Moving into or out of the State of Texas is something buyers and sellers do on a regular basis. I'm happy to report what leads Texas economy in the nation, is job creation and historic lows in unemployment. Native Texans continue to find locations that are local, within the State of Texas, or for better job opportunities outside of the State of Texas. By the same token, many companies have relocated to Texas and they are either bringing their employees with them or hiring new employees for their companies. It is important to note for any State to thrive the economic strength is provided by prosperity and employment opportunities. The mild climate, lots of sunshine, the cost of living, and affordable housing makes Texas an attractive place to live.
By year-end 2019, Texas will add about 300,000 jobs as reported by the Dallas Fed. News from the Senate, "healthy revenue to fund the needs of our growing state," is necessary and as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Jane Nelson "worked to ensure that a significant portion of our revenue - $5 billion was returned to the taxpayers in the form of property tax relief." Furthermore, "$6 billion was invested in public education."
It has been a very busy 86th Legislature with positive results:
- A balanced budget was passed staying within all constitutional spending limits.
- 50 bills passed, including human trafficking and sexual assault.
- Help for survivors of domestic abuse.
- Cybersecurity defenses.
- Reduction in opioid abuse.
- Early intervention for students at risk of suicide, substance abuse or becoming a danger to oneself or others.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Nearly 50M funded Human Trafficking.
- Over 1B invested to replace legacy systems and upgrade cyber defenses
- 3 bills address the opioid crisis to educate students, expectant mothers, & others at risk
- "The Sound of Freedom" recognizes the aerospace & defense industry. (District 12 is home to headquarters of Lockheed-Martin, maker of the F-35.
- STAAR Reforms to assess and replace STAAR test & prioritize classroom learning.
- Income Tax Prohibition prohibiting the state from imposing a personal income tax.
- Retired Police Canine can retire with their handler rather than auctioned off as property.
- Zero-Based Budgeting on a rotating schedule that aligns with the Sunset process.
- School Support - $11.5B for school property tax relief, compensation for teachers, and state aid for school districts.
- Supporting Teachers - $2B to increase compensation package for teachers, librarians, counselors, and nurses.
- Supporting Retired Teachers - $320M to keep health care premiums at current levels.
- Invested $524M to make Teacher Retirement System actuarially sound.
- Invested $589M to provide every retired teacher a13th check of up to $2,000.
- Cancer Prevention & Research has been authorized for another 10 years.
- Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence (30 bills to help victims of sexual assault and domestic violence + $54M for sexual assault kids, SB71 to establish tele-health program for survivors with compassionate, expert care from forensic nurses.
- Lemonade Stands to stop the government from regulating lemonade stands.
- Contracting Reform, i.e., vendor performance tracking and more
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