With the 88th legislative session underway, Speaker Dade Phelan (R) announced additional priorities for the Texas House on Tuesday.
In a statement, Phelan said the latest additions to the list of legislative priorities "are aimed at defending the state's economic growth over the past two years and creating an opportunity for even more development as population continues to expand at a rapid pace."
Phelan, who is in his second session leading the Texas House, announced three bills he said will help the state remain competitive on a global scale in courting new businesses and creating new jobs.
"We have a good thing going here in Texas, and I thank Representatives Hunter, VanDeaver and Murr for authoring measures that seek to continue that trend line in our state," Phelan said in a statement.
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The bills are detailed below.
- House Bill 5 by State Rep. Todd Hunter
HB 5, also known as the Texas Jobs & Security Act, would provide Texas with a critical economic development tool to create additional jobs, investments and tax revenue, keeping the state competitive in drawing businesses to relocate or expand here. Under House Bill 5, the incentives would be targeted and temporary in attracting large-scale, capital-intensive projects related to the manufacturing, national security and energy infrastructure industries. Texas taxpayers would also have transparency into how those state incentive dollars are used, the number of jobs created and the full economic impact of such projects on communities. - House Bill 8 by State Rep. Gary VanDeaver
HB 8 would establish a new funding model for community colleges in Texas that recognizes and rewards such institutions for the important role they play with associate degrees, non-credit workforce education programs and other credentials of value that will be required in more than 60% of jobs in the state over the next decade. House Bill 8 would also create a new scholarship program, increasing the opportunity for economically disadvantaged high school students to enroll in dual credit courses, and expand access to higher education opportunities across the state by creating new shared services for institutions through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, enabling colleges to expand their range of offered academic and workforce programs. - House Bill 19 by State Rep. Andrew Murr
HB 19 would create a business court system in Texas, strengthening the state's already strong pro-business reputation that has driven economic and job growth to the state. A specialized court system for complex business cases in the state would establish a new avenue for those companies to solve their legal matters in a fair, streamlined and consistent manner.
"With so much job growth happening in our state, it's also important that we have the necessary avenues that foster workforce development to keep up with demand," Phelan said in a statement. "I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Texas House on discussing these three legislative proposals in the coming weeks and passing them out of our chamber."
Phelan's office said additional legislative priorities of the Texas House will be announced in the coming days.
The 140-day 88th session convened on Jan. 10 and runs through May 29.
