TAC Week In Review: A Digest Of What Happened Last Week At The Capitol

By, Texas Association of Counties

Among the events this week, a Senate committee got moving on another one of the governor’s emergency items – mental health and the creation of the Texas Mental Health Care Consortium.

The Senate Committee on Property Tax loaded up SB 2 with numerous committee amendments.

Texas justices of the peace and constables had a very successful legislative day and tax assessor-collectors talked to appropriators about the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Public Safety.

Governor’s Priority Legislation Advances to Senate Floor for a Vote

The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services on Tuesday unanimously approved one of Gov. Abbott’s declared emergency legislative priorities.

The committee voted out Senate Bill 10 by Sen. Jane Nelson that will establish the Texas Mental Health Care Consortium to coordinate the delivery of mental health care services.

At the hearing, Senator Nelson stated, “We’ve created jail diversion programs, community grants to help veterans and address waiting lists for our local mental health authorities. Senate Bill 10 focuses on our youth, and it leverages the expertise of our health-related institutions to address gaps in the system.”

The consortium would encompass 12 health-related institutions of higher education including the Health and Human Services Commission, at least three nonprofit organizations that focus on mental health care, and any other entity the executive committee of the consortium considers necessary.

The goal is to establish a network of comprehensive child psychiatry access centers. A center would collaborate with community health providers to better care for children and youth with behavioral needs by providing consultation services and training opportunities for pediatricians and primary care providers operating in a center’s geographic region.

The result would lead to establishing or expanding telemedicine or telehealth programs for identifying and assessing behavioral health needs. The consortium would also develop and implement a mental health research plan to advance the research component of the statewide behavioral health strategic plan.

Additionally, it will create an aggregated inventory of mental health and substance use disorder research completed by institutions of higher education, and coordinate mental health and substance use disorder research efforts.

SB 2 As Amended

Less than one week after the Senate Committee on Property Tax held its 12-hour hearing on SB 2 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), the bill was amended in committee with 15 committee amendments.

SB 2 includes a 2.5 percent revenue cap for taxing entities that collect more than $15 million in property and sales tax revenue annually and an automatic November election for exceeding the rollback tax rate.

Additional information about the hearing and the amended bill is available in the Property Tax Bill article in the newsletter.

JPCA Day 2019

Over 200 justices of the peace and constables were walking the halls of the Capitol on Feb. 12 for Justices of the Peace and Constables Day.

The event kicked off with Chairman of House County Affairs Garnet F. Coleman (D-Houston) presenting House Resolution 256, declaring Justices of the Peace and Constables Day at the State Capitol.

During the day, Rep. Eddie Lucio III (D-Brownsville) and Rep. Andrew Murr (R-Kerrville) addressed the elected officials and thanked them for their service. Both representatives have filed priority legislation (HB 301, HB 1033, HB 1380, and HB 1415) for the Justices of the Peace and Constables Association (JPCA) this session.

After the presentations from the representatives, the elected officials disbursed to meet with their state senators and state representatives.

Speaker Dennis Bonnen spent time with constables from his district and thanked them for their service.

After a long day at the Capitol, the JPCA held a successful legislative reception at the DoubleTree Hotel where legislators and their staff were able to gain valuable education from their local elected officials.

Appropriations Update

Bell County Tax Assessor-Collector Shay Luedeke testified this week before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles VI, VII, and VIII, asking for the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to be fully funded in order for the agency to improve its IT infrastructure.

Each time the agency experiences a technical outage, the tax assessor-collectors are unable to perform the duties of their office, which ultimately affects customer services.

Additionally, the Tax Assessor-Collectors Association of Texas (TACA) submitted written testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles I, IV, and V to demonstrate their opposition to transferring the driver license program from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to the DMV.

Instead, TACA requested the Legislature fully fund DPS’ driver license program which will allow the agency to address the long wait times plaguing the program.

Additional information on state budget activities this week is available in our State Budget Update.

The Week Ahead

The pace is picking up at the Capitol. The deadline for filing most legislation is March 8, so we expect a significant number of bills to be introduced in the coming weeks.

Committees are scheduled to hold several organizational meetings next week and budget hearings are still underway.

A good number of bills have already been referred to committee, and many of those bills will be set for a hearing soon. All current committee postings are available on Texas Legislature Online.

Texas Association of Counties (TAC) is considered ground zero for all Texas counties.

Through TAC, counties communicate the county perspective to state officials and the general public. Understanding the way county government works and the value of county services helps state leaders preserve counties’ ability to serve their residents effectively.

According to TAC’s website, the cooperative effort is managed by a Board of county officials. Each county office is represented on the Board. This group of local officials, each of whom is currently serving his or her community, establishes policy for TAC. The Board establishes the scope of TAC services and the Association’s budget.