February 26, 2021 Newsletter

Representative Michelle Beckley

As we face these unprecedented times - I continue to work diligently for the constituents of House District 65. 

Texans’ are facing a plethora of challenges in 2021, ranging from the on-going COVID-19 crisis to the loss of basic needs across the state. Texas is one of the wealthiest states in the United States, yet we are falling behind facing today’s largest issues. As a State Representative, I am doing everything in my power to find solutions for Texas. In a time of incredible loss, I strive to bring about positive change that will improve the lives of ALL Texans across the state. I will always prioritize the people. 

Our Bills

Team Beckley successfully met the February 24, 2021 deadline for bill drafting requests to the Texas Legislative Council. You can find the bill descriptions below. 


HB 1898: Relating to the exemption of tuition and laboratory fees at public institutions of higher education for certain emergency operators or dispatchers.

HB 1899: Relating to the posting of voter information on Internet websites.

HB 1901: Relating to renewing the application to receive ballots to be voted by mail for certain elections held during a calendar year.

HB 1956:Relating to information on projected changes in weather, water availability, and climate variability in strategic plans of certain state agencies.

HB 1965: Relating to the authority of the Public Utility Commission of Texas to ensure the Electric Reliability Council of Texas has adequate reserve power to prevent blackout conditions.

HB 2054: Relating to municipal and county regulation of sex parlors, including the imposition of civil and criminal penalties.

 

 

The recent loss of basic necessities caused by inclement weather and the deregulated energy market led me to refile HB 1956 and HB 1965.

HB 1956 is a refile of Eric Johnson's bill, HB 2571, from the 84th Texas Legislative Session. If this bill had been passed during that Session, state agencies would have been much more prepared to withstand the extreme winter weather Texas faced this February. HB 1956 will require the State Climatologist to provide a report to the Legislative Budget Board on projected changes in weather, water availability, and climate variability. This report will be made available to various state agencies - which would then be required to incorporate a description of their strategies and plans for risk management regarding weather, water availability, and climate variability in their own reports.

I refiled Mayor Sylvester Turner’s 2011 bill that would have required the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to have adequate reserve power in order to prevent blackout conditions. It previously did not leave Committee. HB 1965 serves to ensure that a reserve power capacity is in place in the event of extreme weather incidents. The commission should develop a process for obtaining sufficient emergency reserve power generation capacity in order to prevent blackout conditions caused by shortages of generated power in ERCOT power regions.

 

 

If you have any questions or concerns you can contact our Legislative Director, Cesar Obregon at Cesar.Obregon@house.texas.gov. 

Our Letters

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Texas Universal Service Fund Letter

I signed on to a bipartisan letter to the Public Utility Commission of Texas advocating for the commission to consider adopting emergency measures in order to keep the Texas Universal Service Fund (USF) viable. USF is designed to implement a set of programs to assist Texas residents, as needed, in obtaining basic telecommunications and internet services at a reasonable rate. Given our current pandemic crisis - it is important that the USF secures future funding and is able to support the expansion of broadband.


COVID-19 Relief Package Letter

62 Texas House Representatives, including myself, signed onto a letter to the Texas Congressional Delegation; this letter asks for complete support for President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus bill. Passage of the President’s $1.9 trillion proposal will help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and spur the Texas economy.


Letter to Governor Abbott

Representative Ramos and I sent a letter to Governor Greg Abbott urging him to testify at the Joint Committee meeting between the State Affairs Committee and the Energy Resources Committee that took place on Thursday, February 25th. His leadership and testimony would have been advantageous to the situation. However, he did not testify at the joint hearing. 

Additional Resources

FEMA Winter Storm Relief 

If you were affected by the winter storms in Texas, you can apply for FEMA's disaster assistance online.

 

Joint Committee Hearing - State Affairs and Energy Resources

Texas residents who wish to electronically submit comments related to the statewide electrical blackouts during the recent unprecedented weather event can do so until Monday, March 1, 2021, at noon by visiting this link.

COVID-19 Vaccinations

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) and Span Inc. of Denton County are working jointly to provide bus transportation to Denton County Public Health (DCPH) vaccination clinics beginning today. The complementary service is only available to those who have a scheduled vaccination appointment at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). Anyone who has received an appointment notification for a COVID-19 vaccine after registering with the DCPH Vaccine Interest Portal is eligible to use bus transportation to a clinic on the appointed day. Read more here. 

 

If you have yet to register for the COVID-19 Vaccine through DCPH, you can complete the Interest Form here.

Find Your Representative 

With so much at stake, it is important to identify who your State Representative is. If you don’t know who represents your House District, you can find out here. This link can also be shared with your friends or family to ensure that they are accurately informed about who their State Representative is. 

 

Thank you all for your support. 

 

Sincerely, 

 

State Representative Michelle Beckley (HD-65) 

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
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