Representative Jeff Leach
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas As we wrap-up week six of the 86th Legislature I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with a few updates from the week including some district & legislative highlights from my office.
District Spotlight!
Earlier this week Governor Greg Abbott served as the keynote speaker during the Richardson Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. He gave a very positive speech covering the priorities of the legislative session - with a focus on school finance reform and property tax relief. It was an honor to welcome the Governor to House District 67!
This week I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with two revered educators from Allen ISD - Principal Norris from Ereckson Middle School & Principal Stafford from the Lowery Freshman Center. Last year I had the opportunity to meet these bright educators on campus during my House District 67 Education Tour and it was a delight to reconnect with them at the Texas Capitol once again to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing public education.
Legislative Update
As Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence I am happy to report that we will commence our first committee hearing on Wednesday February 20th at 8:00 am. During this organizational hearing we will hear invited testimony from various state agencies including the Supreme Court of Texas the State Bar of Texas the Office of Court Administration the State Office of Administrative Hearings and the Office of the Attorney General. Following next weeks committee hearing the House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence will begin conducting weekly hearings on Mondays at 2:00 PM or upon adjournment of the Texas House of Representatives. All committee hearings are broadcasted live and available to the public. Click here for more information on both live and archived broadcasts.
As a member of the House Committee on Pensions Investments & Financial Services we began a series of organizational hearings this week with invited testimony from various state agencies and organizations including the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) and the Pension Review Board among others. Based on valued feedback from retired teachers throughout our district I had the opportunity to communicate directly with Brian Guthrie the Executive Director of TRS to publicly express the need for improved customer service within the TRS system. The House Committee on Pensions Investments & Financial Services will conduct weekly hearings on Thursdays at 8:00 am throughout the legislative session. This committee has oversight over banking savings & loan associations credit unions the regulation of securities and investments identify theft along with 16 state agencies.
