State Senator Donna Campbell
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Welcome to the 86th Texas Legislature! Since being sworn in on January 8th Ive been busy working hard for you these past two months. The Texas Senate is focusing this session on lowering your property taxes reforming school finance and increasing teacher pay.
I am honored the Lieutenant Governor has confidence in me to continue serving as Chair of the Veteran Affairs and Border Security Committee. As we continue to put veterans and military families first I filed one of my top priorities of the session. Senate Bill 1200 the Support for Military Spouses Act recognizes occupational licenses in good standing from other states so military spouses can begin working immediately in Texas. Our military families shouldnt have to go without income for any length of time because of bureaucratic red tape. This is a win-win for our workforce and our military families.
The five other committees I serve on include Finance Education Health and Human Services Intergovernmental Relations and Business and Commerce. As a member of Finance I am working hard on a fiscally conservative budget that will boost funding for education and roads while improving transparency and accountability of your tax dollars.
One bill I presented in committee this week that will help keep local government debt and taxes in check is Senate Bill 462. This bill requires local governments to provide taxpayers with relevant and specific information on bond election ballots. Voters have a right to know how much outstanding debt a taxing entity has and what portion of their taxes are being used to pay for this debt before being asked to approve more of it. SB 462 guarantees that.
As a doctor I always try to
highlight public health issues facing Texans and this legislative session is no
different. Alzheimers Disease is a serious public health crises facing
our aging population with more than 400000 Texans suffering from the
disease. I filed Senate Bill 999 the Alzheimers Awareness and Resource for
Care Act to create a five year plan to address Alzheimers including
recommendations for best practices on early detection risk reduction
training for healthcare professionals and resources for caregivers.
On Thursday the State Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 15 which I authored
with Sen. Creighton to stop overreaching efforts by the cities of San Antonio
and Austin to force certain labor practices on small and private businesses.
Full passage of this bill will protect our family owned businesses mom and pop
stores and private sector jobs by keeping union-backed policies from
being thrust on local businesses by progressive city councils.
Many special visitors drop by the Capitol every day during
session. This week eight confident young ladies from Girl Scout Troop 2074 out
of New Braunfels stopped by for a private tour and to learn how a bill
becomes a law. If only they had brought cookies!
One of our districts newest U.S. Congressman Chip Roy also swung by to
discuss how we can partner on border and veterans issues to benefit all Texans.
I presented him with a flag flown over the Texas Capitol the day he was
sworn into Congress to show my appreciation for his efforts.
Please continue to follow me on facebook or twitter for
regular updates and dont hesitate to contact my office with
questions concerns or requests. I look forward to working on your behalf
to keep Texas free strong and prosperous!
