Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has released the first round of interim charges for the Texas Senate. Patrick made the following statement upon issuing the charges:
“These first 5 interim charges, released today, reflect issues that I am particularly focused on, and Texans have asked the Texas Senate to study. The Texas senators have been asked to provide their interim charge recommendations by February 20th, and my staff and I will diligently review those hundreds of interim charge ideas. The full list of interim charges will be released later in March. As always, Texans can rest assured the Senate will hit the ground running on day one of the 90th Texas Legislature to ensure the priorities of the conservative majority of Texans are accomplished including, but not limited to, continued property tax relief via ‘Operation Double Nickel,’ eliminating fraud and abuse in state government, strengthening the power grid, and promoting a Texas-first agenda across the board.”
- Preventing Sharia Law in Texas: Only state and federal laws apply in Texas and “Sharia law” or other secondary judicial systems have no place in Texas. Make recommendations to ensure all Texans benefit from our laws and the protections of our state and federal constitutions and are never held under the heel of “Sharia law” anywhere in our state. Examine entities such as the proposed East Plano Islamic Center (“EPIC City”) development in Hunt and Collin counties. Determine whether EPIC City, its directors, or any associated entities are violating state or federal law. Evaluate large real estate acquisitions by entities such as the “Community Capital Partners” limited partnership. Make legislative recommendations that will protect Texans from housing discrimination and unscrupulous developers.
- Further Property Tax Cuts: The Homestead Exemption has proven overwhelmingly popular with voters. It has eliminated school property taxes for the average senior and reduced school taxes in half for those under 65. Study and report on the effect of the continued increasing of the Homestead Exemption. Assess the impact of reducing the senior homestead exemption from 65 to 55 years of age. This change would freeze home values 10 years sooner for over 3 million homeowners, saving 55 plus homeowners thousands of additional dollars.
Business and Commerce Committee
- Securing Critical Infrastructure and Supply Chain Integrity: Evaluate the integrity of the supply chain for the Texas electric grid and other critical infrastructure. Identify any vulnerabilities or potential risks posed by hostile foreign entities of concern including, but not limited to, China, Russia, and Iran. Make recommendations for improvements and an ongoing evaluation process to remain vigilant in maintaining a reliable and secure Texas electric grid.
Health and Human Services Committee
- Protecting Taxpayer Funds – Preventing Fraud and Abuse: In support of Governor Abbott’s call to action to eliminate fraud, explore and recommend ways to prevent fraud and abuse in Texas human service programs including, but not limited to, Medicaid and Child Care Services programs.
- Promoting America & Texas First in Our Schools: Examine the current practices of some public schools promoting events, partnerships, or associations with federal or state-designated hostile agents or their surrogates. Provide recommendations to strengthen laws stopping hostile countries or related entities from infiltrating our classrooms. Make recommendations to ensure public schools promote students’ learning about American and Texas exceptionalism.
The official PDF of this first round of interim charges can be found here.
