88th Texas Legislature Archives - Compliance Podcast Network

The Hill Country Podcast – Loren Steffy on the 88th Texas Legislative Session

Welcome to award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country.

The 88^th Texas Legislature recently concluded its biennial session and two special sessions, focusing on property tax relief, water infrastructure, and the electricity grid. The proposed property tax relief was a welcome move, and Patrick was on the right track with his proposal to ensure homeowners don’t lose their homes due to high tax rates. The legislature ultimately came up with a dual approach, which is a compromise, and homeowners will be glad to see some relief from the property taxes.

Sadly, the impeachment of Ken Paxton took the air out of all other legislative work. Paxton has been under indictment for a long time, and nobody on the Republican side seemed to care until he asked for state funds to pay for his legal settlement. It took a long time for state leaders to take action, and it shouldn’t have taken this much effort. The impeachment trial will be held in the Senate later this summer.

Tom Fox and Loren Steffy discussed the importance of access to education and public services in remote areas. Tom Fox’s junior high school history teacher posited that the American high school created the American middle class. The founding fathers of America wanted to get away from the class system and believed that with access to education, anyone can be anything. The founding fathers of the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau Lamar and Anson Jones, set aside land in every township for K-12 education. The disagreement between the governor and lieutenant governor of Texas was over how to reform property taxes or give people a break. The governor wanted to subsidize school property taxes, while the lieutenant governor wanted to raise the homestead exemption. The governor also wanted to take public funds to fund private education, but he did not get what he wanted.

The transfer of wealth from taxpayers to private companies running schools with less accountability than public schools was a major concern. Rural Republican and urban Democratic voters united in opposition to school vouchers. There was an argument that private schools would take away access to best athletes for rural football teams. There was also an analogy to rural hospitals closing due to lack of cost effectiveness. There was a potential for the education system to become exclusive and elite, and it would also lead to the draining of healthcare facilities in rural areas.

Tom Fox and Loren Steffy also discussed Tom’s book, The Big Empty. Steffy is starting a series called Podcasts in Print. The first Podcasts in Print will be the discussion between Tom and Loren about The Big Empty. It will be released in early August, and Loren is looking forward to its release.

This episode provided an insightful look into the issues facing Texas and the importance of access to education and public services in remote areas. The legislature’s efforts to provide property tax relief and the impeachment of Ken Paxton are two major issues that will have an impact on the state. Podcasts in Print series will be a great way to explore these topics further.

Key Highlights

· Assessment of the 88^th Legislature

· Property Tax relief

· School Vouchers

· Rural Texas

· Ken Paxton impeachment by Texas House

Resources

Loren Steffy

Stoney Creek Publishing

Tom Fox

The Hill Country Podcast – Carter Keating on The Tx Legislative Session and Agriculture

It’s no secret that Texas farmers and ranchers are facing a variety of challenges. But thanks to the progress made during the 89th Texas Legislature, some of these issues are being addressed. In this episode of the podcast, Tom Fox speaks with Carter Keating, the founder and executive director of Texas Agriculture Connection, a nonprofit advocacy organization, about the progress made during the recent legislative session.

Keating explains how House Bill 1750 and House Bill 23 Eight strengthened the existing right to Farm statute, and how House Bill Nine used fiscal policy to access federal resources for Texas to develop and operate broadband infrastructure. Additionally, he talks about the New Water Supply for Texas Fund, which was established to finance water supply projects and develop 7-million-acre feet of new water supplies over the next ten years. He also discusses the Texas Water Fund, which provides funding for repair and replacement of water infrastructure, awareness programs, and rural political subdivisions.

Keating also explains the importance of broadband access. He points out that 7 million Texans across 3 million households lack quality, high speed broadband Internet access, which can have a negative impact on education access, health care outcomes, and businesses’ ability to compete. House Bill Nine made use of some very smart fiscal policy to put up matching funds to get access to federal resources for Texas to develop and operate broadband infrastructure.

The organization also worked on House Bill 2851, which would increase the maximum size of a grant under the Young Farmer Grant Program from twenty thousand dollars to thirty-five thousand dollars. House Bill One, the general appropriations bill, appropriated $500,000 to the Young Farmer Grant Program over the next two years.

Keating also talks about his plans to travel across the state to solicit the opinions of farmers and ranchers and other agricultural producers. He explains that the issues for farmers are fairly consistent across the state, with water, broadband, and infrastructure being important issues that span across the state of Texas.

In addition to the legislative progress made, there are 14 proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot in November. Texas Agriculture Connection and TAC are in support of voting yes on three proposed constitutional amendments: HJR 126, HJR 125, and SJR 75.

Finally, Keating discusses the 18-month period between the end of one regular session and the start of the next regular session. He explains that Texas Agriculture Connection and other organizations will be focusing on hearing from farmers and ranchers about their issues over the next 18 months.

This episode provides an insightful look into the progress made in the Texas Legislature and the issues that are important to Texas farmers and ranchers. It’s clear that the right to farm, broadband infrastructure, water infrastructure, and young farmer funding and support are all important issues for Texas farmers and ranchers. With the progress made during the 89th Texas Legislature and the upcoming constitutional amendments, Texas farmers and ranchers can look forward to a brighter future.

Key Highlights

· Assessment of Agricultural initiatives in the 88^th Legislature

· Right to Farm

· Water Infrastructure

· Broadband Infrastructure

· Constitutional amendments

Resources

Carter Keating on LinkedIn

Texas Agriculture Connection

Tom Fox

Instagram

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