Texas Senate

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Texas House of Representatives

Subject: Removes Barriers to Entry for Dentists and Dental Hygienists, House Bill 3039 (HB 3039)

• Author: State Rep. Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth)
• TFR Position: Support
• Background: HB 3039 seeks to establish the Interstate Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact to address the potential shortage of dentists in the state of Texas. Ultimately, HB 3039 removes a barrier to entry. For this reason, TFR supports HB 3039.

Subject: Creation of a Grant Program, House Bill 2181 (HB 2181)

• Author: State Rep. Toni Rose (D-Dallas)
• TFR Position: Oppose
• Background: HB 2181 seeks to create a youth and young adult homeless housing and services grant program provided by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. This is not the proper role of government. For this reason, TFR opposes HB 2181.

Subject: Raising Salaries of Judges, While Ignoring Taxpayers, House Bill 2779 (HB 2779)

• Author: State Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Allen)
• TFR Position: Oppose
• Background: HB 2779 seeks to increase the annual base salary for district judges to account for inflation. Although this bill and other bills have decoupled the pension increase associated with lawmakers, this still gives inflation bumps to the salaries of government employees. TFR opposes inflation adjustments for Judges when taxpayers get no such adjustments on property tax relief. Taxpayers should have primacy, but HB 2779 seeks to help the “special class” of elected officials before taxpayers. TFR opposes HB 2779.

Subject: Taxpayers Subsidizing Child-Care, House Bill 3771 (HB 3771)

• Author: State Rep. Julie Johnson (D-Farmers Branch)
• TFR Position: Oppose
• Background: HB 3771 seeks to create a voluntary partnership program between the State of Texas and private employers under which the state (or taxpayer) will match employer contributions to their employees’ child-care costs. HB 3771 would require the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to establish and administer the employer child-care contribution partnership program.

Subject: Risk of Fraud in Elections, House Bill 1356 (HB 1356)

• Author: State Rep. Mihaela Plesa (D-Dallas)
• TFR Position: Oppose on Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar
• Background: HB 1356 seeks to allow Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC) cards to be used as an acceptable form of voter identification. HB 1356 also allows the use of TWIC cards up to four years after their expiration which increases the risk of fraud. For this reason, TFR opposes HB 1356.

Subject: Study and Potential Creation of a Grant Program, House Bill 1723 (HB 1723)

• Author: State Rep. Richard Raymond (D-Laredo)
• TFR Position: Oppose on Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar
• Background: HB 1723 seeks to require the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to conduct a study of small business cybersecurity and consider a small business cybersecurity grant program. Not the proper role of government. For this reason, TFR opposes HB 1723.

Subject: Burdensome Regulation, House Bill 2444 (HB 2444)

• Author: State Rep. Kronda Thimesch (R-Lewisville)
• TFR Position: Oppose on Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar
• Background: HB 2444 seeks to prohibit the use of any method, technology, device, or software that bypasses ticketing purchasing processes to purchase a number of event tickets that exceed the maximum number of tickets allowed per legitimate buyer. It specifically also addresses bots and establishes civil penalties for a person who creates or uses a bot for the aforementioned purposes. Detecting bots could prove to be very difficult and could pose privacy threats to citizens. In a society that is quickly moving toward AI automation, banning such innovation would be harmful to the progress of this technology and to the free market as a whole. For this reason, TFR opposes HB 2444

Subject: Hotel Occupancy Tax for City of Alice Sports Facility, House Bill 3598 (HB 3598)

• Author: State Rep. J.M. Lozano (R-Kingsville)
• TFR Position: Oppose on Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar
• Background: HB 3598 seeks to authorize the City of Alice to use revenue from the municipal hotel occupancy tax to promote tourism by upgrading an existing sports facility or field. The continued use of HOT to finance projects is antithetical to free enterprise. Cities are overfunded and lack accountability. There is no reason to create new taxes and grow the government to build buildings not crucial to infrastructure. For this reason, TFR opposes HB 3598.

Subject: Expanding Corporate Welfare, House Bill 3946 (HB 3946)

• Author: State Rep. Travis Clardy (R-Nacogdoches)
• TFR Position: Oppose on Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar
• Background: HB 3946 seeks to clarify that events occurring in the same calendar year but for different sports seasons are eligible for reimbursement through the major events reimbursement program or events trust fund. Government should not be in the business of stealing from taxpayers to give corporate welfare in the form of reimbursement for major events. This practice is antithetical to free enterprise and TFR opposes all subsidies and corporate welfare.

Subject: Expanding Corporate Welfare, House Bill 4569 (HB 4569)

• Author: State Rep. Dennis Paul (R-Houston)
• TFR Position: Oppose on Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar
• Background: HB 4569 seeks to expand the list of qualified recipients under the major events reimbursement program to that of the World Cup. Government should not be in the business of stealing from taxpayers to give corporate welfare in the form of reimbursement for major events. This practice is antithetical to free enterprise and TFR opposes all subsidies and corporate welfare.

Subject: Conflicting Language Regarding Eminent Domain Authority, House Bill 5406 (HB 5406)

• Author: State Rep. Glenn Rogers (R-Graford)
• TFR Position: Oppose on Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar
• Background: HB 5406 seeks to create the Cross Timbers Regional Utility Authority. HB 5406 includes conflicting language surrounding its eminent domain powers. For this reason, TFR opposes HB 5406.

Subject: Burdensome Regulation, Senate Bill 58 (SB 58)

• Author: State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo)/State Rep. Kronda Thimesch (R-Lewisville)
• TFR Position: Oppose on Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar
• Background: SB 58 creates a new cause of action and ultimately bans the use of bots to obtain goods or services online. Detecting bots would also be very difficult and could pose privacy threats to citizens. In a society that is quickly moving toward AI automation, banning such innovation would be harmful to the progress of this technology and to the free market as a whole. For this reason, TFR opposes SB 58.

Subject: Expanding Corporate Welfare, Senate Bill 1158 (SB 1158)

• Author: State Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston)/State Rep. Dennis Paul (R-Houston)
• TFR Position: Oppose on Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar
• Background: SB 1158 seeks to expand the list of qualified recipients under the major events reimbursement program to that of the World Cup. Government should not be in the business of stealing from taxpayers to give corporate welfare in the form of reimbursement for major events. This practice is antithetical to free enterprise and TFR opposes all subsidies and corporate welfare.

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.