Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has issued the first round of interim charges ahead of the next legislative session, charting legislative priorities to pursue when the Senate reconvenes. While only five have been released, Lt. Gov. Patrick anticipates issuing the full list in March after receiving and compiling all recommendations from other legislators.
“These first 5 interim charges . . . reflect issues that I am particularly focused on, and Texans have asked the Texas Senate to study,” said Lt. Gov. Patrick in a corresponding release. “The Texas senators have been asked to provide their interim charge recommendations by Feb. 20, and my staff and I will diligently review those hundreds of interim charge ideas.”
One of the priority interim charges – directed toward the State Affairs Committee – will be the state’s effort to prevent Sharia law in Texas. Following a common theme for Texas lawmakers, the commission will make recommendations to ensure Sharia law does not affect or overrule state and federal constitutions. The interim charge pushes to protect residents from housing discrimination, evaluate real estate purchases by select entities and evaluate the proposed East Plano Islamic Center development and if its leaders are violating any laws.
The Finance Committee will further delve into cutting property taxes, building off the popularity and success of the Homestead Exemption. The committee will study and report on how increasing the Homestead Exemption impacts households, including how it affects the senior homestead exemption for those between 55 and 65 years of age. Full implementation would stop home values a decade earlier for millions of homeowners.
The Business and Commerce Committee will prioritize securing critical infrastructure and supply chain integrity. Plans include evaluating the integrity of the supply chain for critical infrastructure, including the electrical grid, resulting in a series of recommendations for improvements and an ongoing evaluation process designed to maintain an effective grid. The committee will further analyze and determine vulnerabilities or risks posed by hostile foreign entities of concern.
The Health and Human Services Committee will address fraud and abuse cases, protecting taxpayer funds in the process. The committee will explore and recommend methods to prevent these cases in the state’s human service programs, including Medicaid and Child Care Services.
The Education Committee will be tasked with examining public school educational practices, including how select schools promote events, partnerships or associations designated as hostile agents or their associates. Plans include developing options for strengthening laws related to preventing these entities from infiltrating classrooms and ensuring all public schools promote American and Texas exceptionalism.
Photo by LoneStarMike, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, from Wikimedia Commons
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