Welcome to the

Texas Legislative Black Caucus

Joint Town Hall Meeting 83rd Legislative Session Overview
&

Current Topics
hosted by

The North Texas/Dallas-Ft. Worth Delegation

Wednesday - July 24, 2013

University of North Texas at Dallas

7300 University Hills Blvd. Dallas, TX

Presented by --

The Honorable
State Senator Royce West
District 23

The Honorable
State Rep. Nicole Collier - District 95, State Rep. Yvonne Davis - District 111, State Rep. Helen Giddings - District 109, State Rep. Eric Johnson - District 100, State Rep. Toni Rose - District 110

State Budget
FY2012-13
Gen. Provisions $0 Natural Regulatory $961 million Resources $638 million $1.8 billion General Govt. Pub. Safety & $2.9 billion Crim. Just. $8.4 billion
Business & Eco Dev.

FY2014-15
Regulatory
$740 million

Business & Eco Dev.

$1.1 billion

Legislature
$358 million

Natural Resources
$1.8 billion

General Govt.
$3.2 billion

Judiciary
$543 million Pub. Safety & Crim. Just. $8.8 billion

The Judiciary $459 million HHS $28.4 billion

General Provisions
$639 million

HHS
$30.8 billion

Higher Education $15.1 billion

Higher Education
$15.7 billion

Public Education
$37.5 billion

Public Education $34.7 billion

FY 2012-13 - $93,792.2 billion

FY 2014-15 - $101,419.9 billion

State Budget
FY 2014 15 ALL FUNDS
Agencies of Education
$53.2 billion

HHS
$30.7 billion

Judiciary $543 million Pub. Safety & Crim. Justice $8.8 billion Natural Resources Bus. & Eco. $1.8 billion $1.1 billion Regulatory $740 million

General Govt. $3.2 billion Legislature $358 million

General Provisions $639 million

* ALL FUNDS includes $68,706,800,000 in federal funding

State Budget
FY2014-15 GR/GR-Dedicated
Business & Eco Dev. $25 billion
$4.7 billion Public Safety / Criminal Justice

Regulatory
$784 million

Legislature $358 million General Govt.

$4.7 billion

Natural Resources

$11.5 billion Judiciary

$727 million

HHS
$73.9 billion
Agencies of Education $74 billion

General Provisions

$952 million

Public Education
Public School Accountability
HB5 - Aycock
HB5 - reduces the number of state mandated End of Course exams from 15 to 5. The bill also eliminates the requirement that the test counts as 15% of the final grade. Additionally, the bill makes changes to the high school curriculum in a way that maintains rigor, while providing students with the flexibility to pursue college or career interests. Roughly $4 billion in education funding was restored HB 5 was Signed by the Governor on June 10, 2013

State Water Plan

Addressing Texas Water Needs
Since 1961, the Legislature has charged the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) with creating plans to address future water needs. The 2012 State Water Plan outlines a strategy for meeting Texas' water demand up to year 2060.
Challenge: Explosive population growth
Projected to increase 82% by 2060

Shrinking water supply

Projected to decrease 10% by 2060

State Water Plan

Funding the State Water Plan
Two bills passed this session, HB 4 and SJR 1, are the solution to the state's water challenge. Together, they create two funds to help finance the State Water Plan:
-State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) -State Water Implementation Revenue Fund for Texas (SWIRFT) These bills will also fund the State Water Plan with $2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund - pending voter approval.

State Water Plan

The ball is in your court!
SJR 1 - constitutional amendment to create and finance the
two water funds (SWIFT and SWIRFT) envisioned by the Legislature.

November 5 - This proposed constitutional amendment will be put to a vote of the people of Texas.

Show up to the polls and vote for water!

Criminal Justice / Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Sentencing
SB2 - Huffman (83rd 2nd Special Session) Senate Bill 2 - Establishes the option of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years for 17 year olds.

Criminal Justice / Juvenile Justice

DNA Testing
SB1292 - Ellis Senate Bill 1292 - Institutes a process of pre-trial DNA testing of evidence in death penalty cases.

Criminal Justice / Juvenile Justice

Family Violence
SB743 - Nelson

Senate Bill 743 - Creates a criminal offense for repeated violations of a court order(s) or bond conditions in family violence cases.

Criminal Justice / Juvenile Justice

Ticketing Juveniles
SB394 - West SB394 - makes confidential all records, files and information of justice and municipal courts relating to a child who receives a dismissal for a fine-only misdemeanor, other than a traffic offense.

Criminal Justice / Juvenile Justice

Ticketing Juveniles
SB1114 - Whitmire
SB1114 - prohibits law enforcement officers from issuing citations or filing complaints for conduct by children younger than 12 years-old that occur on school property without submitting an offense report and working on alternative and graduated punishments.

Health & Human Services

Medicaid Delivery
SB7 - Nelson

SB7- will redesign the way in which Medicaid services are provided for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) who are in need of both acute-care and long term services. The bill would expand Medicaid's STAR PLUS managed care program and implement additional reforms to the Medicaid system.
Additional provisions of SB7: Creates a process to transition Medicaid eligible, IDD diagnosed adults and children into a managed care system.

Health & Human Services

Medicaid Delivery
SB7 Nelson (continued)
Prohibits Medicaid managed care organizations from implementing provider rate reductions unless they are approved by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) or are based on changes to the Medicaid fee schedule.
Improves quality-based performance measures and incentive payments for acute and long- term care providers and authorizes wellness programs for Medicaid recipients. More than 11,000 intellectually and developmentally disabled adults currently on waiting list will receive services with the passage of SB 7.

Health & Human Services

Unemployment Benefits
SB21 - will require individuals seeking unemployment benefits to undergo mandatory drug screening. The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) will adopt a questionnaire for the applicant to complete. Answers considered suspicious or questionable will lead to drug tests and anyone who fails the test would become ineligible to receive unemployment benefits unless TWC determines that the individual is participating in a drug abuse treatment program or that the individual failed the test based on the use of physician prescribed medications. SB21 becomes effective September 1, 2013.

Health & Human Services

Womens Health
HB2 - Laubenberg HB2 - relates to the regulation of abortion procedures, providers,
and facilities; providing penalties. The bill prohibits abortion at or after 20 weeks post-fertilization and adds a violation to the list of prohibited practices by medical personnel. Exceptions are allowed if the mother's life or physical impairment of a major bodily function is at risk, or if the unborn child has a severe fetal abnormality.
Under HB2, the Texas Medical Board is authorized to assess penalties for medical professionals that distribute or prescribe abortion-inducing drugs in certain situations.

Health & Human Services

Womens Health
HB2 Laubenberg (continued)
The bill requires doctors performing an abortion to have admitting privileges to a hospital within 30 miles. Requires a prescription for medical abortion, and would increase strict minimum standards for abortion facilities . Bill also requires the minimum standards for an abortion facility to be equal to the standards for Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC). HB2 was signed into law by the Governor on July 18, 2013