Texas House Committees Named

TRTA Legislative Team Continues Month Long Push

Joe Straus, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, has named his committee assignments for the 81st Legislative session. An entire list of the committee chair assignments is provided below. 

As you will note, Representative Vicki Truitt (R-Keller) returns as chair over the committee that will deal with almost all the legislation TRTA will pursue on your behalf. Chairwoman Truitt worked tenaciously last session to ensure retirees would receive their 13th check and helped TRS receive additional funding for the pension trust fund. She also attended the TRTA Annual Convention in El Paso last year as a speaker discussing how TRTA members can use their influence in the legislative process. 

In addition, Representative Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie) will serve in the role of Appropriations Chairman. Representative Pitts has supported TRTA issues in the past and TRTA will continue to work with that entire committee to push a pro-retiree state budget. 

With the naming of the House committees, the pace of the legislative process will certainly speed up as budget discussions and bill hearings will now commence. TRTA will keep you posted on these developments all session long. 

For a complete list of all the House Committees and the members assigned to those committees please click this link. 

The Senate committee assignments were made a few weeks ago and a listing of their complete assignments is available here. 

TRTA tracks legislation in many of these committees, but most TRTA and TRS issues fall to: Senate Finance; Senate State Affairs; House Appropriations; and House Pensions, Investments and Financial Services.  TRTA members with legislators serving on these committees will be called on many times this session to make special phone calls and send direct emails as constituents of these committee members. Every TRTA member will need to be ready to respond with phone calls and email as the session progresses. 

TRTA Legislative Teams Keep Pressure High 

The TRTA State Legislative Committee is continuing its month-long team advocacy campaign. As part of these efforts, members of the legislative committee are walking the halls of the Texas Legislature asking for support of the TRTA legislative agenda.  

This week, TRTA met with legislators from west Texas and the panhandle. The list of legislative visits made this week include:

Senator Robert Duncan;

Senator Kel Seliger;

Senator Eliot Shapleigh;

Rep David Swinford;

Rep Warren Chisum;

Rep John Smithee;

Rep Joe Heflin;

Rep Tryon Lewis;

Rep Tom Craddick;

Rep Harvey Hildebran;

Rep Drew Darby;

Rep Marisa Marquez. 

TRS Meetings 

TRTA is attending this week’s TRS Board of Trustee meetings. An update from these meetings will come later tomorrow or over the weekend. Of particular concern to TRTA members will be the dialogue trustees will have about the much discussed employee incentive compensation plan. This issue will be discussed on Friday and TRTA will update you on what the trustees do with this hot topic. 

Thank you for your continued support! 
 

Speaker Pro Tempore: Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston 

Appropriations: Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie 

Agriculture and Livestock: Rep. Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles, D-Alice 

Border and Intergovernmental Affairs: Rep. Veronica Gonzales 

House Administration: Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth 

State Affairs: Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton 

Corrections: Rep. Jim McReynolds, D-Lufkin 

County Affairs: Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston 

Criminal Jurisprudence: Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine 

Culture, Recreation and Tourism: Rep. Mark Homer, D-Paris 

Calendars: Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano 

Defense and Veterans’ Affairs: Rep. Frank Corte, R-San Antonio 

Elections: Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless 

General Investigating and Ethics: Rep. Chuck Hopson, D-Jacksonville 

Higher Education: Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas 

Insurance: Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo 

Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence: Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi 

Land and Resource Management: Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton 

Licensing and Administrative Procedures: Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin 

Local and Consent Calendars: Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston 

Pensions, Investments and Financial Services: Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Keller 

Public Health: Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham 

Public Safety: Rep. Tommy Merritt, R-Longview 

Redistricting: Rep. Delwin Jones, R-Lubbock 

Rules and Resolutions: Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio 

Public Education: Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands 

Natural Resources: Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland 

Human Services: Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs 

Business and Industry: Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont 

Energy Resources: Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland 

Transportation: Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso 

Environmental Regulation: Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana 

Technology, Economic Development and Workforce: Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin 

Urban Affairs: Rep. Yvonne Davis, D-Dallas 

Ways and Means: Rep. Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville