AT THE CAPITOL
News from the 88th legislative session
QUOTE OF NOTE
Attorney General Ken Paxton impeached, suspended
NUMBER TO KNOW have set aside in a 1,030-page budget, which will fund a variety of state programs for scal years 2024 and 2025. $321B That’s how much Texas lawmakers PETER LAKE, OUTGOING CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS. LAKE RESIGNED JUNE 2. “TODAY OUR GRID IS MORE RELIABLE THAN EVER. TOGETHER WE’VE OVERCOME INSURMOUNTABLE CHALLENGES AND DELIVERED ON OUR PROMISE TO TEXANS SOMETIMES SEEMINGLY THAT WE’D KEEP THE LIGHTS ON.” UPDATES FROM LOCAL LEGISLATORS
BY HANNAH NORTON
A TIMELINE OF THE IMPEACHMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON
The Texas House impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton on May 27 over allegations of bribery, conspiracy and other forms of misconduct. House lawmakers voted 121-23 to adopt 20 articles of impeachment against the third-term Republican. The House General Investigating Committee began a probe into Paxton’s alleged misconduct in March after he asked the Texas Legislature to use public funds to pay for a $3.3 million settlement between Paxton and four of his former employees. Paxton is suspended from o ce without pay and barred from performing his o cial duties. Former Secretary of State John Scott will serve as interim attorney general, Gov. Greg Abbott announced May 31. Next, the Texas Senate will conduct a trial to determine if Paxton will be reinstated or permanently removed from o ce. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will serve as the judge. Houston attorneys Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin will prosecute Paxton during the trial, and Houston attorney Tony Buzbee will lead the legal team representing Paxton. If two-thirds of senators vote to convict Paxton on the impeachment charges, he will not be allowed to run for re-election or hold any other state o ce in Texas. Paxton, who has denied the allegations, called the House’s vote to impeach him a “sham” and said he looked forward to “a quick resolution in the Texas Senate.”
FEB. 10 Paxton enters into a $3.3 million settlement agreement with four former employees who said they were wrongfully red in 2020. FEB. 21 Paxton asks the Texas Legislature to fund his settlement with taxpayer money. MARCH 8 20 House General Investigating Committee opens an investigation into Paxton and the proposed settlement. MAY 24 Attorneys present material from the investigation during a four-hour committee hearing. MAY 25 The committee unanimously adopts 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton. The articles and a full transcript of the hearing are shared with House lawmakers. MAY 31 Gov. Greg Abbott appoints former Secretary of State John Scott to serve as interim attorney general. MAY 27 After four hours of debate, Texas House votes 121-23 to impeach Paxton. He is immediately suspended from o ce. JUNE 20 Seven state senators will present the proposed rules for the impeachment trial to the full Senate. Once the rules are adopted, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will set a date for the trial. JUNE 1 Houston attorneys Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin are selected as prosecutors for the Texas Senate trial. SOURCE: TEXAS HOUSE GENERAL INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE COMMUNITY IMPACT
CHARLES SCHWERTNER Republican District 5 Elected: 2011
Texas lawmakers clash on property tax cuts
Texas Legislature expands rearm background checks
SENATE BILL 745 Sen. Charles Schwertner co-authored a bill to expand the scope of the existing Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act. This bill will allow the o ce of the attorney general to conduct investigations and enforce rules concerning health care programs in Texas and ensure money is used lawfully. This bill was signed into law May 29 and is e ective Sept. 1.
BY HANNAH NORTON
POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF TAX RELIEF PLANS
After the Texas Legislature ended its regular legislative session May 29, Gov. Greg Abbott quickly called lawmakers back to Austin for a 30-day special session to cut prop- erty taxes and increase penalties for human smuggling. The governor speci ed lawmakers should provide “lasting property tax relief for Texas taxpayers” by reduc- ing tax rates for public schools. The Texas House passed three bills May 30 that met the governor’s request and adjourned for the rest of the session. This left the Senate with two options: pass the House’s proposals or end the session without any bills being signed by the governor. Senators passed their own legislation but did not approve the House bills. All bills must be passed by both chambers to become law. Abbott said he would call a second special session to resolve the issue if lawmakers do not agree on a property tax proposal.
The Texas House and Senate advanced competing plans to cut property taxes May 30. Here’s what the two proposals could mean for homeowners. Both plans • Use $12.3B in state funds to compress school tax rates House Bill 1 • Reduce rates by $0.162 for every $100 of a home’s value Senate Bill 1 • Reduce rates by $0.10 for every $100 of a home’s value • Raise homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000 Homestead exemption : the portion of a home’s value that cannot be taxed Tax rate compression : state provides money to public school districts to reduce their tax rates
BY HANNAH NORTON
Under a new law, federal law enforcement can access informa- tion about Texans with potentially harmful mental health conditions during the routine background checks completed before someone can buy a rearm. Senate Bill 728 requires county clerks to notify the Texas Depart- ment of Public Safety if a court determines an adult with a mental illness or intellectual disability is un t to go to trial, is not responsi- ble for their own actions, or needs inpatient services or residential long-term care. State Rep. Je Leach, R Plano, said the law does not impact responsible gun owners but will “[keep] rearms out of the hands of dangerous Texans who do not need to have them.” Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill June 2. It will become law Sept. 1.
JOHN BUCY III Democrat District 136 Elected: 2018
HOUSE BILL 357 Rep. John Bucy III co-authored a bill to provide access to an online tracking tool for mail-in ballots. The tool would allow voters to check the status of their application on approved o cial websites by providing their name, date of birth and last four digits of their Social Security number. This bill was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk May 30 and is still pending approval. Sign up for our newsletter at communityimpact.com for daily updates throughout the session. SUBSCRIBE TODAY
SOURCES: TEXAS COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS, TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE COMMUNITY IMPACT
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CEDAR PARK FAR NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • JUNE 2023
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