November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
The Unfunded Mandates Survey deadline has been extended to Dec. 20! Yes, Dec. 20 is a Sunday, and yes, it is the last Sunday before Christmas.
November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
Between Oct. 29 and Nov. 6, staff members from the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) and the governor's Budget and Policy Division have held virtual budget hearings on state agency legislative appropriations requests (LARs) for the 2022-23 biennium. The LARs lay out agencies’ funding requirements and needs for the upcoming fiscal biennium.
November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
Gov. Abbott’s Broadband Development Council recently released its 2020 report to the Texas Legislature. The council recommends that the Texas Legislature create a state broadband plan and establish a statewide broadband office.
November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
After the passage of Senate Bill 2, known as the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act of 2019, local governments were tasked with implementing all 152 pages of the new law. While some provisions of SB 2 contained a delayed implementation date for counties with a population of 200,000 and below, all counties were subject to new terminology, new calculations and new publication requirements.
November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
The Joint Committee on Access and Forensic Services (JCAFS) approved its 2020 report on mental health bed allocation methodology. The report will be submitted to the Health and Human Services Commission’s executive commissioner and the Legislature by Dec. 1.
November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
On Oct. 28, TAC hosted its first Virtual 254 Log on & Learn event for legislators and their staffs. This event was an opportunity for the Legislature to hear from county officials about the significant impact that behavioral health has on counties.
November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
The Judicial Commission on Mental Health has issued its 2020 Legislative Recommendations and Report. Recommendations important to counties include procedures related to mental health used by law enforcement, health care workers and courts; competency restoration; and technology solutions for emergency detention warrants.
November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
That’s a wrap! TAC's Legislative Services team completed the long-standing fall Legislative Exchange program in a transformed virtual format.
November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
As the 87th Legislative Session begins, please join us on Tuesday, Jan. 12, for the kickoff of our weekly breakfasts.
November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
TAC has highlighted recent attorney general opinions and requests for opinions of interest to counties.
November 17, 2020|
Legislative News
Due to time constraints imposed by the holidays, early filing and a number of upcoming events, we will not issue a December newsletter this year. Look for the newsletter to continue in January, when we will once again return to a weekly format during the legislative session.
October 13, 2020|
Legislative News
On Sept. 29, Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) submitted a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chair Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) requesting that she work with state leaders to review and eliminate restrictive policies governing the use of CARES Act funding for counties with populations less than 500,000.
October 13, 2020|
Legislative News
The Nov. 5 due date for the 2020 Unfunded Mandates Survey is fast approaching. Summer seemed to slip by particularly fast this year which may explain why we have only 38 completed surveys as of Oct. 14. That number is far below the 110 counties that participated in the 2018 survey, but there is still time.
October 13, 2020|
Legislative News
As the Nov. 3 general election approaches, there is no shortage of litigation in federal and state courts over voting. The most recent lawsuit came in response to the Oct. 1 proclamation issued by Gov. Gregg Abbott reducing the number of drop boxes for early voting mail-in-ballots to one location per county and requiring that poll watchers have access to the main early voting location to observe activities.
October 13, 2020|
Legislative News
Effective Oct. 14, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) is updating the criteria for a county to be exempt from the face covering requirement of executive order GA-29.
October 13, 2020|
Legislative News
After an exhaustive search, TAC Legislative Services Director Noe Barrios recently filled three empty positions.
October 13, 2020|
Legislative News
On Sept. 23, Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) co-hosted an informational session via Zoom with the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic’s permanent impact on Texas courtrooms.
October 13, 2020|
Legislative News
On Sept. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a moratorium order under Section 361 of the U.S. Public Health Service Act. The order temporarily halts residential evictions for nonpayment of rent by a declared “covered person,” as defined by the order.
October 13, 2020|
Legislative News
As they say on Broadway, the show must go on! With no clear indication of what the 87th legislative session might look like, county officials and your TAC Legislative Services staff still must be prepared to share the county message with lawmakers.
October 13, 2020|
Legislative News
After months of negotiations between Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin over a new round of COVID-19 stimulus aid, President Donald Trump instructed Republicans to cease negotiations until after Election Day. Earlier talks between the parties yielded an agreement to fund the government through Dec. 11, staving off a shutdown, which would have occurred on Oct. 1.
October 13, 2020|
Legislative News
TAC has highlighted recent attorney general opinions and requests for opinions of interest to counties.
September 14, 2020|
Legislative News
In 2017, the 85th Legislature passed House Bill 25 by Rep. Ron Simmons (R-Carrollton) eliminating straight party voting, beginning on Sept. 1, 2020.
September 14, 2020|
Legislative News
The Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) instructions for the 2022-23 biennial budget are available on the Governor's and Legislative Budget Board’s websites. No additional reductions in funding, beyond the 5% reduction plans required by state leaders in May 2020, are required.
September 14, 2020|
Legislative News
The Unfunded Mandates (UFM) Survey is important to all 254 counties. The ability to show legislators the impact that their decisions continue to have on county finances is critical.
September 14, 2020|
Legislative News
Senate Bill 325, passed during the 86th Legislature and sponsored by Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) and Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa), launched a state Protective Order Registry.
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