... Im eager to use my firsthand experience as a physician to help build a healthier Texas.
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Today Senator Charles Schwertner MD (R-Georgetown) was selected by Senate Finance Chair Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) to spearhead
the Health & Human Services Budget for the 84th Legislative Session. As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committees Article II Workgroup Schwertner will be responsible for leading preliminary budget negotiations for all health and human services appropriations in the Texas Senates version of the 2016-2017 biennial budget.
Our Texas healthcare system faces a number of new challenges and some of the most sweeping changes in a generation said Schwertner.
With healthcare costs now representing the fastest growing portion of our state budget there has never been a more critical need for responsible oversight of the states health and human services spending.
Im thankful to Chairwoman Jane Nelson for entrusting me with such a humbling responsibility and Im eager to use my firsthand experience as a physician to help build a healthier Texas.
In the Senates initial budget bill released earlier this year Article II appropriations amounted to $74.9 billion making it the second-largest segment of the overall state budget. Senators Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) and Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) were also named to Senate Finance Committees Article II Workgroup.
I am confident that Senator Schwertner will do great work as Chair of the Article II Workgroup said Senate Finance Chair Jane Nelson. His background as a physician and his experience with health policy will serve the state of Texas well.
As a member of the Texas House of Representatives in 2011 Senator Schwertner served as a member of the Article II Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations the budget-writing counterpart to the Senate Finance Committee.
In November 2014 Dr. Charles Schwertner was overwhelmingly reelected to serve the citizens of Senate District 5 a ten-county region of central and east Texas. Following the 83rd Legislative Session Senator Schwertner was named a Courageous Conservative" by the Texas Conservative Coalition a Lone Star Conservative Leader" by the Texas Conservative Roundtable and Senate Freshman of the Year" by Texas Monthly magazine.
