Legislative Victories in the 88th Regular Session
Dr. Lynn Stucky has built a reputation in the Texas Capitol as someone who is smart, thoughtful, and capable of accomplishing major victories for his constituents and the state at-large. In the 88th Regular Session, the state representative for Denton & Wise Counties filed a record number of bills and successfully sent 17 of those pieces of legislation — more than half of his policy portfolio — to the Governor’s desk.
Many of the bills will have a direct impact on Denton and Wise Counties, with tools to promote local businesses and build a stronger economy. Others pay respect to the historic sites and allow officials to preserve these heritage locations without additional burdens on the local taxpayers. From supporting law enforcement to
Here is a highlight of the legislation that Dr. Lynn Stucky authored and passed in 2023 regular legislative session:
-
This bill was filed on behalf of Maitlyn Gandy, mother of 7-year-old Athena Strand. The tragedy of Athena’s kidnapping and murder in late-2022 sparked numerous conversations about flaws in the system.
HB 3556 authorizes regional Ambert Alerts, requested by local law enforcement, that will go out in a 100-mile radius from the county where the child is believed to have gone missing. You can read more about the implementation of “Athena Alerts” in this post from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Read more about the debate and Dr. Stucky’s passage of “Athena Alerts” in the Fort World Star-Telegram, Fox 4 News, NBC 5 News, Dallas Morning News, and the Wise County Messenger.
-
During the 88th Regular Session, the Texas House adjourned in memory of a volunteer firefighter from West, Texas, killed by a reckless driver on I-35. This happened at the same time Dr. Stucky was fighting to pass HB 898, which strengthens the penalties for violating the state’s Move Over, Slow Down law.
Receiving overwhelming bipartisan support, HB 898 was signed into law. The based fines are increased and jail time has been added for causing an injury to a law enforcement officer, firefighter, tow truck operator, or other roadside worker. At the same time, there remains a provision to replace these fines with community service for drivers who cannot afford the misdemeanor penalty.
Read more about Texas’ Move Over, Slow Down law here.
To see testimony from the widows of Texans killed responding to roadside events, click here.
-
Workforce challenges are still hurting many industries, including Texas’ county jails. Dr. Stucky worked with sheriffs from across the state this session to provide a recruitment tool for new or returning jailers.
HB 2183 was a bipartisan effort to ease struggles for county jails, which are seeing high turnover thanks to competitive wage markets around the state. The bill gives sheriffs more flexibility in working with new recruits operating under a temporary jailer license. The bill does not excuse training, but does allow for more time to give new recruits the chance to complete the state-mandated course.
Additionally, the bill allows for returning jailers to apply for a new temporary license if their previous license has expired. This allows sheriffs to recruit jailers who left on good standing.
-
As a co-author of HB 2127, Dr. Stucky incorporated portions of his bills (HB 1348/HB 2440) that kept cities from being able to regulate state-licensed medical professionals. The omnibus HB 2127 touched on other areas where woke city councils have stepped outside of their authority to circumvent state law, especially with regard to the operation of businesses.
Texas is one of the most business-friendly states in the nation, and we have built the 9th largest economy in the world through regulatory consistency and low taxes. HB 2127 maintains consistency by drawing a clear line in the sand on where city authority ends, and state authority supersedes local action.
-
This was the first session in which Dr. Stucky officially represented the people of Wise County. Working with local elected officials and community leaders, Dr. Stucky identified a handful of initiatives to support the county and promote Wise County history.
HB 1034: Authorizes the Wise County HOT Fund to use a portion of hotel taxes on tourism promotion, protecting historic sites, and expanding the county fairgrounds.
HB 3099: Designating the portion of US 380 from Decatur to Jacksboro as the “Lost Battalion Memorial Highway.” This designation is in honor of the military heroes from World War II who were captured prisoners in the Pacific Theater.
HB 2573: This bill allowed for the sale of the Wise County Hospital to continue operating and serving rural Texans throughout the region. This was an important bill to protect healthcare access in Wise County.
HCR 27: This resolution re-designated the City of Bridgeport as the Stagecoach Capital of Texas. Originally recognized in 2009, the designation lapsed under state law. Dr. Stucky was honored to restore this historic designation to an important stop on the stagecoach trail.
-
As the dean of the Denton County Delegation in the Texas House, Dr. Stucky is a valued policy leader for his home county and the communities he serves. There were a handful of bills that will benefit the county, its residents, and specific communities thanks to bills passed by Dr. Stucky.
HB 5105: Authorizes Denton County to establish a HOT fund to promote tourism and support new multi-purpose facilities that will be significant economic drivers in the region. Dr. Stucky led a broad coalition that included support from fellow lawmakers serving Denton County, as well as dozens of stakeholders back home.
HB 2321 (passed as HB 5012): This bill restored the City of Denton’s ability to recoup state hotel tax dollars to support local projects that promote tourism. The omnibus bill helps relieve the projects that local taxpayers would otherwise support.
HB 2331 (passed as SB 569): Did you know that under previous law, attorneys were only charged $1 for public information document requests? Dr. Stucky worked with Sen. Drew Springer to fix this so that attorneys (not the taxpayers) pay for the time and costs of these public information requests.
-
One of Dr. Stucky’s priorities this legislative session was the expand the career pipeline in Texas and address affordability issues for college students.
HB 3211 (passed as HB 3287): Authorizes the Texas State Techinical College to open a campus in Denton County. This facility will work with other higher ed partners to create a robust pipeline for skilled workers in fast-growth, high-wage industries.
HB 2177: Technology is making it easier than ever for Texans to get an education. HB 2177 leverages technology to reduce costs for textbooks and other materials by creating a Netflix-style program that is subscription based rather than charging per-textbook. The pilot program will test feasibility before potential expansion statewide.
-
During the session, Dr. Stucky heard from constituents and others in the construction industry about outrageous fees being charged by cities for inspections. Some of these fees exceeded the cost of the vendor producing the product, such as an engineer drawing up design plans. HB 3492 forces cities to charge these fees based on the time and cost to inspect the project, not based on the overall cost of a project.
In addition to these legislative victories, Dr. Stucky also co-authored and helped pass several major Conservative priorities this session. Click here to take a look at those Conservative victories.
To share some of these legislative accomplishments, you may download and share the image below:
