Weekly Newsletter: The 82nd Meeting of the Texas Legislature
February 21, 2011
Dear Friends,
This week the House of Representatives began working in committees and held a number of organizational meetings to introduce members to their respective committees. Subcommittees for the House Appropriations Committee have been meeting every day this week and discussed budget priorities for the session. Meanwhile, hundreds of additional bills were referred to committees, some of which will be taken up as early as next week.
I had the opportunity to sit on my first hearing this week as a member of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. During the hearing, Chairman Pete Gallego outlined the committee’s scope and we heard testimony from various criminal justice organizations. We will consider and hear invited and public testimony on our first set of bills on Tuesday, February 22, 2011.
I am also continuing my efforts to support legislation that will result in responsible public policy. For example, I have authored and co-authored the following bills:
- HB 32: States that no resident is required to have health insurance and prohibits penalties on the uninsured.
- HB 246: Forces state officials who commit felonies connected to their official duties to forfeit their public pension benefits.
- HB 1343: Expedites the prosecution of mortgage fraud cases which alleviates the burden that high case loads place on our courts.
Over the past week, I have been privileged to meet with many constituents from House District 102. My staff and I visited with small business owners, students from UT Dallas, local energy companies, and advocates from Susan G. Komen of Dallas. I was also pleased to have representatives from Texas Instruments in Austin this week to celebrate Manufacturer’s Day at the Capitol as I, along with members of the Dallas delegation recognized them with an official resolution on the House floor.
As always, I appreciate your continued input and encourage you to stop by my office when you are in Austin. I’m honored to be your voice in Austin.
Sincerely,
Stefani Carter
