The Texas Legislature is in high gear now after passing the halfway point on March 20th. Thank you to all the Robson Ranch Republicans who made the trip on March 22nd to tour the Capitol, the governor's mansion, and take in the legislature. I look forward to an upcoming club meeting where I can present you with the official resolution honoring Robson Ranch Republican Day in the Texas Capitol.

Already, I have had a package of legislation heard in committee and voted out favorably. As I work through the last of the 140-day session, I wanted to be sure you had a sense of the legislation I have filed.

This session, I have filed about 30 bills and resolutions. Many of these policies address issues either in Denton or Wise County, or addressing larger problems being faced statewide. Below is a highlight of the policy I have filed.

H.B. 898: this bill seeks to increase the penalty for failing to observe the state's Move Over, Slow Down law. The bill is joint-authored by Reps. Frederick Frazier and John Lujan, a police officer, and firefighter, respectively.

H.B. 1034/H.B. 5105: each of these bills independently authorizes Wise and Denton County to have HOT Fund authority to promote tourism as well as support facility construction, upkeep, and restoration.

H.B. 2183: this bill supports Texas sheriffs who are struggling with workforce issues in county jails. The bill authorizes an extension of temporary jailers licenses, as well as allowing former correctional officers to re-apply for a temporary license.

H.B. 1348: seeks to rein in cities that are acting outside there authority by attempting to regulate state-licensed occupations.

H.B. 1938: Texas continues to have a problem with teachers and other education professionals engaging in improper relationships with students (about 1 teacher for every day of the school year has their certification revoked or surrendered.) This bill will create a framework for parents to report a teacher for sexual grooming after their child has made an outcry, and then transfer the student to a new school.

H.B. 3211: Among the workforce shortages we are facing in Texas are skilled trades. This bill will allow Texas State Technical College to build a campus in Denton County to increase the availability of local skilled workers. These include welders, HVAC technicians, electricians, etc.

H.B. 1906/H.J.R. 99/H.B. 3556: This package of legislation was filed in honor of Athena Strand, the 7-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in Wise County. These policies seek to address our open-door bail policies by delaying the release of criminals facing charges of injuring or killing a child. H.B. 3556 creates a framework for regional use of the Amber Alert system for missing children.

These are just some of the bills that I have filed. A full list of bills that I have either authored or are supporting as a joint- or co-author may be found online at capitol.texas.gov.

If you would like more information about a specific bill mentioned here, please contact my Capitol office at 512-463-0582 or email Lynn.Stucky@house.texas.gov. For regular updates from the Capitol, sign up for my e-newsletter at LynnStucky.com.

It is an honor to serve you and be working hard for the people of Texas.

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