Update from the Capitol - March 6, 2023

...The Best Constituents are the Smallest Ones

Hi Kronda,

We are getting close to the middle of the 88th legislative session now, and the days and weeks are getting longer. Usually by Friday, the House has adjourned for the week and I am eager to head home to Denton County to see my family for a couple of days.

But when I know 4th graders from Homestead Elementary are coming to the Capitol... I-35 can wait! As much as I love my days in our state capitol, I miss seeing sweet faces on school campuses back home. You can see more pics from their visit on my social media accounts. If your school is coming for a field trip, please do let us know so we can put it on our calendar.

Committee hearings are fully underway now, which means my schedule in Austin is very hectic. If you would like to visit with me when you are at the Capitol, please email to schedule a time; this is the best way to ensure we get to visit.

Or if you would like to simply drop in, you can always meet with my amazing staff to discuss your concerns. They share all constituent and visitor notes, conversations and materials with me if I am away from the office. In the Capitol, staff are the secret sauce that makes everything operate smoothly, so feel confident if you need to connect with my team! They will take great care of you.

Onward to the business of Texas,

Our HD-65 team continues to work on legislation in many areas of impact; you can see a list here of all the bills we have filed to date. There are still some pending to be filed as well! We will continue to update you with featured legislation.

HB 2218: FILED

Helping Texas senior citizens navigate DPS with less hassle

This legislation actually arose from the concern of an HD-65 constituent. She reached out to me to explain how frustrating and difficult it was to try and renew her mother's driver license in person -- waiting for hours at DPS with her elderly mom who wasn't even looking to drive! But needed valid state ID for doctor visits, prescription pick-ups, etc. HB 2218 would allow Texans over 70 to renew their identification online or over the phone, as long as they are relinquishing driving privileges. I believe this common-sense change will improve life for seniors and their caregivers.

HB 2962: FILED

Creating criminal trespass penalties at a school or day care

You can read the bill in full here. This is another piece of common-sense legislation in my opinion: if someone is behaving dangerously or suspiciously near a church or school campus where children are present, and an administrator or security officer asks the person to leave the property, and they refuse, it needs to be a criminal trespassing offense. End of story. I hope my colleagues will agree and support this bill, which creates a Class A misdemeanor and helps our educators keep children safe in schools, preschools and churches.

HR 354: ENROLLED

Honoring the centennial of Texas Tech University!

Technically this is the first piece of legislation I have passed as a state rep. It was an honor to co-author this bill with my friend and fellow freshman Rep. Carl Tepper, honoring the 100th anniversary of the founding of Texas Tech. Long live the Matador! Read more below about our honoring of the TTU centennial.

Our next Legislative Coffee in the district will be this Saturday, March 11, 9:00-10:30 am at the Denton County Southwest Courthouse (6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Flower Mound).

We will also have some special guests joining us to provide community updates, including Denton County Commissioner Dianne Edmondson, Northlake Mayor David Rettig, Denton County Constable Danny Fletcher, Northwest ISD Superintendent Dr. Mark Foust, and Denton ISD Trustee Amy Bundgus.

Need more info? Give us a shout.

🗓️ And... mark your calendar for the next one after that:

Saturday, March 25, 9:00-10:30 am at Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell's office

Precinct 3 Government Building (400 N Valley, #2068, Lewisville 75067)

This spring marks the 100th anniversary of the legislation that officially formed Texas Technological College, which would become the Texas Tech University System! TTU came to the Capitol on 3/1 to be recognized for this momentous occasion, and it was the perfect time to announce the formation of a Tech legislative caucus.

A caucus is a group of legislators organized around a particular interest or goal -- and with as many Texas Tech alumni as we have in the Legislature, it seemed high time for the Red Raider Caucus. I'm proud to be joined by many of my fellow lawmakers to celebrate and promote our beloved TTU! You can read the full announcement here.

Thank you Dr. Lori Rapp of Lewisville ISD for bringing more student art for our Capitol office display!

Lorraine Perry of Community Partners of Denton County is also on the Texas Council of Child Welfare Boards; we served together on the Denton County Child Protective Services Board! Honored to know this lady and be part of her fight for safer kids!

Thank you for letting me join you, Homestead Elementary 4th Grade Family!

Lewisville ISD PTA Rally Day at the Capitol!

Denton ISD PTA Rally Day at the Capitol!

Northwest ISD PTA Rally Day at the Capitol!

Communities in Schools of North Texas Day at the Capitol!

Physical Therapy Day at the Capitol with students from HD-65!

Honored to join my colleagues who have portions of the city of Plano on the House floor to recognize the delegation for Plano Day at the Capitol!

"Congratulations to CFB-ISD on the beautiful renovation of Dewitt Perry Middle School! I loved having two robotics students as my tour guides, and they enthusiastically showed off the many cool new learning spaces in their school. Some of the attendees were even alumni of Carrollton HS when it was in the same building." ~ Elena

State of the Cities Luncheon

"It was wonderful to hear the joint States of the Cities reports by the mayors and city managers of Flower Mound, Lewisville and Highland Village. FM Mayor Derek France was there in a purple dragon costume! It was a great turnout from the Chambers of Commerce, businesses and civic leadership. The state of our community is strong!" ~ Elena

We want to celebrate important events in our community -- student accomplishments, business milestones, and significant dates and anniversaries -- with you. Please get in touch with our office to inquire.

And please let us know if you have an event you would like our office to attend!

Click here for the archive of Rep. Thimesch's newsletter.



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