Update from the Capitol - May 2, 2023

Hi Kronda,

It was a busy week in Austin, but also one of solemn remembrance. On Friday, April 21, the formidable and honorable Judge Mary Horn, who was the Denton County judge for 17 years, and served as county tax assessor for many years before that, passed away at home. She was a trailblazer for women leaders, and had extraordinary impact on Denton County. You can read more about Judge Horn here.

I also had the humbling privilege to recognize the life of two amazing public servants, taken from us too soon. Lauren and Luke Charles, wife and son of Lewisville Fire Fighter Landun Charles, and Rhonda Powell, wife of Lewisville Assistant Police Chief Jay Powell, both visited the Capitol this week and were recognized by the Texas House for the service legacy of their husbands. You can see more below about those memorial resolutions.

It was a week to pause and reflect on the everyday heroes around us, who give so much to make our families safer and our lives better. It was a meaningful reminder of why we need our Texas Legislature to always be seeking laws and policies that enable others to give and serve -- so that we may all sleep better at night. I'm proud to be someone that supports first responders, and you can be sure that will always be a top priority of my office.

Respectfully,

💐 p.s. Wishing a very Happy Mother's Day to all! 💐

Here is a link to all the bills we have filed to date, as well as their latest status, which is

updated in real time by House Administration. We will continue to update you with featured legislation in each newsletter.

Thank you to the Cross Timbers Gazette for featuring my latest legislative update!

Co-Author: House Bill 18, also known as the SCOPE Act, will help parents with more tools to keep children safe online. Rep. Shelby Slawson's bill is strong comprehensive legislation that regulates digital platforms and their hazardous attempts to manipulate young Texans in order to harvest their data and dollars. From bullying to self-harm to dangerous pranks, kids are susceptible to these aggressive and addictive platforms and parents need more resources to intervene and protect. HB 18 has passed the House and is on its way to the Senate.

HB 600 by Dr. Greg Bonnen provides a cost-of-living adjustment for our retired teachers. Texas retired teachers haven’t had a significant increase in years, and inflation has weakened those dollars further. Proud to deliver on this promise to our retired teachers.

I was proud to stand with Rep. Jared Patterson in support of HB 900, which would keep pornography out of the hands of schoolchildren and penalize those who allow sexually explicit material into school libraries.

My first bill is on its way to the Governor's desk! HB 1542 will help solve some permitting red tape for Texas Motor Speedway, to keep those big race event dollars flowing into the HD-65 economy -- and it has passed the House and Senate.

HB 2134 passed the House yesterday on 2nd reading. I appreciate the support from Lewisville Mayor TJ Gilmore who came to Austin to testify in support of this bill -- and its potential to help local law enforcement when they have reason to believe human trafficking or prostitution is taking place in a local massage establishment.

Do you have feedback on a particular piece of legislation? Please consider calling our office instead of emailing!

Advances in email technology are allowing automated mass emails to be sent under a constituent's name that they may not even know about. We are hearing from many people that they didn't actually send the email that we received, which allegedly states their position on an issue. We want to hear from you... the real you! Please don't hesitate to pick up the phone and let our staff know your feelings on a legislative matter.

It was a pleasure to visit with the Leadership Metroport Class during their Capitol trip!

Keaton Boyer of The Colony was Honorary Page for a Day for the Texas House

Jason Liewehr of Denton ISD and TASPA came by to visit and chat about HR while in Austin

Rep. Ben Bumgarner and I were honored to be able to recognize the Charles family for the service and legacy of their father and husband, Landun Charles, as well as to thank Lewisville Fire Department and Lewisville Fire Fighters Association for their service.

In the same week, we honored the life and memory of Assistant Chief Jay Powell of Lewisville Police Department on the House floor. His wife Rhonda Powell joined us at the Capitol with Asst. Chief Chris Clements.

Thank you Dallas City Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn for the invite to help during "It's My Park" Day at Timberglen Park!

I mulched 9 trees! Loved helping beautify my Dallas corner of HD-65.

I appreciate all the support for HD-65 from our ISD's, cities and "county-parts"! It's great for residents to hear updates from many parts of the community.

Appreciate being joined by (pictured with me here) The Colony Mayor Richard Boyer and Denton County Intergovernmental Relations Coordinator Brooke Hambrick.

Lewisville Mayor TJ Gilmore and Lewisville resident Dee Hayden (pictured with me here)

Also joining were Denton County Judge Andy Eads... Denton Co. Commissioner Kevin Falconer... Patrick Kelly from Lewisville City Council... Dallas City Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn... Katherine Sells & Dr. Buddy Bonner from Lewisville ISD...

We'll take a break for May, but look for dates to be announced for #CoffeeWithKronda this summer!

Cinco de Mayo Celebration with the Greater North Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

It was a beautiful bright day to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Flower Mound with our friends from the GNTHCC!

🗳️ Early voting in your local city and school board elections ends on Tuesday, May 2.

Election Day is May 6. 🗳️

Click here for a list of early voting locations in the HD-65 district, along with EV hours and dates.

Remember: during early voting, a Denton County resident can vote anywhere in Denton County, but on Election Day, you will have to vote at your home precinct polling location.

Come by our office located near the Capitol Grill in E1.216. Seeing folks back home is one of the best parts of my day. My staff will find me so that we can connect if if I am on the House floor or in committee.

And, be sure to check out our page with information about visiting the Capitol.

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.

Click here for the archive of our HD65 newsletters.



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