Latest news with #HouseJointResolution1
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Abbott signs 5 laws in favor of Texas small businesses
AUSTIN, Texas (KETK) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed five bills into law on Thursday to support Texas small businesses by improving the process of starting a business and cutting regulations. Gov. Abbott deploys thousands of soldiers to manage planned immigration protests in Texas The following pieces of legislation passed during the 89th Regular Legislative Session and have been signed into law by Abbott: House Joint Resolution 1 House Bill 9 House Bill 346 House Bill 2464 House Bill 5195 The governor's office said each of these bills serve their own purpose within small business, like House Bill 5195 which requires each state agency to assess their website and online services to improve the user experience. This also includes House Bill 2464 which relates to regulation changes for home based businesses. These laws are linked with the Texas economy and Abbott's Small Business Freedom Council that is aimed at recognizing and cutting 'unnecessary' government regulations that Abbott said could hinder Texas small business operations. State Rep. Trent Ashby announces reelection campaign 'The Texas economy is better than ever before,' Abbott said. 'This session, we took strategic steps to boost small businesses in Texas. Even the smallest of barriers can increase the cost of doing business. We want to make it easier and less costly for businesses in Texas, especially our small business owners.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Abbott signs business-boosting bills in virtual ceremony with Houston leaders
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation Thursday morning aimed at reducing costs and regulatory burdens for small businesses, including a measure that would raise the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000. The Republican Governor participated virtually in a ceremony hosted by the Houston Regional Business Coalition, where he touted Texas' economic performance and the state's leadership in job creation. The centerpiece legislation, House Bill 9 and House Joint Resolution 1 by Rep. Morgan Meyer, R-University Park, and Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, would significantly increase the property tax exemption for small businesses. However, the measure requires voter approval of a constitutional amendment in November's election to take effect. Previous: Texas House and Senate strike agreement on property tax cuts Abbott also signed three other business-friendly measures: House Bill 346 by Rep. Caroline Harris Davila, R-Round Rock, streamlines business filing processes at the Secretary of State's office and makes permanent the franchise tax exemption for veteran-owned businesses. House Bill 2464 by Rep. Cole Hefner, R-Mount Pleasant, prevents cities from enforcing certain regulations on qualified home-based businesses. House Bill 5195 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, requires state agencies to improve their websites for better business access. The legislation aligns with Abbott's broader small business agenda. In December, the governor launched the Texas Small Business Freedom Council, directing state agencies to identify rules, permits, fees and regulations that may hamper small business formation and growth. 'These efforts will ensure that Texas continues to move at the speed of business,' Abbott said during the virtual ceremony. Abbott highlighted Texas' economic achievements, noting the state's gross domestic product has reached nearly $2.7 trillion annually. He said Texas leads the nation in power generation and exports. The Governor praised Houston's role in the state's economic success, citing the city's research universities, nearly one million small businesses and major port operations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NM legislative recap Feb. 12: It's still too cold to harvest, but the session is heating up
Mason Graham, policy director with Common Cause New Mexico, is part of a coalition of groups seeking to "modernize" the New Mexico Legislature this year. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM) When New Mexico first became a state, it was even more rural than it is today, and most state lawmakers were ranchers and farmers who volunteered to work in Santa Fe during the winter, when it's too cold to harvest. Times have changed, said Mason Graham, the policy director at Common Cause New Mexico, a nonpartisan watchdog group also interested in bills this session related to money in politics and free and fair elections. A lack of pay for lawmakers is 'really an artifact of the old New Mexico Legislature,' Graham told Source NM on Wednesday. On Tuesday, he and a coalition of other advocates held a 'Modernization Day of Action' to push for legislation they say would allow people from more walks of life to serve as state lawmakers. Graham said 'modernization' means bringing the Legislature up to the standards in other state legislatures across the country. 'We want to create an environment where the Legislature is just as effective as the work that the executive branch does, and the work that the courts do,' Graham said. He said accomplishing that requires three main policies: provide lawmakers with paid staff, increase the length of legislative sessions and pay lawmakers a salary. Lawmakers already implemented the first in 2024 through money allowing each lawmaker to have one staffer and one district legislative aide, Graham said. The second is up for debate this year through House Joint Resolution 1, which got the nod from the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee on Jan. 30. HJR 1 still needs to be heard by the House Judiciary Committee. If passed by both chambers, the question would go to voters. The third is also making its way through the Roundhouse in the form of Senate Joint Resolution 1, which passed the Senate Rules Committee on Feb. 5 and awaits a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Lawmakers have identified behavioral health and public safety as top priorities for the first half of the 60-day session. They made big progress on both fronts Wednesday. First, a trio of behavioral health bills that will spend $200 million initially and put an additional $1 billion in a behavioral health trust fund is now headed to the Senate floor. Then, in the afternoon, the House Judiciary Committee forwarded to the full House of Representatives a package of six bills intended to reduce crime. The bills cleared those hurdles amid an ongoing – though declining – substance use disorder and drug overdose crisis in New Mexico, the details of which lawmakers discussed Wednesday after a presentation to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Officials from the state Health Department and an Albuquerque police commander shared data showing the rates and absolute numbers of drug overdose deaths in New Mexico are declining. Preliminary 2024 data shows that trend continuing, though officials noted it is incomplete and tentative. Between 2021 and 2023, the rate of overdose deaths per 100,000 New Mexicans declined from 50.4 to 46.4, according to Mary Durham, chief medical officer at the state health department. Overdose-related emergency room visits also declined in that period, from 2,343 to 2,063. Despite those trends, the rate of children under age 4 who died of drug overdoses has increased, from about 1 per 100,000 people to about 5, according to the presentation. The increasing number of young children dying prompted Sen. Crystal Diamond Brantley (R-Elephant Butte) to call for harsher penalties for parents, including murder charges, who expose their children to fentanyl. Check out the presentation here. Bills and constitutional amendments that would change the way university regents are appointed and trained made it through the Senate Education Committee. The House Health and Human Services committee advanced House Bill 35, which would prohibit the construction of new fracking wells within one mile of schools. 'This bill will protect children from toxic oil and gas pollution, so it's wonderful to see it move closer to becoming law,' Gail Evans, New Mexico Climate Director and senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a written statement. 'New Mexico owes it to our children to make sure they're safe at school and that their learning environment is healthy. Keeping fracking sites away from schools is the least our leaders can do to fulfill that commitment.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
