April 30, 2021 Newsletter

Representative Michelle Beckley

Would you look at that? We have approached the final month of the 87th Texas Legislative Session! The last couple of weeks have been filled with increasingly long days, with the intent to pass meaningful legislation for Texans across the state. Keep reading to discover what Team Beckley has been up to, you won’t want to miss it!

Our Bills

Mandatory Sales Price Disclosure Bill
HB 1101 was considered in the Business & Industry Committee on April 20th, where it was left pending in Committee. HB 1101 will expand transparency to the appraisal process and ensure fair property taxes to our taxpayers. This bill will require the disclosure of a property's sales price, allowing for accurate appraisal assessments.

Custodian Workload Bill
Many school districts don't have established policies regarding custodial personnel - which can lead to health risks for students and school staff. HB 517 will alleviate the strain currently placed on custodians who are given too heavy of workloads. This bill was heard & left pending in the Public Education Committee on April 21st.

Emergency Alert Bill

How could we forget Winter Storm Uri… which unveiled the infrastructure redesign that is long overdue in Texas. Texans across the state experienced burdensome weather conditions during Winter Storm Uri, yet communication about the disaster was extremely lacking. HB 3154 seeks to improve emergency communication by requiring that a wireless alert be sent out when disaster strikes. HB 3154 was considered & left pending in the Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee on April 21st.

House Bill 661 has been scheduled for a public hearing in the House Committee on Elections. This bill follows on my promise to establish Election Day Voter Centers in Denton County. While poll greeting, my team and I witnessed first-hand voters using their valuable time to wait to vote, only to be told they needed to go to a different location. It is past time to make Election Day voting easier in Denton County. There is no reason why voters need to be inconvenienced on Election Day, especially when every day during early voting, voters are allowed to vote anywhere in Denton County. Dallas, Collin, and Tarrant Counties all have vote centers, and Denton County should be no different.

HB 661 would allow any county in Texas to apply for the Countywide Polling Place Program. Currently, only counties that utilize purely electronic elections systems are permitted to apply for the program. Voting machines that utilize a combination of paper and electronic ballots as part of the election process are just as, if not more so, secure than purely electronic voting machines and should no longer disqualify counties from participating in the Countywide Polling Place Program.

It is my priority to get this bill passed, to ensure that next election cycle, Denton County voters will not be turned away at the polls on election day and will be allowed to vote at any polling location in the County.

HB 661 is scheduled to be heard in the House Committee on Elections on Tuesday, May 4th, 2021.

Our Committees

International Relations & Economic Development (IRED) Committee

This Committee has seen a plethora of great bills this session! I am proud of my fellow members on this Committee- as they have remained focused on pertinent matters throughout this session. I cannot say the same for all members on the Elections Committee. The IRED Committee continuously devotes their time to hearing bills that benefit people of this state. Last week, we heard HB 1980, HB 2964, HB 4067, and HB 4119. This week, we heard HB 2160, HCR 84, and HR 186.

Elections Committee

My oh my… where do I begin? Throughout the 87th Legislative Session, the Chair and members of the Committee on Elections have violated the rules and norms of the Texas House of Representatives, including preventing the consideration of ameliorative amendments and silencing opposing viewpoints. Just yesterday, without any notice to members of the committee or our staff, Rep. Cain, Chair of the House Committee on Elections, brought Senate Bill 7 to a vote before our Committee. We were expected to vote on this bill without hearing from members of the public, and from marginalized communities that this bill would disproportionately affect. This type of behavior is a deviation from standard operating procedure in the Texas Legislature. State Representative Jessica Gonzalez (D-104), Representative Art Fierro (D-79), Representative John Bucy (D-136), and I issued a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice urging the Department of Justice to monitor the future proceedings on the House Committee on Elections for the remainder of session.

House Floor Updates

On Thursday, April 22, 2021 Texas’ state budget for the next biennium was debated on the House Floor. I offered state budget amendments, which respectively institute a pay raise for certain state healthcare employees and enforce key accountability provisions for the Office of the Attorney General. Ultimately, my amendment for increased transparency in the Attorney General’s Office was adopted.

Last year, the Attorney General of Texas sued the states of Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the United States Supreme Court, despite zero evidence of election fraud, and even after being called out by election officials in all four states. Despite multiple open record requests, the Attorney General has yet to reveal a comprehensive number for the cost of these cases to the taxpayer. This amendment ensures that the Attorney General’s Office tracks and reports detailed information about the cost of these cases. It is important that we seek to ensure that our elections in Texas are safe and secure, but Texas taxpayers deserve to know where their hard-earned dollars are spent. Accountability is essential for the integrity of our democracy.

Thanks for your continued support, and I hope this information proves useful to you. Until next time!

Sincerely,

State Representative Michelle Beckley
House District 65

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The Impact of Voucher Programs on Public Schools in Texas: Why Defunding Public Schools is a Bad Idea

By Michelle Beckley • 06 Oct, 2023

Uncover the impact voucher programs have had on public schools in Texas and how defunding these institutions would be detrimental to student success.

House Bill 4072 Update

By State Representative Michelle Beckley • 06 Jul, 2021

The city council of Carrollton, Texas provided comments regarding House Bill 4072 , which was proposed during the 87th Texas Legislative Session. The city council of Carrollton, Texas expressed their opposition for HB 4072 . HB 4072 sought to simplify and clarify local sales and use tax administration by establishing as the state’s default sourcing method a destination-based method under which sales are sourced to the location where the item is shipped or delivered or where the purchaser takes possession. HB 4072 requires that local sales taxes be collected and reported based on an item’s final destination as opposed to the transaction location. The city council of Carrollton voiced that the proposed changes would have disproportionally impacted cities with large commercial bases, placed undue burden on businesses, and caused unintended consequences. Our office also reviewed the potential impact of HB 4072 on the City of Lewisville. If HB 4072 had been passed, the changes would have resulted in an annual loss of more than $10 million in sales tax for Lewisville. Lewisville would have likely faced reduced services and employee layoffs across all city departments, including police and fire departments. The Office of State Representative Beckley proudly represented the interests of Carrollton and Lewisville, by opposing this piece of legislation. HB 4072 intended to address a perceived inequity that results from the misuse of Chapter 380 agreements, but the Comptroller already has the authority to invalidate these types of agreements. Cities use Chapter 380 agreements to grow their economies and benefit their communities. HB 4072 was unsuccessful during the 87th Legislative Regular Session; it was voted out of the Ways & Means House Committee but did not make its way to the House Floor. HB 4072 was left pending in the Calendars Committee; the Calendars Committee has jurisdiction over the placement of bills and resolutions on appropriate calendars. The 87th Regular Session ended on May 31, 2021. Sincerely, State Representative Michelle Beckley

Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program

By State Representative Michelle Beckley • 22 Jun, 2021

Are you or a loved one heading to college this Fall? Does he/she/they need financial help? The Office of Representative Michelle Beckley is asking for submissions for the Texas Armed Services Scholarship. The Texas Armed Services Scholarship (TASSP) has been created to assist promising students from the State of Texas who are committed to education and service. It encourages young leaders to participate in the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard, the Texas State Guard, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Merchant Marine, or to become commissioned officers in any branch of the armed services of the United States. Each year the governor and the lieutenant governor may each appoint two students, and each state senator and each state representative may appoint one student to receive an initial conditional scholarship award. The amount of the award will be up to $10,000 and cannot exceed the student’s cost of attendance. Eligibility for Nomination: Students selected must meet two of these four academic criteria: Be on track to graduate or have graduated high school with the Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP), the distinguished level of achievement under the Foundation High School program, or the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program Have a high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale Achieved a college readiness score on the SAT (1020) or ACT (23) Be ranked in the top one-third of the prospective high school graduating class Eligibility for Award: To receive a scholarship, an appointed student must: Be registered with Selective Service or be exempt Be enrolled an in good standing in a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program or another undergraduate officer commissioning program as certified by the institution Maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) as indicated by the financial aid office at the recipient’s institution of higher education Enter into a written agreement with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) Complete school-initiated Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program application by October 15, 2021 Repay the scholarship if requirements are not met If you’re interested in the Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program, please send your resume and a short essay (300-500 words) explaining your interest in the program to Michelle.Beckley@house.texas.gov . You will receive an update to your nomination status by July 9, 2021. Feel free to reach out to our District Director , Ariana Johnson, if you have any questions about the Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program. Thanks and good luck! Please note: The scholarship applicant should be a House District 65 constituent. If you are unsure of who represents you in Texas, find out here . Best wishes, State Representative Michelle Beckley