Weekly Newsletter: May 13, 2011 – Carter’s First Session Already a Success
June 3, 2011
Dear Friends,
As my first session in the Texas House of Representatives comes to a close, I would like to thank you all for granting me the honor of serving you in your Texas House. I want to thank all of those who have supported me and all who have taken the time to share their thoughts and ideas with me over the course of the session.
This week the Texas House of Representatives took decisive action on a number of important legislative items, including sanctuary cities legislation (HB 12), election reforms (HB 804 & HB 2817), and Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (HB 272).
HB 12, filed by Rep. Burt Solomons, would prevent cities, counties and other governmental entities from adopting policies that prohibit law enforcement from asking a person legally detained or arrested their immigration status. The legislation was labeled an emergency item by Gov. Perry in January. Under the bill, entities refusing to comply are at risk of losing state funds.
With the surge of violence on the border, and the relocation of drug cartel members and their families into Texas communities, the Legislature has the obligation to protect Texans by eliminating sanctuary city policies in the State. Sanctuary jobs and entitlement benefits are magnets that draw criminal illegal immigrants to Texas. Thankfully, the House passed a strong bill to end these safety zones that allow criminal illegal immigrants to have free reign.
Over the objections and stalling tactics of numerous legislators, the Texas House of Representatives managed to pass numerous election reform bills this week. House Bill 804 would improve the election process by strengthening existing laws related to the criminal offense for non-U.S. citizens who commit voter fraud. In addition, House Bill 2817 passed and contained a number of election reform measures including:
- Requiring volunteer voter registrars to be registered voters in Texas
- Increasing the punishment for unlawful assistance of voter registration
- Allowing voters registered in the state residing outside the US to vote a full ballot by mail
Each of these measures is essential to maintaining the integrity of our electoral process and will help to ensure the public’s confidence in our system.
The House also passed HB 272, a major piece of legislation aimed at reforming the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA). Recently, the Texas Department of Insurance placed TWIA under administrative oversight due to numerous management problems that have plagued the agency. The Travis County District Attorney’s office also announced a criminal investigation into possible fraudulent activity related to claims from Hurricane Ike as well as the events surrounding TWIA management oversight practices.
This legislation is imperative so that we are adequately prepared for future hurricane seasons. TWIA must be operating at maximum efficiency in order to adequately protect consumers.
Finally, as we enter the final two weeks of the 82nd legislative session, I would like to share with you some of the other key initiatives that have already passed the House with my support.
Legislative Accomplishments:
Election Integrity
SB 14 – Co-authored strict Voter ID legislation. Passed the House on April 8, 2011.
Eminent Domain
SB 18 – Voted to protect property owners by restricting eminent domain authority. Sent to the Governor on May 9, 2011.
Pro-Life
HB 15 – Co-authored bill supporting pro-life values through sonogram initiative. Sent to the Governor on May 9, 2011.
Children
HB 3311 – Authored legislation ensuring that a child’s best interests are represented in a court of law. Passed House on May 4, 2011.
HB 3314 – Authored legislation holding attorneys ad litem accountable in their duties to meet with their child clients early and often enough to adequately prepare to represent their best interests in court. Passed House on April 21, 2011.
SB 265 – Sponsored House legislation ensuring that those taking care of our children are properly trained by individuals with specified, relevant knowledge. Sent to the Governor on May 9, 2011.
Public Safety
HB 976 – Authored legislation to assist law enforcement by allowing for requests for warrants to be made through secure video conferencing. Passed House on April 26, 2011.
HB 1029 – Authored legislation to keep repeat burglars behind bars by ordering ankle monitoring devices while awaiting trial. Passed House on April 27, 2011.
HB 1215 – Joint authored legislation criminalizing attempts to obtain or transfer someone’s financial information through the use of any electronic device without his or her consent. Passed House on April 13, 2011
SB 887 – Joint authored the House companion legislation deterring ATM theft by increasing the penalty for such an act to a second degree felony. Passed House on May 9, 2011.
Update on HB 189. This bill, filed by Rep. Todd Smith, allows first-time DWI offenders to escape with deferred adjudication – instead of a conviction – which is only a slap on the wrist. Although this legislation passed today and I did not support it, I successfully amended this legislation to ensure that first-time offenders who choose deferred adjudication must spend no less than three days in jail and, upon revocation of probation, no less than 14 days in jail. Currently, the minimum jail sentence for first-time offenders is three days. Fourteen days of jail on revocation is quite a change in the law and certainly for the good of our community.
Energy
HB 3328 – Co-authored legislation requiring gas companies to publicly disclose the potentially hazardous chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing. Passed House on May 12, 2011.
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is a drilling process that involves injecting a high-pressure mix of water, sand and chemicals deep into the ground in an effort to extract gas from shale rock. Due to the potential for dangerous chemicals to be included in these mixes, it is important for the public to be aware of such practices.
HB 3328 would require companies engaged in fracking to disclose on a public website the chemicals and the amounts of those chemicals being injected into the ground. This bill would allow companies to protect the specific chemical formulas used in their hydraulic fracturing procedures that are “trade secrets,” and would exclude that information from being made available to the public.
Although some in the energy industry may be opposed to this legislation, HB 3328 is focused on transparency and public safety, and it provides a good balance between the interests of the industry and the interests of the public.
Education
HB 1000 – Co-authored legislation promoting higher education, while creating jobs and increasing tax revenue by encouraging current universities to expand into national research institutions. Passed House on April 15, 2011.
Update on HB 400. This bill, filed by Rep. Rob Eissler, seeks to give school districts more flexibility to manage their schools during these tough economic times. Although the passage of this legislation was hindered by stall tactics employed by the opposition, the merits of this initiative are undeniable. HB 400 would provide crucial relief from mandates and increase local control in school districts. It would enable those who know their schools best to make their own decisions about what is best for their students. The bill sought to give school districts a way to save teacher jobs and balance their budgets during the current economic crisis.
For example, the bill would give school districts freedom to assign teachers to classrooms based on the student population. Additionally, the requirement for school districts to notify parents if the district were to obtain a waiver for the class size requirements would make the waiver system more transparent. Parents deserve to know about these types of details regarding their children’s education.
This bill would also give school districts the flexibility to adjust salaries according to market conditions as opposed to leaving the districts with no choice but to cut jobs. House Bill 400 would also increase the time a school district had to develop its budget. Currently, there is a 45-day notification requirement for contract renewal before the end of the school year, but this requirement forces districts to pre-determine a budget prior to getting the state appropriation numbers for the upcoming year.
While HB 400 is far from perfect and it was not passed in the House this session, my colleagues and I remain committed to passing legislation that will give our school districts the tools that they need to navigate this financial crisis while not compromising the quality of education provided to our children.
Criminal Justice
HB 371 – Joint authored legislation prohibiting deferred adjudication community supervision for murderers. Passed House on April 5, 2011.
HB 1343 – Authored legislation expediting the prosecution of mortgage fraud cases which alleviates the burden that high case loads place on our courts. Passed House on April 7, 2011.
For a complete list of all of the legislation I am supporting, please click here.
As proud as I am, I could not have passed these bills without the thoughts and opinions of my constituents. I want to thank you all for being my inspiration and motivation to continue serving the great State of Texas.
Please stay in touch by visiting my House website.
As always, I’m honored to be your voice in Austin.
Sincerely,
Stefani Carter
Not Distributed at Taxpayer Expense.
