AUSTIN, Texas — With nine months to go before the gavel falls to open the next legislative session at the state capitol, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced 57 priorities he wants state senators to focus on in the interim.
“Our 31 senators submitted hundreds of ideas, with many senators sharing similar proposals. My staff and I worked diligently for weeks to review each request, and this is the first set of interim charges I am releasing in preparation for the 89th Legislature. We may release a second shorter list of additional charges before next session,” Patrick said in a statement on Thursday.
The 15-page document lists “charges” or political priorities for senate committees to study. Some of these could result in legislation.
Page 9 of the document, highlights Harris County's spending of federal funds. It points out the county’s use of “American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to set up a guaranteed-income pilot program.” The document highlights the push to “make recommendations to ensure that the spending of such funds is transparent, accountable, and within the legitimate purposes for local governments under Texas law.
Patrick is not the first Texas leader to call out the program. On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he is suing Harris County over the guaranteed income program, calling the program “unlawful.” He said it “redistributes public money in a manner that violates the Texas Constitution.”
The program, named Uplift Harris, is the county’s first guaranteed income program and provides eligible households with $500 a month for 18 months. It aims to help eligible families in 10 targeted ZIP codes.
Uplift Harris is funded with $20.5 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which was passed to help struggling Americans recover after the pandemic caused an economic crisis.
Border Security is among the most important issues for Texas Republicans. Patrick asked senators to “make recommendations to support and strengthen interagency border operations to combat criminal enterprises.”
On energy, Patrick wants senators to look at the direct and indirect impacts of renewable energy such as wind and solar, among other things.
Emerging technologies are also a priority with their potential to add more electricity to the grid during periods of high usage. Patrick said these emerging technologies that might supplement the grid could include “small modular nuclear reactors, advanced batteries, and new developments in hydrogen and geothermal resources.”
Patrick again wants to continue to reduce the state’s enormous property taxes on homeowners. He asked senators to identify the best way “to further increase the amount of homestead exemption and compression to continue cutting Texans' property taxes.”
But Patrick also requested lawmakers to determine the cost of eliminating all school property taxes, which is the largest amount that Texas homeowners pay, and the impact of eliminating all property taxes.
“Determine the fiscal consequences of each action, including whether revenue reallocations would be required for public education funding and local government funding, and impacts on the state's ability to respond to disasters and other urgent priorities,” he wrote to senators. “For example, determine the effect on other state programs if general revenue were used to fully replace school property taxes, particularly during economic downturns. Evaluate and report on how much state revenue would need to be generated to replace foregone property tax revenue, and from what source.”
Artificial intelligence, the rising cost of property insurance in Texas, and getting more Texans health insurance also made the list.
“The Senate’s work to study the list of charges will begin in the coming weeks and months. Following completion of hearings, committees will submit reports with their specific findings and policy recommendations before December 1, 2024,” Patrick said in a statement. “Come January 2025, the Senate will hit the ground running at the start of the 89th Legislative Session. The priorities of the conservative majority of Texans will be accomplished, including school choice, continued property tax relief, and strengthening the power grid.”
Read the entire list and Patrick's guidance to senators by clicking here.
Editor's note: Assistant Digital Director Lea Wilson contributed to this story.
