Tag: State Sen. Robert Nichols

Press release from Sen. Robert Nichols’ Office

The hardest part about this stage of the legislative session is needing to be three places at one time. This happened several times this week as I needed to be in one committee to hear testimony, present a bill in a different committee, and cast a vote in a third committee. The only way to be everywhere I need to be is to work fast and coordinate with other senators who also need to be several places at once. My great Senate staff keeps me organized as well. As you can tell, it’s a busy time for everyone here in Austin.

Five important things that happened this week at your Texas Capitol are:

A vote for schools in Senate District 3

This week the Texas Senate tackled a piece of legislation that would increase the number of charter schools in Texas. After careful consideration, I decided to cast my vote in opposition of the bill which passed 30-1. I am not opposed to the concept of charter schools; in fact, we have several great ones in Senate District 3. However, prior to each legislative session, I make a point to visit with all 102 school superintendents in Senate District 3. One thing I have learned is that most public schools receive less funding per student than charter schools statewide. Additionally, public schools have more rules and state regulations than charters.

Unfortunately, SB 2 does not adequately address these two important issues. Until the playing field is leveled and school funding is addressed, I cannot support further charter expansion. I have often said the education of our students is one of the most important things we make decisions on in the state legislature. This week I was proud to stand up for the public school students of my district, even if it meant standing alone.

Gunmakers moving to Texas?

On Wednesday the Senate passed SB 1467 by Senator Craig Estes to attract more gun makers to Texas. At a time when other states and the federal government are attempting to increase gun control, this bill would create incentive programs for gun manufacturers in the state’s economic development law. In addition, Governor Rick Perry has already sent more than 30 invitations to out-of-state manufacturers to move their operations to Texas. I am pleased to have been able to vote in favor of SB 1467 and be a part of this movement.

Desalination

One interesting measure under consideration this session is House Concurrent Resolution 59 by Representative Todd Hunter. Under his proposal, the state would create a joint interim committee to study seawater desalination along the Texas coast. The study would spend the next year-and-a-half analyzing the economic viability of desalination from coastal waters.

What many people do not know is that the state already has 45 desalination projects, and not just along the coast. The Texas Water Development Board estimates that there are around 2.7 billion acre-feet of brackish groundwater throughout Texas. As we begin to look for long-term solutions to our state’s water needs, desalination is one of several possible ideas deserving of attention.

House budget

After much debate, the Texas House recently approved a $193.8 billion budget for the next two years. With the Senate having already passed their own version, some significant differences have already been noticed. Some of these include the amount to be spent by the state on public education and the possibility of Medicaid expansion.

The differences between the two bills will now be worked out in weeks of meetings by a committee of selected House and Senate members. The joint bill will then have to get final approval from both chambers. Bottom line, the budget process is far from over. There will be more changes in the next few weeks as the Legislature works out how to allocate our much-sought-after state dollars.

Realtors

On Thursday approximately 2,000 Texas realtors came to visit the Capitol. With approximately 80,000 members across the state, the Texas Association of Realtors is an organization that advocates on behalf of realtors and private-property owners to keep homeownership affordable and to protect private-property rights. They are an important part of our capitalistic market and it was a pleasure to have them visit.

Press release from Sen. Robert Nichols

Green seemed to be on everyone’s mind this week at the Capitol but not because of St. Patrick’s Day. Most are thinking green as in dollars and where the dollars in the state budget will go.

Five things that happened this week at your Texas Capitol are:

Sunshine Week and more transparency

Texas got its report card back this week, and the news was good: an ‘A’ in government transparency from the Sunlight Foundation. This announcement came during Sunshine Week, a time to focus on how our state is doing in regards to the public’s ability to access information on government’s activities.

While this news was great, there is always room for improvement. One effort toward greater transparency is Senator Kirk Watson’s SB 1297, which would allow government officials to interact with one another through an online message board posted on their agency’s website. This adapts the Open Meetings Act to the electronic age, and is a way to allow the public access to government’s online meetings in the same way they have access to physical ones. It is a bipartisan effort, and one that I support.

Something brewing in the beer industry

Five bills representing the most dramatic change in Texas beer laws in 20 years passed out of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee this week. Under terms of the bills, Saint Arnold’s Brewery in Houston, as well as other craft breweries around the state, would be able to sell a limited amount of beer on site. In addition, brewpubs such as San Antonio’s Freetail Brewing would be able to package some of their product for sale in restaurants, stores and bars.

Currently, beer moves from manufacturers to retailers almost exclusively through wholesalers; current regulations prohibit brewpubs from packaging their product for stores and keeps breweries from selling beer to visitors. Loosening these restrictions would be a big advancement for free enterprise, and should have a large economic impact on the state as a whole.

In an analysis submitted last year to the Craft Brewers Guild, it was estimated that independent craft brewers had a $608 million impact on the state economy and that if laws were changed, they could potentially employ an additional 52,000 people and build a $5.6 billion industry by 2020.

Funding for State Water Plan

On Thursday, the House Natural Resources Committee unanimously passed HB 4 to fund the State Water Plan. Specifically, HB 4 would create the State Water Implementation Fund of Texas (SWIFT) to provide a fund to finance projects in the State Water Plan. There will be an emphasis on conservation, reuse and rural projects.

Ensuring water availability to all areas of our state for the foreseeable future is an incredibly important issue, as well as a nonpartisan one. It is my hope that we see this bill and related bills given the full attention they deserve.

Battleship Texas

I am pleased to report that on Tuesday Texas Parks and Wildlife announced a $17.5 million contract for the Battleship Texas’ repair to be started in April and finished within 18 months.

The ship is the only dreadnought to have served in both World War I and World War II, and is currently owned by the state and docked in La Porte. Included in the repairs will be replacing parts of the ship’s deteriorated hull and the support structures beneath the twin engines, each of which weighs more than 1,000 tons. Without this action, the engines would be at risk of crashing through the ship’s bottom.

The Battleship Texas is a treasure for all Texans, but holds special significance for me. My uncle, Jack Bowling, a Rear Admiral in the Navy, served upon it at one time. Every time I look at or read about the ship, I am reminded of his long service to our country. I could not be more pleased to see the Battleship Texas soon restored to her former glory.

Pecan Pie

This week the Senate was visited by some really tough lobbyists- first graders wanting to make pecan pie the official pie of Texas. After receiving a letter from the kids who live in his district, my colleague Senator Charles Schwertner filed a bill last month to formally designate the pie as the state’s favorite.

The kids were pretty convincing, and the bill passed out of the Senate Committee on Administration this week unanimously. As a big fan of pecan pie myself, I’m excited about this development and look forward to seeing the bill progress to law.

Press release from Sen. Robert Nichol’s Office

March is always a busy month in the Capitol as many families, students and teachers make their way to Austin during their spring breaks. We enjoy seeing everyone, but there is, of course, no spring break for legislators as final bills are filed and committee agendas are full of potential legislation.

Five things that happened this week at your Texas Capitol are:

Bill Filing Deadline

Friday, March 8th was a very important day at the Capitol: bill filing deadline. Each legislative session is 140 days long, and the 60th day is always the last day to submit bills. The following 80 days are used to discuss the bills that have been filed in committee, allow them to be brought up in the House and the Senate, and, ultimately be signed by the Governor. Of course, very few bills make it successfully through this process to become law and the system is designed this way on purpose. The writers of the Texas Constitution envisioned a society with small government and little encroachment on citizens’ rights by elected officials. Many years later, their vision is still being fulfilled.

Mental Health First Aid Training

I recently coauthored SB 955, a mental health first aid bill which is already receiving broad support in the Senate. This measure would provide grants to each of Texas’ 39 Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHA) to train teachers and others as Mental Health First Aid trainers to respond to youth and other individuals who have a mental health problem or are going through a personal crisis.

Participants will learn how to assess risk, listen to and help the individual in crisis and point the individual to professionals who can help. Teachers who choose to go through the training can do so at no cost, and the 12 hours of the program can be counted toward their continuing professional education hours already required by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

However, in addition to teachers, the bill also provides for many other community members to be able to go through the program if interested, such as police officers, religious leaders, health care workers, and others who often interact with youth. The Department of State Health Services would be required to submit an annual report on the program to the legislature for its review.

Mental health needs are something our entire country is very concerned about right now, and I am proud to be a part of helping teachers and other professionals be trained to recognize warning signs and then know how to intervene.

Medicaid Fraud Workgroup

A focus of this legislative session has been curbing Medicaid fraud, and this week I attended a workgroup hosted on the subject to allow stakeholders to discuss the issue. Representatives from the Attorney General’s office, the Health and Human Service Commission, doctors, lawyers, and others gathered and shared their experiences, frustrations, and suggestions.

It has always been my opinion that getting a group of people face to face to talk about a shared problem can yield many benefits, and I think this meeting definitely moved us closer to reaching a solution everyone can appreciate.

State of the Judiciary

Each session the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court addresses a joint session of the Texas House and Senate to give the State of the Judiciary address. On Wednesday, Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson called for several reforms including the creation of an Innocence Commission. The commission would be tasked with examining each case of wrongful conviction in the state to assess causes and establish reforms for the future. As Chief Justice Jefferson stated, “Wrongful convictions leave our citizens vulnerable, as actual perpetrators remain free.”

Texas Forestry Day at the Capitol

Wednesday was Texas Forestry Day at the Capitol. The members of the Texas Forestry Association represent an industry important to East Texas and the whole state. Generating jobs for more than 166,000 Texans, the industry has a more than $33 billion impact on the state. Representatives from all over East Texas were in Austin to advocate for the industry and the important service it provides to the state both economically and ecologically. Each year, the industry plants 100 million tree seedlings, about four trees per Texan.

Did you have a chance to watch the Grammy awards last week? Well this week the Texas Senate was proud to pass a resolution in honor of all our Texas musicians who received awards at this year’s ceremony. SR 296 was presented personally to Josh Abbott, Jack Ingram, and other well-known individuals who contribute so much to the national music scene. Additionally, at this point in the legislative session, most lawmakers are still getting along, and that is music to my ears as well.

Some of the things happening at your Texas Capitol include:

SB 810 – Working to prevent fraud

On Tuesday, I filed SB 810 to help crack down on Medicaid fraud. We have worked with the Attorney General’s office to develop this and other strategies to improve Medicaid fraud enforcement. When criminals steal from the Medicaid system they are stealing from every Texas taxpayer.

SB 810 would add a provision to the Texas Penal Code that prevents a defendant from attempting to repay the Texas Medicaid program as a defense to criminal prosecution. Some district attorneys’ offices decline to prosecute a defendant who has defrauded the Medicaid program if that defendant repays the program. This amendment would keep defendants from making that argument.

Celebrating Texas Independence Day and the Return of the Travis Letter

On March 2nd the state will mark the 177th Anniversary of Texas Independence and will celebrate by bringing Colonel William Barrett Travis’ famous “Victory or Death” letter back to the Alamo. Written at the Alamo by Travis on February 24, 1836 as Mexican General Santa Anna’s troops began their siege, this letter is considered a Texas treasure and one of the most stirring battleground letters in our nation’s history. It is normally housed at the Texas State Archives and Library Building in Austin, but is currently being exhibited at the Alamo in honor of Texas Independence Day.

The document “came home” to the Alamo on Saturday, February 23rd and will be on display through March 7th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day in a custom-made, climate controlled and bullet-proof case. As always, entry to the Alamo is free, and there is no charge to see the historic Travis letter. This occasion presents a good opportunity to reflect on the courage and bravery exhibited by Texas’ founders. They left a legacy of freedom, self-reliance and liberty that still inspires our state today.

FFA leaders at the Capitol

This week it was great to see so many FFA members for their day at the Capitol this year. These young men and women represent Texas so well and remind us all of how important agriculture is to our state. It is always an honor to meet with this and other organizations who are training tomorrow’s Texas leaders.

SB 665 – It’s OK to say “Merry Christmas”

I recently filed Senate Bill 665 to protect Texas public schools’ ability to use traditional holiday greetings such as ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Hanukkah’ on school grounds and to educate students about the history and roots of such holidays.

I have heard from many constituents who dislike that it is becoming less culturally acceptable to openly celebrate these holidays in the ways past generations have. To me this is a matter of helping our teachers and administrators feel safe talking about these holidays at school without fear of legal action being taken against them.

We are currently standing at a cultural crossroads in our society, and this is one step forward for those defending our traditional values and beliefs. To follow the bill’s progress, please go to http://www.MerryChristmasBill.com/

SB 7 – Medicaid Restructuring

This week the Health and Human Services Committee, which I serve on, voted out of committee an important bill to improve outcomes in our Medicaid system. The bill focuses largely on improving long term care services, which is one of the biggest costs to the program. The goal is to redesign the system to prepare for the growing need for long term care, given that Texas has the nation’s largest number of seniors and a growing number of Texans with disabilities.
Those who receive these services are some of the most vulnerable people we serve. We need to make sure they get the best care available — and that we are delivering that care in the most sustainable and efficient way possible.

Press release from Sen. Robert Nichols’ Office

Austin, TX — This week Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) filed Senate Bill 665 to protect Texas public schools’ ability to use traditional holiday greetings such as ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Hanukkah’ on school grounds and to educate students about the history and roots of such holidays.

“I have heard from many constituents who dislike that it is becoming less culturally acceptable to openly celebrate these holidays in the ways past generations have, “said Senator Nichols. “To me this is a matter of helping our teachers and administrators feel safe talking about these holidays at school without fear of legal action being taken against them.”

The Merry Christmas Bill, which is expected to receive broad support, not only gives students, parents and educators the right to use the phrases ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Hanukkah’, but also gives the right to display various symbols associated with those holidays, including Menorahs, Christmas trees and Nativity scenes.

Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston) has signed on as a coauthor to the bill which was initially filed in the House by Representative Dwayne Bohac (R-Houston). Bohac explains that “This bill originated when I picked up my first grade son from school last year and asked him how his day went. He told me that his class had decorated their holiday tree with holiday ornaments. When I asked what a holiday tree was, he told me it was the same as a Christmas tree. After inquiring with school officials as to why the term “Holiday Tree” was being used, it became apparent that the school was fearful of litigation. It was that moment that inspired me to file legislation that would provide students, parents, teachers and administrators a safe harbor for openly celebrating a Federal holiday.”

Nichols concurred by saying, “I commend Representative Bohac’s initiative and look forward to seeing this bill passed. We are currently standing at a cultural crossroads in our society, and this is one step forward for those defending our traditional values and beliefs.”

Follow the bill’s progress here.