Winter Weather Recovery

Representative Michelle Beckley

Winter Storm Uri devastated Texas last week.

As you already know, Winter Storm Uri devastated Texas last week. Texans faced an unprecedented energy crisis, leaving millions of Texans without electricity or water to face the harsh weather brought on by the winter storm. Following the devastating events of Winter Storm Uri, the State of Texas is working diligently to alleviate emerging financial and resource challenges. Continue reading for more information regarding disaster relief and what the Texas Legislature is doing to help Texans.

Energy Updates

On Sunday, February 21, 2021 Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference in San Antonio where he provided an update on the state’s efforts to provide water and other resources to Texans across the state. During this press conference, the Governor stated that the Public Utility Commission (PUC) issued a moratorium on customer disconnections for non-payment and will temporarily restrict providers from issuing invoices. The PUC orders are applicable to customers of investor-owned utilities across the state that fall under the PUC’s jurisdiction (namely Oncor, AEP, CenterPoint, and TNMP). The Commission urged retail electric providers to delay invoicing for residential and small commercial electricity customers. This gives the Texas Legislature time to address skyrocketing energy prices and to identify solutions for Texans.

Texans’ experience enduring the winter storm power catastrophe ironically shed a light on the flaws of the energy industry in Texas. The deregulation of the energy sector attributed to the loss of power across the state - at a time we needed it the most. To avoid future disruptions, it is important to voice our opinions to the State.

The Texas House of Representatives is working on addressing these issues during the 87th Legislative Session. The committees on State Affairs and Energy Resources will hold a joint public hearing at 9:00 AM, Thursday, February 25, 2021. This public hearing serves to consider the factors that led to statewide electrical blackouts during the recent unprecedented weather event; the response by industry, suppliers, and grid operators; and changes necessary to avoid future power interruptions.

It is strongly advised to submit comments relating to the agenda items on this notice. Texas residents who wish to electronically submit comments can do so until the hearing is adjourned by visiting: House Public Comment. Please give your feedback to these committees. You can do so until Monday, March 1, 2021 at noon. Thank you!

Disaster Assistance

FEMA Disaster Assistance

On Saturday, President Biden issued a major disaster declaration, making 77 of Texas' 254 counties eligible for federal funding to help with recovery efforts. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585 TTY.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Angelina, Aransas, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, DeWitt, Ellis, Falls, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gillespie, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Lavaca, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, Montague, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Nueces, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rockwall, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Scurry, Shelby, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Travis, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson and Wise counties.

An additional 31 Texas counties were approved on Monday, February 22nd to be included to the President's Major Disaster Declaration.

Counties included in this approval are Anderson, Austin, Bosque, Bowie, Burnet, Cherokee, Colorado, Erath, Fannin, Freestone, Gonzales, Grayson, Gregg, Harrison, Hill, Houston, Hunt, Jackson, Jim Wells, Jones, Limestone, Lubbock, Medina, Milam, Navarro, Rusk, Taylor, Tom Green, Val Verde, Washington, Wood.

Governor Abbott asked for a declaration spanning the entire state, but the current FEMA declaration excluded parts of Texas. The state will continue to gather data from the omitted counties to support fulfillment of the state’s request. According to the White House, additional designation may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of further damage assessments. Please complete a damage survey online at TDEM.Texas.gov/warm to help with the effort.

Share this email and/or resources with anyone who you think will find this information useful. Follow my social channels to keep up with the latest news and updates! We WILL get through this together.

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