HB 1501, dubbed “the Natural Gas Protection Act" was introduced by State Rep. Jay Dean of Longview to prevent local governments from prohibiting or restricting the use of natural gas or propane in residential or commercial buildings.

The Texas house bill was filed in response to the talks of a Green New Deal and what is happening in California, banning new gas connections in new homes and buildings. Rep. Dean does not ever think that will happen in Texas, but we are going to sure that this does not happen, as the City of Austin and others have proposals for consideration out there.

Rep. Dean believes that it is government overreach for the government to dictate what energy someone uses and wants to protect citizens' liberties.

Bills like these are popping up all over the country and other states like Oklahoma have been successful in getting this legislation passed.

TPGA is supporting the legislation and will keep members abreast of the outcome of this bill.

“Searching for another big payoff, some personal injury lawyers have set their sights on commercial or company vehicle owners and operators. And it’s not just big trucks like 18-wheelers that are at risk. It’s any truck or car with a company logo on it, no matter the size or industry, and no matter how minor the accident or who was at fault,” states Bobby Jenkins, a member of the Keep Trucking Coalition and business owner running a fleet of pickups and vans.

The Keep Trucking Coalition in which TPGA has recently joined has helped get legislation introduced that will help curb the predatory practice of plaintiff attorneys and doctors colluding to inflate medical expenses related to truck accidents in litigation, a practice that critics charge is contributing to a rise in large jury verdicts and lawsuit settlements against businesses with fleets especially trucking companies.

“Plaintiff attorneys in these scams advise clients involved in truck accidents not to file injury claims with their insurance providers. Instead, they’re directed to doctors willing to inflate medical bills for unnecessary services or bill at exorbitant prices, sometimes for medical treatments not performed, according to trucking executives and trucking defense attorneys. The doctors are given a portion of a jury’s medical damages award for their services and, in some cases, court testimony,” states Transport Topics in a recent article on the subject.

In response to this common practice, Texas Senate Bill 207 was filed. This legislation would limit the recovery of medical or health care expenses in litigation to only the amount paid or incurred by the person making a claim.

Registration is open for the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC)'s 2021 National Propane Safety & Trainer's Conference, scheduled for February 23-24, 2021 virtually. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this marks the first time the annual event is not held in person.

Last year, more than 100 propane trainers, safety managers, state and local officials, insurance agents, state association executives, attorneys, and equipment dealers participated in sessions on safety, compliance, and training-related topics.

This year’s event includes important presentations on:

• Federal regulatory updates

• NFPA code updates

• Avoiding Training Litigation with John Hansen

• Online Learning Center updates

• Modularized, function-based training curriculum

• Understanding & completing On the Job Training Worksheets

• CETP Updates

• Creating and delivering virtual training and proctoring

• Using technology for training

• Environmental messaging

There also will be opportunities to join other conference attendees for informal virtual networking.

View the agenda details, speaker profiles and register here: https://www.accelevents.com/e/2021SafetyandTrainersVirtualConference#agenda