Van Zandt County Day at the Capitol a Public School Finance Update & more...
By State Rep. Dan Flynn
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas It was a joy to have members of Van Zandt County Texas visit us at the State Capitol to honor our community during Van Zandt County Day at the Capitol. Van Zandt County Court at Law Judge Joshua Wintters District Attorney Tonda Curry County Judge Don Kirkpatrick County Commissioner Precinct 2 Virgil Melton and County Commissioner Precinct 4 Tim West were all recognized on the House Floor for their dedication to Van Zandt County and its residents.
It was a privilege to see community members from House District 2 in Austin to celebrate this special day!
House Bill 3: Public School Finance
I was honored to co-author House Bill 3 - the first step taken by the Texas House of Representatives to address the critical issue of Public School Finance. Together with many other representatives I will be working diligently to accomplish what HB 3 sets out to do.
Primarily this bill prioritizes:
- Student Achievement
- Investment in our Schools & Teachers and
- Greater Overall Funding for Education
Titled The Texas Plan HB 3 will:
- Allocate an extra $9 billion to Education over the next two years
- Dedicate money to Research-Based Programs with proven results in Student Achievement such as Dual Language Immersion Dyslexia Identification and Expanded Career Education Programs
- Direct a portion of funding to schools with Higher Concentrations of Under-Funded Children
- Establish a program to fund a full-time Pre-K for Low-Income Students
- Allocate money for Summer Instruction and
- Additional funding will be directed to Build & Equip School Facilities with student needs in mind quadrupling the former allocation to $100 million.
Furthermore House Bill 3 gives the rural school districts in House District 2 the ability to earn and keep more money from local property taxes and it updates the critical Transportation Funding Model to a simplified $1.00 per mile reimbursement among other essential components.
Not only does it invest money into our classrooms and students but teachers as well.
Teachers have a crucial role in shaping the next generation second only to parents. HB 3 boosts the Minimum Teacher Salary Schedule and will provide $140 million solely for recruitment and retention of teachers. This funding will give rural districts more resources to recruit and retain top teachers.
It is time to recognize how important our students teachers and schools are to us. The students of today are the workforce of tomorrow. I am truly excited to support this bill as I know it will provide much needed relief to schools across the state and improve our educational systems in House District 2.
- If you are interested in learning more about HB 3 I encourage you to visit www.TheTexasPlan.com.
Defense & Veterans Affairs Committee
On March 4th the committee I have the honor to chair the House Defense & Veterans Affairs Committee met to hear several bills that were referred to our committee including HB 676 HB 833 HB 306 HB 696 and HB 620. After each author laid out their bill we received testimony from agencies and concerned parties in favor or opposing each bill.
The main idea of the bills included:
- Promoting Advocacy for Veterans in various ways such as a Suicide Awareness Program for Female Veterans
- Improving Veteran Employment Resources
- Enabling spouses of Disabled Veterans to receive certain benefits
- Creating a Statewide Alert System for missing Veterans and
- Creation of an Open Burn Pit Registry.
In the Defense & Veterans Affairs Committee we hope to do right by Texas Veterans and we appreciate the efforts of our state representatives in fighting for the causes of Texas Veterans.
Stay tuned for another Flynn Report next week with more updates on the state of the 86th Legislature.
It remains my pleasure and honor to represent all the people of House District 2. My staff and I continue to welcome your input and your questions.
You can contact our office at:
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2910 Austin TX 78768
- E-mail: District2.Flynn@house.state.tx.us
- Phone Number: (512) 463-0880
May God continue to bless you and the Great State of Texas!
State Representative Dan Flynn represents House District 2 which includes Hopkins Hunt & Zandt Counties. He serves as Chairman of the House Defense & Veterans Affairs Committee and is a member of the House Administration Committee and the House Committee on Pensions Investments & Financial Services.
