HEB Chamber Government Affairs Newsletter

First Aid for JPS

The Chamber Board supports the Bond Issue and you should, too

In 1985, a gallon of gas cost $1.12, the Dow Jones finished the year at 1,546 and the Dallas Cowboys were division champs. That's also the last year that Tarrant County Commissioners Court asked voters to approve construction bonds for the county's Hospital District.

In the November elections, voters be asked to authorize the issuing of $800 million in bonds, which will be used to acquire, construct, improve, enlarge and equip facilities for the Hospital District, better known as the JPS Health Network.

The centerpiece of the proposed construction will be a new Mental and Behavioral Health Hospital. JPS currently is only serving 37 percent of county residents who need behavioral health treatment. There will also be four Regional Health Centers added throughout the county, and each will have a behavioral health component.

The proposal also calls for a new Cancer Center. In the last decade, the need for cancer treatment has grown by 77 percent. There will also be a new Day Surgery Center and an Inpatient Tower. The bonds also will be used to acquire modern equipment for the new facilities.

Notably, there will be no tax rate increase. In addition, t he projects that will be funded by these bonds will actually cost $1.1 billion. The hospital district will get the other $300 million from cost cuts implemented over the next 10 years. Learn more.

The bond package will be at the very bottom of the ballot. This is important because if you choose to vote a straight-party ticket, the bond issue and other propositions will be left blank. So be sure to go all the way to the bottom of the ballot and vote on the bond issues and other propositions.

WHERE WE STAND: The HEB Chamber Board of Directors has voted to support the passage of the JPS Bond Issue, which they believe is critical to helping meet the growing demand for health care services in our community. We encourage you to vote yes.

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Clearing the Tumbleweeds

What you can do about Texas' woeful voter participation rate


	From The Univ. of Texas Daily Texan

Did you know? Forbes ranks Texas as the No. 1 state in the nation for Economic Climate, No. 2 in Growth Prospects and No. 3 in Business Costs.

Now here's a more sobering number: In voter turnout, Texas ranks 47.

The good news is, you can easily do something about this: Encourage your employees and co-workers to vote.

Every U.S. citizen who is at least 18 years old on Election Day and not a convicted felon still under court supervision is eligible to vote. But first, they have to be registered. Click here for information on how to register and other voter information. The last day to register to vote is Tuesday, October 9.

Early voting will be October 22 through November 2, and Election Day is November 6. In addition to several closely contested races, many ballots will include propositions. Re member not to tell your employees how they should vote -- the goal is to encourage participation.

This Election Day, make sure your voice is heard -- and encourage others to do so as well. As President Franklin Roosevelt once said, " Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves. And the only way they could do this is by not voting."

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Gavel Grappel

The race is already on to elect a new Speaker of the House

State Representative Joe Straus has announced that he will not run for re-election, ending his five-term run as Speaker of the House. Thus, when the 86th Texas Legislature convenes on January 8, their first order of business will be to elect a new Speaker.

This is the first open-seat election for Speaker since Gib Lewis concluded five terms 26 years ago. Seven members have already announced their candidacy: Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches, Drew Darby of San Angelo, Eric Johnson of Dallas, Phil King of Weatherford, Tan Parker of Flower Mound, Four Price of Amarillo and John Zerwas of Richmond. All but Johnson are Republicans . No Tarrant County representative is currently a candidate.

The Republicans will almost certainly maintain their majority in the House. In previous sessions, they joined ranks to support one candidate and prevent Democrats from influencing the outcome. This field of candidates is large and diverse, so it may be harder for Republicans to continue that approach. Ross Ramsey of the Texas Tribune has written a very thoughtful piece on the race. (Ramsey also will be our luncheon speaker when we travel to Austin in March.)

There will be a lot of activity between now and the start of the session, and we'll keep you updated on the latest developments.

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Room for One More?

County mayors are considering a shared ride service

Imagine being able to travel from Arlington to west Fort Worth quickly and easily -- and without needing your own car.

The Tarrant County Council of Mayors is working to make that vision a reality. The Council recently asked the North Texas Council of Governments to work on a plan to implement a shared ride service throughout the county.

The major questions involve how to pay for a service that crosses city boundaries and how to deploy it for maximum efficiency. An independent consulting company will be hired to assist with the plan. Properly implemented, a shared ride service could help cut down on traffic and exhaust emissions.

In other good news for motorists, Southgate Constructors reports that work on SH 183 in the Euless area is mostly finished and much of the work right now is clean-up.

We'll keep you posted on developments with the shared ride plan and other key transportation issues.

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Breakfast Meeting with Senator John Cornyn

Join us for a breakfast meeting with U.S. Senator John Cornyn at 8 a.m. Friday, November 9, at the Doubletree Hotel in Arlington. The Senator will share his thoughts on the outcome of the November 6 election and other events in Washington. More information coming soon, but mark your calendars now!

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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 Howard Shotwell. 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, [email protected].

We thank our business advocacy sponsors:

Sponsorship does not necessarily imply endorsement of the Chamber's policy positions.

The Chamber is 4-Star accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

[email protected] heb.org