Latest news with #CalendarsCommittee
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate Bill 2623 Threatens to Shut Down Veteran and Homeless Services Across Texas, says The Samaritan Inn
The Samaritan Inn and Dozens of Support Agencies at Risk Without Urgent Public Action MCKINNEY, Texas, May 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Through late-night procedural maneuvers and a closed-door vote, Senate Bill 2623 (SB 2623) has moved out of committee and is now headed to the Texas House Calendars Committee. If scheduled for a floor vote, it could lead to the shutdown of veteran and homeless support services statewide, according to The Samaritan Inn. SB 2623 prohibits homeless navigation service providers from operating within 1,500 feet of schools, colleges, and parks—without a grandfather clause for existing organizations. If passed, this bill would force The Samaritan Inn and other established providers to shut down or relocate, cutting off access to essential resources for thousands of Texans, including veterans. "This bill is reactionary and harmful," said Jill Scigliano, Chief Executive Officer, The Samaritan Inn. "We are not the problem—we are part of the solution." Last week, a scheduled hearing for SB 2623 was canceled just before midnight. Advocates who traveled to testify were never heard, and 296 submitted public comments were ignored. The bill initially failed, but a motion to reconsider reversed that outcome by a 6–5 vote. Local agencies confirmed to be affected include The Samaritan Inn, City House, The Storehouse of Collin County, Mission Oak Cliff, All Community Outreach, Agape Resource Center, The Stewpot, Vogel Alcove / Family Gateway, and Hope Restored Missions. The exclusion zones in SB 2623 exceed those applied to sex offenders, and the bill offers no process for appeal or exemption. Take Action Now There is still time to stop this bill. The most effective action is to visit the Capitol in Austin and submit a red card opposing SB 2623 to the Calendars Committee. If you can't go in person, please contact the below committee members by phone: Todd Hunter – 512-463-0672Toni Rose – 512-463-0664Terry Canales – 512-463-0426Stan Gerdes – 512-463-0682Cody Harris – 512-463-0730Ana Hernandez – 512-463-0614Ann Johnson – 512-463-0389Jeff Leach – 512-463-0544Janie Lopez – 512-463-0640Ramon Romero, Jr. – 512-463-0740Carl Tepper – 512-463-0676 Calling is most effective but if no answer, please email using this format: Say: "I oppose SB 2623. Please keep it in Calendars. This bill would shut down essential homeless and veteran services our communities depend on." Media Contact:The Samaritan Inn395402@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE The Samaritan Inn Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to stop Marvin Nichols Reservoir dies in Calendars Committee
TYLER, Texas (KETK)– The Calendars Committee did not advance House Bill 2109 to be heard on the House floor. Rep. Moran speaks on the 'Big Beautiful Bill' aimed at cutting $1.5 trillion from spending The 57-year-old bill would have ended the Marvin Nichols project to flood tens of thousands of East Texas land to supply water to the DFW metroplex. 'What the calendar committee did, was take a piece of my soul,' Red River County resident, Susan Conway said. Rep. Shofner bill requiring average class grade on transcripts passes Texas House East Texans have strong emotions about HB- 2109 being one hurdle away from a House floor hearing. 'They stalled it out right there. It's kind of what I expected them to do. They played politics,' Red River County resident, Casey Conway said. Many East Texans said they called all 11 Calendars Committee members and went to the capitol to please their case even as the clock was running out. 'One of the most disastrous sessions that I have ever witnessed. It's been very interesting, to say the least and which I am a Republican,' Cass County resident, Paul Hale said. They all agree after nearly six decades on the front lines that they will not stop fighting. 'I don't know anybody that has generational land or for that matter, your home that it's not worth fighting for. I mean, this is my home. This is this is my family. This is my roots. It holds my heritage. It I mean, it holds everything,' Susan Conway said. In the next legislative session, they are hoping another bill will be introduced to finally put a stop to the reservoir, once and for all. The Texas Water Board is still allowing anyone to submit their comments regarding the Reservoir. The deadline is June 9. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Shaping statewide policy': Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows appoints committees
Ending more than four weeks of speculation and launching what will likely be the first sprint of the 2025 legislative session, newly minted Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows unveiled his committee assignments Thursday in which many of his top supporters emerged with key chairmanships. But Burrows — who won the House's top office Jan. 14 backed by a coalition of Democratic and Republican members after a high-spirited and unusually public campaign against a fellow Republican — did not exile his main rival for the speakers gavel to chamber's back bench. Instead, Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, was named the chairman of the subcommittee that oversees juvenile justice issues. And several of Cook's supporters in the race for speaker also came away with either chairmanships or plum committee assignments. As has been a long practice in the 150-member House, most of the top committee chairmanships went to seasoned members. But in breaking a long tradition, none of the Democrats, who are outnumbered 88-62 in the chamber, was awarded a chairmanship of a standing House committee as per the rules adopted last month. "This process is much more than filling seats," Burrows, a Lubbock Republican first elected to the House in 2014, said in a message to the members. "It's about structuring the House in a way that allows each member to contribute their expertise where it truly makes a difference. There is no small role in the committee process, as each plays a unique part in shaping statewide policy." The budget-writing House Appropriations Committee will again be chaired by Friendswood Republican Greg Bonnen, a 12-year House veteran who has held the post since 2021. The vice chair will be El Paso Democrat Mary Gonzalez, who has been in the House since 2013. The committee is charged with combing through the finances of virtually every state agency as it crafts the House's version of the state's the two-year spending plan for the cycle that starts Sept. 1. More: How Dade Phelan assesses his two terms as Texas House speaker: No regrets on top issues Rep. Todd Hunter, a Corpus Christi Republican who is the House's eighth-most senior member, will chair the Calendars Committee. This panel is considered the gate keeper of legislation in the House. No bill comes to the chamber floor without passing through the Calendars Committee. Former Speaker Dade Phelan of Beaumont, who in December gave up his bid for a third term at the helm of the House amid his collapsing support among rank-and-file Republicans, will chair the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures. Hunter and Phelan helped form the core of Burrow's Republican support in his bid for speaker. Rep. Tom Craddick of Midland, also a former speaker and the House's most senior member, supported Cook over Burrows. But Craddick, a member since 1969, was award the chairmanship of the Transportation Committee, which oversees the state's web of highways as well as air and sea transportation assets. Under the rules adopted as the House was getting organized early in the session, only Democratic members could serve as committee vice chairs. The rules also reorganized some of the standing committees by creating 12 subcommittees to take some of the workload. The chairmanships of those subcommittees were evenly divided between Democratic and Republican members. Moody, the Democrat from El Paso, was also named speaker pro tempore, a largely ceremonial role he has held under Republican speakers in previous sessions. More: Vouchers, tax cuts, water and teacher pay top Gov. Abbott's State of the State address Still, Moody's appointment did not sit well with one Republican member who has been among the most ardent critics of any power-sharing arrangements with Democratic members. "Breaking : DEMOCRAT named Speaker Pro Tem of the (GOP dominated) Texas House," Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Waxahachie, who opposed Burrows' bid to lead the chamber and has frequently sparred with him on the House floor, posted on X shortly after the appointment. Still, Harrison received a coveted committee assignment: a seat on the appropriations panel, which gives him a platform to criticize any state spending that he finds wasteful. Much of Harrison's pique toward the House's leadership has had to do with the time it took to get members appointed to committees and to get the legislative flow started in the chamber. The first real action on legislation, some of which was filed in early November, takes place once committees begin to hold hearings. The 31-member Senate, which is one-fifth the size of the House, typically gets out of the blocks much sooner. Senate committee hearings began almost three weeks ago and they've advanced a handful of bills to the floor, two of which have already passed the chamber. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Legislature: House Speaker Dustin Burrows appoints committees
