March 19, 2021 Newsletter

Representative Michelle Beckley

The TX Legislature springs forward!

With the bill filing deadline behind us… the Texas Legislature has begun to spring forward! We are about halfway through the 87th Texas Legislative Session, and although much progress has been made, there is plenty left to accomplish. As your State Representative, I will fight for what’s right and continue to challenge my GOP colleagues when necessary. Texas needs leaders who do what’s best for all Texans, regardless of occupation, age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background.

Our Bills

Bills Filed

HB 4177 - Relating to the identification required for voting of a voter with a recent name change.
HB 4180- Relating to the identification required for voting of a voter with a recent name change.
HB 4352 - Relating to the scope of practice of physician assistants.

Voters with recent name changes (i.e. recently married individuals, divorcees, transgender individuals) occasionally face issues when presenting their identification required to vote. If you have experienced this, please share your story with us. This will better prepare us to address this issue. You may submit your response here.

Bill Support

On Wednesday, March 17, the Chairman of Elections, Briscoe Cain, Joint Authored HB 661 which makes us one step closer to getting Election Day vote centers in Denton County. I promised that I would prioritize the establishment of vote centers in Denton County - and this is certainly a great step in that direction.

Committee Designations

With many of my bills receiving Committee assignments, Team Beckley has focused their efforts on bill committee hearing requests. We will keep you updated as to when my bills will be heard, as the session carries on.

HB 520, our Bee Kind to Pollinators Bill, is scheduled for a public hearing on Tuesday, March 23, 2021.

You may read more about Committee referrals and assignments by visiting my Texas Legislature Page.

Our Committees

IRED

The International Relations & Economic Development (IRED) Committee met on Wednesday to review bills related to workforce training, education, and skills development. We heard HB 755, HB 1791, HB 1799, HB 1247, HB 570, and HB 1214; these bills were left pending in committee. We also voted on HB 7 and HB 21 from the last IRED Committee hearing. HB 7 received eight yes votes/one no vote and HB 21 received nine yes votes/zero no votes.

Elections
The Elections Committee met on Thursday to hear the introduction of bills and invited testimony on elections. The bills considered were: HB 1724, HB 574, HB 752, HB 1622, HB 1725, HB 1382, HB 1397, HB 1264, HB 25, and HB 1890. The overarching theme of these bills were to assure and maintain election integrity and transparency. All were left pending in committee.

As a member of the Elections Committee, I will continue to work to ensure that voting rights are upheld. On Monday, March 15, I attended a press conference with the Texas House Democratic Caucus to speak out against Gov. Abbott’s earlier press event where he continued to undermine trust in Texas elections and our democracy by making baseless statements on the incidence of voter fraud. We know COVID-19 hits our brown and black neighbors harder and at higher rates, and we know the recent blackouts were worse for our marginalized communities. In this context, it is unbelievably insulting to watch the governor waste time patting himself on the back for championing the most restrictive voting rights legislation since the Jim Crow Era. House Democrats, including myself, will continue to fight for changes to our election laws that would make voting safe, easy, and accessible.

Our Support

Medicaid

Medicaid expansion remains a priority for the Texas Legislative Study Group (LSG) and its members, which I am currently a part of. As an LSG member, I filed several bills this session to expand Medicaid in Texas.

We need to get our health care costs lower. This is important because it can provide more options for those who are classified as 1099, self-employed, or own a small business. We must work to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, high-quality health care, and nobody should go bankrupt because they get sick.

Environment America
I joined over 360 local officials across 34 states to call for infrastructure that protects our health and environment. On Tuesday, we released a letter to President Biden and members of Congress with Environment America and U.S. PIRG, calling for investment in clean water, transportation, clean energy, solid waste, nature-based infrastructure, schools, and broadband. We hope that the federal government will prioritize these environmental challenges to ensure a sustainable society.

Thanks for reading this week’s Beckley Briefing! I will continue to keep my constituents well-informed about what is going on here at the Texas Capitol.

Sincerely,

State Representative Michelle Beckley (HD-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