State
BY ALEX REECE
5 legislative updates from Dallas-Fort Worth area lawmakers
Texas’ 89th legislative session is underway. Members of the Texas House and Senate convened Jan. 14. Lawmakers were able to begin filing bills Nov. 12. Not all filed bills will become law—out of the more than 13,000 bills filed in 2023, just under 1,300 became law. More bills are expected to be filed in the coming weeks as the deadline to file most legislation is March 14. Here is a brief look at five of the dozens of bills put forward by Dallas-Fort Worth area representatives. 1 House bill caps superintendent salaries at the governor’s amount Rep. Bumgarner filed House Bill 974 on Nov. 12. The bill proposes that the salaries, including bonuses, of superintendents and chief executive officers be limited to no more than what the governor makes annually. Superintendent salaries can be found on the Texas Education Agency’s website and are considered public information. The bill would only apply to superintendents and CEOs at school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. Any allowances or stipends given to the CEO or superintendent would not be included in the overall salary.
3 New bill seeks free cancer screenings for Texas firefighters
2 Proposed senate bill would keep a portion of Interstate 635 toll-free SB 720, submitted by Sen. Bob Hall on Jan 7, would prohibit any entities from placing tolls or other lane restrictions along I-635 between IH 30 and US 75. Hall represents District 2, which covers a portion of Richardson, Garland, Rockwall. The I-635 roadway, which spans nearly 40 miles of North Texas, runs through all of those areas as well as several other cities.
Rep. Ben Bumgarner submitted HB 198 on Nov. 12. The bill would require political subdivisions to offer free occupational cancer screenings to each firefighter after five years of employment.
Tests would include: • Colorectal cancer • Lung cancer • Brain cancer
• Prostate cancer, if applicable
SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
PGBT TOLL
121
DNT TOLL
Highway portion in bill
635
4 Bill could add new rules for out-of- state virtual health care providers Professionals who provide health care services virtually could see new requirements through HB 997, a bill filed by Rep. Matt Shaheen on Nov. 12. The new requirements would include holding a current and unrestricted license or certification, not having been the subject of a disciplinary proceeding and registering with the applicable licensing agency.
75
183
Dallas
30
161
635
12
45
35E
20
20
67
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
Gov. Greg Abbott*
$153,750
Median superintendent pay**
5 New property tax limits for qualifying Texans in proposed bill HJR 111 would amend the state constitution by establishing a limit on the amount of ad valorem taxes that political subdivisions can put on the houses of people who are disabled or elderly and
their surviving spouses. The bill was filed Jan. 13 by Rep. Shaheen and is accompanied by an identical piece of legislation, HJR 42. Identical bills allow for the same bill to be seen simultaneously, according to a statement on the Texas Legislative Council website.
$150,000
Lewisville ISD superintendent
$334,750
Denton ISD superintendent
$338,640
Ad valorem breakdown Ad valorem tax comes from a Latin phrase meaning “according to value,” and deals with the property tax based on the property’s assessed value.
Frisco ISD superintendent
$349,200
*GOV. GREG ABBOT'S PAY IS AS OF OCTOBER 2024 **THE SUPERINTENDENT PAY IS FROM THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR SOURCE: BALLOTPEDIA, TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS, TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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