84th session and visit the Capitol office. We want you to be a part of your Texas Legislature and the decisions that are made and the impact that it may have on your daily lives. Our office is located on the Ground Floor of the Texas Capitol building, at the room number GW.18.
Last week, I discussed some of the bills that had been pre-filed for this session, which began in November of 2014. I’d like to continue to discuss more of these bills so that our area can be familiar with the nature of this year’s legislative process.
• HB 228 is relating to the optional flexible school day program provided by school districts.
• HB 242 is relating to a local option exemption from ad valorem taxation by a county of a portion of the value of the residence homestead of a veteran who has been honorably discharged.
• HB 251 is relating to a study and report on the feasibility of authorizing the Railroad Commission of Texas or another state regulatory agency to process certain federal oil and gas drilling permit applications.
• HB 283 is relating to the requirement that certain governmental bodies make audio and video recordings of open meetings available on the Internet.
• HB 432 is relating to the exemption from ad valorem taxation of the total appraised value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a 100 percent or totally disabled veteran.
Below is a selection of the Senate bills which have been filed to-date:
• SB 228 is relating to an exemption from the sales tax for firearms and hunting supplies for a limited period.
• SB 272 is relating to making a voluntary contribution to the Special Olympics Texas fund when registering a motor vehicle or renewing a motor vehicle registration.
• SB 285 is relating to court jurisdiction and procedures for truancy.
If you would like to follow the Texas House and learn more information on news, committees or other aspects of the legislative body, visit Texas House of Representatives. The site features live streaming from the House floor, committee hearings as well as access to a number of other resources. You can also follow the Texas Senate by visiting Texas Senate. The Texas Governor’s official website can be found at Office of the Governor.
As a reminder, the 84th Texas Legislative session is fast approaching and we will be back in session in January of 2015. As always, I want to hear your ideas and suggestion. Your ideas and information are important forms of feedback and I hope that you will not hesitate to contact my office.
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 currently represents Part of Nueces County. He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house.state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.
