Texas Senate

Subject: Pre-emption of Local Jurisdictions for Masking/Vaccination Requirements, Senate Bill 1024 (SB 1024)

• Author: State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham)
• TFR Position: Support
• Background: SB 1024 seeks to pre-empt schools, cities, and other entities from requiring masks or vaccinations. It is not the role of the government to make medical decisions for individuals through force or coercion. A free society respects the rights of individuals and protects medical privacy. For these reasons, TFR supports SB 1024.

Subject: Pro-Taxpayer, Senate Bill 1252 (SB 1252)

• Author: State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston)
• TFR Position: Support/Amend
• Background: SB 1252 seeks to provide additional transparency at the ballot box, where local governments tend to make things as deceptive as possible. This requires the words “THIS IS A TAX INCREASE” to be included in any proposition that increases the tax rate. TFR recommends an amendment that also includes the same language if the rate is not lowered to the No New Revenue Rate. TFR supports SB 1252.

Texas House of Representatives

Subject: Transparency & Accountability for School Board Grievances, House Bill 890 (HB 890)

• Author: State Rep. Keith Bell (R-Forney)
• TFR Position: Support
• Background: HB 890 seeks to require that a school board allow a complaint to be filed at any time, an administrative hearing on the complaint, an opportunity to appeal the administrative decisions, and a resolution of the complaint by a deadline. Current statute does not require a deadline, which leaves those seeking a resolution to their grievance in a sort of limbo. HB 890 provides transparency and accountability. For these reasons, TFR supports HB 890.

Subject: READER Act, House Bill 900 (HB 900)

• Author: State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco)
• TFR Position: Support
• Background: HB 900 seeks to provide standards for library collection development that, among other things, prohibit the purchase of sexually explicit library material and sets out standards for library material selection and removal. HB 900 also requires parental consent before a child is allowed to access material rated as sexually relevant and requires districts and schools to review and report the content of certain materials in their library catalog every other year. It is the appropriate role of government to ensure that tax dollars are not spent on pushing agendas, but rather on core education. For this reason, TFR supports HB 900.

Subject: Lowering Speed Limits, House Bill 2224 (HB 2224)

• Author: State Rep. Ana Hernandez (D-Houston)
• TFR Position: Oppose
• Background: HB 2224 seeks to allow municipalities to lower speed limits to 20 miles per hour (mph) without having to perform an engineering or traffic investigation for justification. The language in HB 2224 referring to “residence district” is not clearly defined giving municipalities the potential to unilaterally slow traffic in any area providing for additional congestion in many of the states’ already congested roadways with perhaps the larger more nefarious objective to push Texans out of their own personal vehicles and into public transportation. For these reasons, TFR opposes HB 2224.

Subject: Repealing Onerous Regulation, House Bill 1277 (HB 1277)

• Author: State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park)
• TFR Position: Support
• Background: HB 1277 seeks to repeal the requirement that a pedestrian walk on the left side of a roadway or shoulder of a highway facing oncoming traffic if a sidewalk is not provided. TFR supporters the repeal of onerous regulations, especially those constituting offenses.

Subject: Pro-Taxpayer, House Bill 422 (HB 422)

• Author: State Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston)
• TFR Position: Support
• Background: HB 422 seeks to allow Juvenile Courts to conduct remote proceedings, leading to cost savings for things like transportation. For this reason, TFR supports HB 422.

Reminder: Vote Notices are provided to both Texas state lawmakers and the general public in advance of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility’s position on issues to be rated as part of the Fiscal Responsibility Index prior to votes being taken in each legislative chamber.

Disclaimer: We reserve the right to consider amendments to legislation that may be introduced without notice as a part of issues to be rated as part of the Fiscal Responsibility Index. We will make every effort to provide notice on amendments that are pre-filed