Representative Jeff Leach
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas With ten days to go the 86th Legislature is nearing its final hours and we have a substantial amount of work to do before we gavel out on Sine Die which will occur on Memorial Day Monday May 27th. At the top of this list includes finalizing property tax & school finance reform through Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 3 respectively. To that end many of you have reached out with concerns over changes that were recently made to House Bill 3. While the bill remains in conference to resolve various differences between the House & Senate I wanted to take this opportunity to respond to your concerns and provide further clarification.
- Current-Year Values in House Bill 3: For context school finance formulas have traditionally used prior-year property values to determine the amount of funding for school districts. The revised language in House Bill 3 includes current-year property values which would have a significant negative impact on Plano ISD - to the tune of $35 million. Prior-year values must be implemented in order for House Bill 3 to benefit our classrooms.
- NO More STAAR: As an avid critic of the notion of teaching to the test I strongly oppose any attempts to bring in additional STAAR testing including any further provisions which tie STAAR testing results to funding. I will continue to fight against any attempts to expand STAAR as I believe this type of testing should be reined-in and substantially reformed.
To that end be assured that I hear the concerns of my constituents and that I am advocating vigorously on your behalf to ensure the final version of House Bill 3 brings monumental and meaningful benefits to the educators and students in our district.
Texas Courts
As Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence I am proud of the work weve accomplished as a committee to support our judiciary and implement meaningful reforms to civil process and procedure. Today the Texas House passed Senate Bill 891 which authorizes the creation of additional courts throughout the State of Texas and goes a long way to address the growing backlogs in our Texas courtrooms. Importantly this legislation creates two additional district courts in Collin County and authorizes the Collin County Commissioners Court to appoint magistrates to assist and alleviate this backlog. From here the bill will move to a conference committee to provide uniformity within both chambers and each chamber will vote on its final passage once more.
Human Trafficking
Next week I am expectant that the Texas House will consider Senate Bill 20 - a comprehensive human trafficking package that provides law enforcement with additional tools to eradicate human trafficking. While adding further protections for victims of human trafficking this bill increases penalties for perpetrators of this heinous crime and will create safer communities throughout the state. This is a high priority piece of legislation for our district region and state and it has bi-partisan support from both legislative chambers.
Whats Next?
The House is scheduled to convene tomorrow (Saturday May 18th) to complete the business from this week and well reconvene on Monday to consider additional Senate Bills. Tuesday May 21st is the last day for the House to consider Senate Bills on second reading and the following day May 22nd is the last day for the House to consider any local & uncontested Senate Bills. Sunday May 26th is the last day for the House to approve conference committee reports. The following Monday May 27th is Sine Die!
District Spotlight!
Got plans this weekend? The City of Richardson is hosting its 27th annual Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival at Galatyn Park where there will be plenty of live music activities for kids craft food and drinks and fun for the entire family! This years lineup includes a variety of national regional and local bands so click here to learn more!
