VOL 3, NO. 8
June 4, 2021
The Public Policy Newsletter of the HEB Chamber of Commerce. Issues that impact you. Advocacy that helps you.
The Legislative Session is Over. How Did the HEB Chamber Fare?
As in every legislative session, there were wins and losses. The Governor still has the opportunity to veto some of the bills sent to him so most things are not yet final. Baring a veto, here are some of the best outcomes.

Public education was one of our top priorities. The major funding that passed last session in HB3 was maintained for the next budget. House Bill 1525 made minor adjustments in HB3 to correct mistakes and oversights in the original drafting of HB3. In addition major funding from the federal government will provide our school districts with money to remediate students from the classroom time lost to the pandemic. A very good set of outcomes.
 
Three bills passed that together will improve the chances for students to enroll in dual credit courses and choose them more carefully so as to actually reduce the time and cost to achieve a degree after high school.
 
We were determined to improve access to broadband in rural Texas and in the broadband deserts that exist in most metro areas. The goal is to improve access to distance learning, telemedicine and expand opportunities for remote employment. HB5 will create a “Broadband Plan” for the state. Texas is one of only six states without a plan. It is a good step in the right direction.
 
We set a goal to “support funds for retraining of displaced workers to help get our economy moving again”. SB1102 provides funds for upskilling and reskilling 30,000 adult workers with a goal of getting them industry recognized certificates within six weeks to six months passed and is on the Governor’s desk. The work will be done by Texas community colleges in conjunction with employers.
 
Our two main goals in transportation infrastructure were: protect the dedicated funds for transportation set aside by Propositions 1 and 7 and support innovative methods for funding transportation and water infrastructure projects. No attempts were made to pull back funding from Prop 1 and 7. Although we supported seven bills that would have impacted creative ways to finance infrastructure, only one passed. HJR 99 which, if approved by voters, will allow tax increment financing to be used to build roads and bridges. This is a really innovative tool and we hope the referendum is successful.
 
School districts ability to participate in economic development incentives will be allowed to sunset on December 31, 2022. There is an outside chance some form of continuation may be worked into the Special Session on redistricting this fall. If not, nine days after Chapter 313 expires, the 88th Texas Legislative session will gavel in and we can have another look at it. 
Chamber Issues from the 87th Texas Legislature, Part Two
Another of the HEB Chamber’s major legislative priorities was to increase the number of federal tax dollars available to expand health insurance coverage and access to healthcare in Texas. Two bills to expand Medicaid in Texas were introduced, a Senate bill by Senator Nathan Johnson and a House bill by Representative Julie Johnson. Neither bill got a hearing in committee.
 
The good news on access to healthcare came on House Bill 133 which expanded access to Medicaid for 6-months after childbirth. Mental health services in public schools got a boost from HB2287 which gives school districts the authority to collect information about mental health conditions from students.

Soon after the session began it became clear that the U.S. Congress would not pass legislation protecting business owners who followed CDC protocols in reopening their businesses from frivolous lawsuits. North Texas' own Senator Kelly Hancock introduced SB6 to address the issue on the state level. Senator Hancock successfully got the bill on the Governor’s desk. The bill goes beyond just businesses to protect other entities and individuals that could be subjected to lawsuits. 
 
The way unemployment insurance is calculated, the rates for the coming year would have increased dramatically from this year. The increases would be the result of unemployment payments made because of the state mandated business closures. House Bill 7 by Garland’s Angie Chen Button, will prevent the dramatic increases. It is on the Governor’s desk. The way the franchise tax is calculated, businesses who had payroll protection program loans forgiven by the federal government would have to count the forgiven amounts as income for the franchise tax. HB1195 by Fort Worth’s Charlie Geren was signed by the Governor to prevent taxing the federal benefits. 

All things considered, this will be recorded as a good legislative session because our North Texas delegation came through for businesses. Your Chamber will advocate and continue to stay on alert to illustrate how we represent the interests of our members and the business community in the state legislature.
We're working for you!
The Chamber's Board has five goal teams. One of these teams is Business Advocacy, and it is chaired by Jeri Harwell. The team's responsibilities include government relations, issues identification, identifying collaboration opportunities and ensuring Chamber members always have a "seat at the table." We welcome your support! If you would like to get involved in the Chamber's business advocacy work, contact Mary Frazior, 817-283-1521, maryfrazior@heb.org.

Thank You to Our 2021 Business Advocacy Sponsors:
Sponsorship does not necessarily imply endorsement of the Chamber's policy positions.