Capitol Annex’s Press Room

[Press Release from State Reps. Jim Dunnam (D-Waco) and Tommy Meritt (R-Longview)]
State Representatives Jim Dunnam (D-Waco) and Tommy Merritt (R-Longview) released the following joint statement today regarding the dispatch of peace officers to Texas Youth Commission (TYC) facilities.

[Press Release From Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston)]
State Representative Sylvester Turner will appear before the Committee on Human Services today to lay out, HB 109, to return the Children’s Health Insurance Program back to it’s original design.

[Press Release From State Rep. Solomon Ortiz, Jr. (D-Corpus Christi)]
State Representative Solomon Ortiz Jr. (D-Corpus Christi) announced today that he has filed HB 1957, which would require that all health insurance plans in Texas cover prenatal
care, labor and delivery.

[Press Release from Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio)]
Representative Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio) called for safer TASER use by filing H.B. 1535. H.B. 1535 will monitor, train and require registration for Texans who use TASERs.

Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville) filed HB 1256 which allows local law enforcement to hold illegal immigrants in city jails, fingerprint all minor offenders who do not have identification, and detain illegal immigrants who returned to the U.S. after deportation for criminal convictions or have defied previous deportation orders.

[Press Release from Rep. Veronica Gonzales (D-McAllen)]
State Representative Veronica Gonzales (D-McAllen) has joint-authored the Texas Prevention First Act (HB 1842) which aims to reduce unplanned pregnancies and curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Representative Gonzales stated HB 1842 will expand access to preventative health care services and education programs and save public health funds […]

[Press Release from State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio)
State Representative Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio) voted for House Bill 2, which ensures that the public schools will receive the funding they were promised during the third Special Session in May.

[Press Release From State Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Tomball)]
The House Committee on Jurisprudence unanimously approved a measure Wednesday that would deny parole to certain first-time sex offenders and put the death penalty in play for repeat offenders.

Press release here.

[Press Release from State Rep. Veronica Gonzales (D-McAllen)]
AUSTIN– State Representative Veronica Gonzales D-McAllen joined her Democratic colleagues in unanimously voting for a constitutional amendment, (SJR 13) extending the tax cuts passed last year to include seniors and disabled persons. Though the amendment passed unanimously, it had been endangered last week when it was attached to […]

[Press Release from State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin)]
AUSTIN– Today State Representative Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin) voted against the resolution to break the constitutional spending cap for the first time in Texas history.
SCR 20 allows the legislature to break the constitutional spending cap in order to pay for local school property tax cuts, however, with the passage […]

[Statement Of House Democratic Leader Jim Dunnam (D-Waco)]
AUSTIN– State Representative Jim Dunnam issued the following statement today in response to the House of Representatives passing SCR 20, a resolution to exceed the state spending limit:

[Press Release from State Rep. Ellen Cohen (D-Houston)
(Austin) - Rep. Ellen Cohen urged lawmakers to put aside politics and work toward meaningful measures designed to combat sexual assault.  “Talking tough on crime is easy,” said Cohen, “but providing resources to local and state agencies should be our focus.”

[Press Release from State Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerville)]
Rep. Harvey Hilderbran’s bill which eliminates the cap on the sporting goods tax to fund state and local parks will go before the Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20.  The committee, which is led by Rep. Hilderbran (R-Kerrville), will hear testimony from […]

[Statement by former House Appropriations Chairman Talmadge Heflin]
“While conservatives are naturally hesitant to broach a constitutional spending limit that has been in place for 30 years, the goal of property tax relief justifies such a vote tomorrow.

[Press Release from State Rep. Jerry Madden]
The Council of State Governments Justice Center announced today that Texas’s Court of Criminal Appeals has been selected to participate in the Chief Justices’ Criminal Justice / Mental Health Leadership Initiative, a national project designed to assist state supreme court chief justices in guiding efforts in their state to […]

[Press Release from State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin)]
Today Representative Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin) took a stand today to decrease property taxes for the elderly and disabled, increase the homestead tax exemption and raise teacher salary.

[Statement From House Democratic Leader Jim Dunnam (D-Waco)]
House Democratic Leader Jim Dunnam (D-Waco) issued the following statement today regarding HB2 and SJR13, both of which passed the House today:

[Press Release from State Rep. Dianne Delisi (R-Temple)]
Austin – State Rep. Dianne White Delisi stated today that she looks forward to hearing from the public on two pieces of important legislation on the topic of state policy regarding Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Delisi was one of the participants in a press conference held at the […]

[Press Release from State Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Houston)]
AUSTIN - The House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence announced late Wednesday night it would consider HB 8, also known as Jessica’s Law, in a public hearing on Tuesday.

[Press Release from State Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson (R-McLennan County)]
HCR 43 by Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson has been referred to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation, the first step toward passage.  The resolution calls on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to impose a six month moratorium on the issuing of permits for pulverized coal […]

[Press Release from State Rep. Betty Brown (R-Terrell)]
On Friday, Rep. Betty Brown filed HB 1588 that would end the practice of contingency fees for anyone who lobbies an executive officer of the state government.

[Press Release from State Rep. Mark Strama and State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte]
State Representative Mark Strama today filed HB 1300, legislation that would make higher education more affordable for military veterans in Texas. Senator Leticia Van de Putte, the chair of the Veterans Affairs and Military Installations Committee and a member of the Senate […]

[Press Statement from State Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Alpine)]
“I appreciate Jim Keffer setting HJR 1 for a public hearing tomorrow and accommodating my request to move this resolution instead of the more problematic alternative. The vast majority of members want to expeditiously give senior citizens and the disabled the same tax relief given to all other […]

[Press Release from State Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth).]
Two years ago, the University of Texas at Austin attempted to win a contract to run Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), a key laboratory in the development of nuclear weapons systems. The Lab has been plagued by security breaches in recent years. Just last month, several Congressmen […]