Capitol Steps – From State Senator Ken Paxton
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – Today, the Texas Senate passed its version of HJR2, which will take steps toward addressing our state’s transportation funding needs. This legislation is a constitutional amendment that would require voter approval to take the oil and gas severance taxes that are currently dedicated exclusively to the rainy day fund and equally divide those existing taxes to the state highway fund and the rainy day fund.This constitutional amendment has a provision that protects the state’s rainy day fund balance to ensure the ability address emergency needs and to maintain a strong state credit rating. The Senate vote to pass HJR 2 sent the legislation back to the House, where members can either vote to concur with the Senate changes or send the legislation to a conference committee to iron out the differences between each chamber’s legislation. The deadline for action on this legislation is July 30th, the last day of the second special legislative session.
Also this week, I was honored to attend the ribbon cutting event at My Possibilities in Plano. My Possibilities is a great organization that serves adults with disabilities in our area.
As we move toward the end of this special legislative session, I am encouraged by the progress we made in passing HB 2 to protect life and women’s health, but know there is still work to do. Please do not hesitate to contact my office with any questions or concerns about the remaining legislation. Also, if your friends or family would like to receive my newsletter to stay up to date on issues that affect District 8, use the buttons below to share this edition of Capitol Steps.
