VOL 3, NO. 6
April 1, 2021
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The Public Policy Newsletter of the HEB Chamber of Commerce. Issues that impact you. Advocacy that helps you. |
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Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne Set to Speak at
April Membership Luncheon
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Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne proudly represents the 24th Congressional District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes portions of Tarrant, Denton, and Dallas counties.
Prior to being elected to Congress, Beth served as Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Mayor of Irving, Irving City Council Member, and a businesswoman.
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Thursday, April 8
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Texas Star Conference Center
1400 Texas Star Parkway
Euless, 76040
*In Person & Virtual Attendance
Options Available
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Paycheck Protection Program Now Extended Till End of May 2021
Extension Dates: March 31 through May 31
Small businesses will have more time to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan thanks to swift action from Congress and the Biden administration ahead of the application deadline. President Biden signed the PPP Extension Act into law yesterday, providing an additional two-month window for loan applications. The new deadline is now May 31, and the Small Business Administration (SBA) will have until June 30 to process pending applications.
If you have never had a PPP loan it is not too late. Contact your local lender and make application. If you have had a PPP loan your may qualify for a second draw. Also contact your lender.
If you pay franchise tax, a bill is working its way through the Texas Legislature not to count the forgiven loan amount as income for franchise tax. It passed the House today and is headed for the Senate where it is expected to pass.
Contact one of our HEB Chamber financial institutions to see how they can help you with your business' PPP loan application.
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Business Friendly Bills Pass the Texas House
Two bills passed in the Texas House and are headed to the Senate.
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HB7 by Angie Chen Button (R-Garland):
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This bill will dramatically reduce the impact of unemployment payments made because of the COVID shutdowns on the taxes to be paid next year by employers.
- The way the tax rate is calculated is based on employer experience, so those that churn through employees creating more unemployment benefits to be paid pay more than other companies.
- During the pandemic shutdown much of the unemployment benefits paid could not be charged to an individual employer.
- About 50% of these uncharged benefits figure in the calculation of the tax rate. This bill slows down the increase.
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HB1195 by Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth):
- This bill will impacts companies large enough to pay franchise tax by preventing the federal loan forgiveness of PPP loans from being counted as income for the franchise tax.
Senator Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) has introduced SB1182 which is an exact duplicate of Button's HB7. The Nelson bill has been assigned to the Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee, but as of now is not scheduled for a hearing.
Senator Kelly Hancock R-North Richland Hills) has introduced SB372 which is an exact duplicate of Geren's HB1195. It has been assigned to the Senate Finance Committee. The essence of these two bills are expected to be on the Governor's desk for signature.
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House Bill 3
Maintaining the school funding & programs from HB3 from last session
There are no bills filed seeking to dismantle either the funding or the programs from HB3. The issues for HB3 will come in the Senate Finance Committee or House Appropriations Committee. Both have adequate funding for HB3 now, but their proposed budgets are $7 billion each over the Comptroller’s estimate of revenue available. Some think we will get federal funds to apply to the budget and that the Comptroller will increase the estimate due to better than expected economic activity. This budget does not start until September 1, 2021. |
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Chapter 313
Texas Economic Development Act
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Texas has no state property tax. The Comptroller's office does not collect property tax or set tax rates. That's up to local taxing units, which use tax revenue to provide local services including schools, streets and roads, police and fire protection and many others.
HB1556 by Murphy makes some needed revisions to make Chapter 313 more effective and it is the favored bill by the Texas Association of Manufacturers and the Texas Taxpayer and Research Association. There are two other bills that just extend Chapter 313 for 10 more years with no changes, SB144 by Powell and HB1502 by Deshotel.
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Expansion of Healthcare
Reliable access to health care services is needed now more than ever
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There are more uninsured residents in Texas than any other state in the nation. And pandemic-induced job loss has caused even more Texans to lose their health insurance. Access to health care needs to expand so we can improve the health of North Texas workers and their families, increase productivity, and attract more businesses and talent. It is critical during this economic recovery period that we have legislation that will expand coverage and reduce the number of uninsured Texans.
House Bill 3871/Senate Bill 117, known as the Live Well Texas Plan, would expand health care coverage for uninsured Texans. This COVID-19 relief legislation would allow the state to take advantage of significant financial incentives that would make comprehensive health insurance coverage more affordable and accessible for about 1.5 million Texans. The bills have strong bipartisan support, but need additional momentum and support from Texas voters to be considered.
This plan would also enhance premium tax credits available through the health insurance marketplaces for two years, boost financial incentives for additional states to rapidly expand Medicaid, and enact other proposals to improve access to health coverage during the health and economic crisis.
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Get to know
State Representative Jeff Cason (R-HD92)
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Focused Issues
Education
All schools should have the funding they require...and I am fully committed to driving dollars into the classroom.
Defund the Police
Public safety is a top priority.
The police must be fully funded.
COVID-19
Support healthcare workers and healthy practices; remove any barriers to businesses that have been shut down by government order.
Property Taxes
Advocating to provide real property tax relief; increase transparency & accountability of tax allocation at the local and state levels
Mental Health
Prioritize budget to provide resources to those with mental health challenges.
Second Amendment
Every law-abiding Texas has the right to carry their own firearms.
Abortion
Pro-life
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Mr. Cason's career in manufacturing as well as professional aviation and energy sales for over 50 years, has allowed him to experience the affects of small business government, both in Texas and other areas of the country. This has given him a great appreciation for what makes the of Texas so successful.
Cason said that his interactions with district residents demonstrated that the most significant issues...were health care and education, adding “property taxes are still high and on people’s radar.”
Jeff resides in Bedford with his wife Wendy, an HEB ISD school teacher, for over 25 years. He and Wendy have 8 grandchildren, some of whom still live in the district.
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Click HERE to view the most recent bills filed by HD92 Representative Jeff Cason.
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2021 Candidate Forum
Hosted by the Business Advocacy Goal Team of the HEB Chamber
A candidate forum is a powerful tool to increase awareness of a candidate's public policy goals and positions on issues that could affect the future of our community. Please join us for a forum with candidates for the city councils of Hurst Euless and Bedford as well as trustees for HEB Independent School District. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required.
Meet the Candidates
(I) Incumbent *committed to attend meeting on April 14
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City of Hurst
Place 1
*Ben Archey
Place 2
Amin Abdellcarim
Place 6
*Jolene Webster
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City of Bedford
Mayor
*Kyle McDonald
Place 1
Place 2
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City of Euless
Place 5
*Annabel Eads
Place 6
Tina Duru
Tika Paudel
*Joseph Robinson
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HEB Independent School District
Board of Trustees
Place 3
Daniel Grunewald
Place 4
Place 5
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Don’t miss out on this informative experience! |
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May 1 is Election Day in Tarrant County!
We urge you to vote and make your voice heard!
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Here are important voting dates to remember:
April 1, 2021
April 16, 2021
April 19 - April 27, 2021
April 20, 2021
May 1, 2021
Election Day 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
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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.
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Thank You to Our 2021 Business Advocacy Sponsors: |
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Sponsorship does not necessarily imply endorsement of the Chamber's policy positions. |
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