Click or read below for an update on legislation related to children's health, health insurance, government/faith based partnerships, energy and climate change.
Most Bills on Children’s Health are Pending in Committee
With 49 days left in this session, SB 841 by Senator Kip Averitt establishing a CHIP buy-in option for families with incomes greater than 200 percent but less than 300 percent of federal poverty level is still pending in the Senate Finance Committee. Minor details remain under negotiation, but the bill is likely to pass out of committee and the House version of the budget would fund the new eligibility levels.
Most of the children’s health bills that were heard in the House Human Services Committee on March 19 remain pending in committee. Some of these bills have details that are still in negotiation but most of them are on hold pending final budget decisions. HB 647 by Dawnna Dukes establishing 12-month eligibility for Children’s Medicaid is one of the more than 26 children’s health bills pending in House Human Services. The Senate passed their version of the budget on April 1st and the House is expected to vote on their version this Friday, April 17th.
Click here to see a list of other children’s health bills pending in committee.
Tuesday, April 14 will be a big day for Health Insurance Consumers
The Texas Department of Insurance sunset bill will be discussed in both chambers on Tuesday. The Senate will debate the Senate version of the bill, SB 1007 by Senator Glen Hegar, after having postponed the bill from its originally scheduled date due to concerns raised by Senate Democrats that the bill does not provide enough protection for insurance consumers. The House version of the bill, HB 2203 by Representative Carl Isett, will be heard in the House Insurance Committee on Tuesday. Texas Impact has been working all year to ensure that the Texas Department of Insurance has the tools it needs to build health insurance solutions and serve consumers.
A Bill to Strengthen Government Partnership with Faith and Community Based Organizations
After being voted down the past two legislative sessions the faith based initiative bill is back for a third time. This session Representative Zerwas is sponsoring the bill and the bill number has changed to HB 492. This bill would appoint one employee from selected state agencies to serve as a liaison between their agency and faith and community based organizations to ensure effective administration of public and private funds for bolstering the capacity of groups serving Texas Communities. The bill has been voted out of the House Public Health Committee and is waiting on the House Calendars Committee to schedule it for the House floor.
Solar Legislation
This session, twelve bills call for a new Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) for emerging energy technology in Texas. The new RPS will promote solar, biomass, geothermal, and small scale wind energy. Many of these bills were heard in committee on March 24, but most of them are still pending.
Pending in Senate Business and Commerce:
SB 1419 (Lucio)
SB 435 (Ellis)
SB 541 (Watson)
SB 1423 (Huffman)
SB 620 (Shapleigh)
SB 2020 (Watson)
Pending in House State Affiars:
HB 3478 (Gallego)
HB 2520 (Swinford)
Pending in House Energy Resources:
HB 3145 (Gonzales Toureilles)
HB 4327 (Strama)
HB 2850 (Farabee)
HB 2194 (Christian)
Climate Change Legislation
U.S regulation of carbon emissions is becoming more likely. As the nation’s largest carbon emitter, Texas should prepare now for carbon regulation and quantify the potential costs of adapting to climate change that is already occurring.
Texas Impact is focusing on climate solutions this session through our support for HB 1553, SB 988 and SB184. HB 1553 and SB988 are companion bills that require state agencies to estimate the future costs of maintaining services and programs in the event of significant climate change. SB 184 is a “no regrets” bill that would develop a list of emission reduction strategies for greenhouse gases with no costs or savings to the state, consumers, or businesses.
HB 1553 (Burnam) was reported favorably by the House Committee on Environmental Regulation. SB 988 did not pass out of Senate Natural Resources but the committee will have one more chance to approve this timely, commonsense legislation when it considers HB 1553. SB 184 (Watson) was approved by the Senate and is awaiting a House committee referral.
