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TEXAS NEWS - Jan. 20
NEW: From @GovAbbott:
POSTER REQUIRED IN NAIL SALONS, HAIR SALONS, ALL COSMOTOLOGY BUSINESSES, MASSAGE BUSINESS
STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING - Two Notes
"Proud to unveil the ‘Stop Human Trafficking’ specialty license plate. I encourage all Texans to join us in our mission to eradicate human trafficking as we raise awareness, educate the public, and support survivors." Governor Abbott
@TexasHHSC Texas Official Health and Human Services
From @tdlrlicense: https://twitter.com/tdlrlicense
January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Several professions regulated by TDLR can intersect with persons who are being trafficked. This poster - required to be posted in cosmetology and massage establishments - is useful.
Download required poster it here.
BUDGET SURPLUS
From @GregAbbott_TX: "Texas is sitting on a historic budget surplus. We owe that surplus to our taxpayers. I want to provide Texans with the largest property tax cut in the history of our state. It’s your money – you deserve to keep it."
Update: January 22, 2023, from Senator Bryan Hughes (FB), from District 1, representing 16 northeast Texas counties, reported on social media Monday,
stating, "I am grateful to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick for reappointing me as Chair of the Senate Committee on State Affairs and for giving me the additional honor of serving as Chair of the Senate Committee on Jurisprudence. I will use these positions of leadership to support the limited government and free market policies that have made Texas a beacon of hope in our nation and the world."
Hughes continued, "It is an honor to serve on the Senate Committee on Finance with Chairwoman Joan Huffman as our state seeks to steward a $33 billion surplus. Texans can rest assured that under her leadership, we will produce a balanced, conservative budget."
"I also am honored to serve," Hughes added, "as a member of the Committees on Health and Human Services, Natural Resources and Economic Development, and Nominations. Each of these committees plays a vital role in our state. I look forward to working with Chairs Huffman, Lois Kolkhorst, Brian Birdwell, and Dr. Donna Campbell to advance policies for Texas' brightest future."
TEXAS BORDER SECURITY
From @GovAbbott: "More Texans have a job today than EVER in the history of our state! That puts more Texans on the path to prosperity through higher wages and unparalleled opportunities.
BORDER CRISIS Update: From @TxDPS: As part of Gov. @GregAbbott_TX's Operation Lone Star, DPS' Aircraft Operations Division is helping secure the border by combating the smuggling of people and drugs into Texas. The goal: keep Texas communities safe." Governor Abbott
TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
From @TexasEconDev: https://twitter.com/TexasEconDev
JOBs and BIZ News: From @GoBigInTexas: Two Manufacturing Projects Will Invest $150M In Texas Read the story.
Texas is the gateway to global trade for the nation.
@LaredoEDC Texas’ central location and state-of-the-art ports, infrastructure and transportation network provides unmatched access to domestic and global markets by land, air and sea >> Read more here.
"Exxon prepares to start up $2 BILLION Texas oil refinery expansion. Great news for our mighty oil and gas industry. Oil production is expected to reach a new high in 2023 thanks to hardworking Texans. Texas energy powers the world." >> Read more here, as provided by the Governor's office link to Reuters story.
EMPLOYERS & SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FUND
EMPLOYERS: From @TXWorkforce: Take advantage of this winning formula: Join 4,800 TX businesses that have partnered with local community colleges and workforce development boards to offer job training grants from the Skills Development Fund! Read more here!
GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL EARLY?
NEW STATE SCHOLARSHIP
From @TXHigherEdBoard: Students graduating early could receive the Texas First Diploma, a Distinguished Level of Achievement and a scholarship toward their first year at a select Texas university. Learn more about this opportunity for graduating high school students! [Read about this program here!]
The program brochure is downloadable here.
TEXAS VETERANS (MILITARY)
From @TexasVeterans: As of January 17, veterans in suicidal crisis can go to any VA or non-VA health care facility for free emergency health care. Read more.
jANUARY 19, 2023
FROM THE GOVERNOR'S STAFF SUMMARIES
From @TDEM:
Texas Emergency Management Professionals and First Responders can register for the Texas Emergency Management Technology Summit here (SLATED FOR FEB. 13-14).
January 16, 2023
FENTANYL DANGERS
JUST TWO MILLIGRAMS CAN KILL
- TIED TO BORDER CRISIS AND
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
(From the Governor's staff on state updates.)
#OnePillKills message from @TxDPS: DID YOU KNOW? Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal. That's why DPS is working to raise awareness about the dangers of this deadly drug, as tasked by Gov. @GregAbbott_TX . Learn more about the dangers of fentanyl at dps.texas.gov/onepillkills.
"To combat the rise in fentanyl across Texas, DPS continues to combat the smuggling of this deadly drug into our state, particularly as part of Operation Lone Star. Since Operation Lone Star began in March 2021, DPS has seized more than 346 million* lethal doses of fentanyl across the state. This is enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman and child in the United States."
Editor's note: This is milligrams in weight, not fluids. "Milligrams are very small measurements of solid weight in the international metric system. Specifically, a milligram is one-thousandth of a gram; to put it in concrete terms, the common mosquito weighs around 2 milligrams."
See also: All The Science
TEXAS NEWS - Jan. 22
NOTICE: This page is made of re-circulated news. It is compiled from other direct news sources and emails from OPEN RECORDS of Texas govt. agencies and departments; subject to change, updates and revised links.
NEW: From @GovAbbott:
JOBS NEWS
From @GovAbbott: "GREAT jobs news! Texas hit a new historic high for total jobs for the 14th month in a row, putting even more Texans on the path to prosperity. Our skilled, growing workforce and pro-business environment are a magnet for job creators. This session, we will work together to keep Texas the land of opportunity. Read more."
BORDER CRISIS UPDATE
From @GovAbbott:
BORDER CRISIS Update: From @TxDPS:
Operation Lone Star Disrupts Cartel Activity Along Biden's Open Border, READ STORY HERE
For reports from the border, follow TxDPS @LtChrisOlivarez
ELEVATED FIRE DANGER THIS WEEK
ALERT:
From @TDEM: Elevated fire weather conditions are in the forecast for southwest Texas through at least Tuesday. READ MORE HERE (TIPS)
@TXForestService has resources prepared to respond if requested by local officials, and TDEM field staff are standing by to support as needed. Tips here.
On 1/19/2023, the governor's office reporter,
"Since Friday, (January 13) Texas A&M Forest Service has responded to 13 wildfires for 111.8 acres burned. There are currently 70 county burn bans in place across Texas, (story here) Always be mindful of these bans and other burning restrictions in your area."
BURN BANS HERE:
tfsweb.tamu.edu/TexasBurnBans.
TEA OFFERS STUDENT HEREOS AWARD
From @TXSBOE:
Nominate a Texas public school student volunteer for the 2023 Student Heroes Award. The award highlights students that inspire their peers and community with acts of kindness through volunteer service. Let’s recognize these outstanding students!
Read more from the TEA.
TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
DYK: Dallas is the birthplace of the integrated circuit (Jack Kilby designed it at @TXInstruments during summer vacation)! The design sparked a revolution, establishing Texas as a powerhouse in the semiconductor industry. Read more.
Other Resources:
From @TexasEconDev:
JOBs and BIZ News:
From @GoBigInTexas: >> Read more here.
JOB GROWTH IN TEXAS
EMPLOYERS: From @TXWorkforce:
Read more here!
Take a look at the top Texas Industries for job growth from November to December! 12.7K added in Education and Health Services; 6.3K jobs added in Financial Activities; 5.5K added in Manufacturing. Learn more.
TWC news release: Texas Unemployment Rate Drops in December, State Adds 29,500 Jobs
TEXAS VETERANS (MILITARY)
From @TexasVeterans:
"Valentine’s Day is less than a month away! Join us in showing our Texas Veterans they are loved and the sacrifices they made for their country will always be appreciated by sending a Valentine’s Day card to a resident of one of our nine Texas VLB Veterans Homes."
HUMAN TRAFFICKING UPDATE - TEXAS
Public awareness is an important part of preventing and combating human trafficking. Learn more about DPS’ efforts to prevent human trafficking and
TEXAS NEWS
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
SUBJECT TO UPDATES
DATED MATERIAL January 19, 2023
From @GovAbbott: "We gather on the threshold of a legislative session that will transform the lives of Texans for generations. Together, we are going to build the Texas of tomorrow not for just the next four years, but for the next century."
Governor Abbott's Inaugural Speech, January 20, 2023, read it here.
Legislative News
Current Bills by East Texas Politicians 1/22/2023
subject to revision, updates and changes; these are preliminary pending bills that have a process before a vote. Here's how a bill becomes law, (click here), includes enrollment, committee assignment, committee vote, vote, 2nd reading, 3rd reading, governor signature.
This list is slated for update with the actual bill numbers and links to their status in the coming weeks.
ENROLLED BILLS - PRELIMINARY LIST FROM
EAST TEXAS LEGISLATIVE OFFICIALS
- Activating Texas National Guard
- Appellate jurisdiction of PUC, fees
- Appraisal procedure for auto insurance
- Approval of certain land development applications
- Authority to regulate raising chickens
- Availability of paper ballot
- Bad faith washout of royalty interest in O&G
- Border security enhancement projects
- Building height restrictions
- C19 prevention and treatment information
- C19 vaccination discimination
- Car manufacturers & auto-cutoff switches
- Changes illegal voting to felony (dup. of SB 166)
- Changing early voting period
- Collection and enforcement by toll project entities
- Compensation to County 4 pending TDCJ transfer
- Complaints filed with TEC
- Cooperation with other states to maintain voter registration lists.
- Court orders to aid an investigation by the DFPS
- Creating offense of trespassing by illegal alien
- Creation of Texas Assessment & Accountability
- Criminal offense of obscene material to children
- Definition of child abuse
- Definition of child abuse & abandoning a child
- Definition of Commercial Fleet
- Definition of cottage food product operation
- Definition of sexually oriented business
- Destruction, disposal, and release of certain deer
- Descrimination against volunteer emergency responder
- Descrimination of an person based on immunization status
- Distributions on vfd assistance program
- Electric Grid
- Employment of retired leo's at schools
- Enforcement of election laws
- Enforcing declared pub health emergencies
- Equipment used to identify fentanyl presence
- Excluding students w/o vaccines during pandemic
- Exempting emergency prep items from sales tax
- Exempting firearm mfrs from federal regulation
- Expunging records of persons carrying firearms
- fixed rates for undergraduate students
- food labeling by a cottage food production operation.
- Franchise tax credit for employer in EVOE
- Handguns on school campus
- Health directives issued during state of disaster
- Healthcare provided by non member physicians
- Immunization status & vaccine mandates
- Impounding vehicle after highway racing
- In memory of Mike Leach
- Inclusion of school safety domain
- Increasing punishment for illegal voting
- Information requested from the Texas Medical Board
- Informed consent to immunizations for children
- Insurance practices repairing motor vehicles
- Interstate compact on border security
- Investigations by TMB during COVID
- Investigations of child abuse and neglect
- ISD annexation by petition
- Itemized billing for health care services
- Ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine
- Judicial review of declared emergency of disease
- Legal proceedings & fees in a school district
- Liability Insurance 4 persons performing GM
- license apps to practice medicine
- License Plate for Operation Sentinel
- Limits authority of Governor to order face mask
- No tax incentives for companies helping with abortion
- Nursing loan re-payment
- Offense of genital mutilation
- Online solicitation of a minor
- Open enrollment charter schools
- Paper ballots & electronic devices conducting an election
- Parental approval for sex classes in public school
- Parental approvement for sex ed class
- Parental consent for psych examinations
- Parental rights in Public Education
- Parental rights in Public Education in regards to sexed
- Patients rights
- Penalty for violation of emergency action plan
- Pharmacist's authority to refuse to dispense a drug
- Possession of lewd material depicting children
- Possession of weapon in certain govt courts
- Procedure for closing a polling place.
- Prosecution of a capital murder against LEO or fireman
- Providing info to public on planned evacuations
- Psyche evaluation on kids that have been disciplined
- Puishment for illegal voting
- Random safety audits at public schools
- Reducing M&O school taxes
- Regulating telephone solicitations.
- Regulation of certain continuing education programs
- Regulation of electricians
- Related to voting softtware made outside of U.S.
- Remote depositions/hearings in Juvenile cases
- Renaming portion of Hwy 19
- repeal of prohibition against cottage food industry
- Repealing penal code 43.24©
- Repealing penal code 43.24©
- Required product labeling from aborted fetal tissue
- Requiring photo ID to file county docs
- Requiring reps of private security to hold license
- Requiring voter to be affiliated w party in primary
- Resident status of college students
- Resilience of electric grid
- Right to choose medical treatments
- Rumble strips on highways
- Salary reclassification at TDISFM
- Sale of eggs in reused cartons
- School health & related services program
- Separation of federal elections from state and local
- Sexual performance of child or child pornography
- State burden of proof for asset forfeiture
- Study of ruble strips on State highways
- Suit affecting the parent-child relationship
- Support for ending "gender affirming care"
- Temp car tags, tampering with govt record
- Testing equipment for fentanyl
- Texas Sovereignty Act
- Treatment, recycling, or disposal of drill cuttings.
- VA benefits for discharged due to COVID shot refusal
- Vaccine administration requirements
- Vaccine requirements on employees
- Wireless jamming devices in prisons