End of Session Recap Part 2 – Income Tax & Health Care

Every session feels a little different as you get drawn into different issues and responsibilities. The 86th was one that was defined, for me, by my committee responsibilities and the world of healthcare that they encompassed. It’s an incredibly important policy arena and, while the learning curve is steep, I am very glad that I was able to dig in during this session (and in the upcoming interim).

There may be no more important issue to Texans and how they interact with their government than on healthcare. It is a vital issue but one too often characterized by overwhelming bureaucracy, bad information, high costs, and political fear-mongering. Also, to a large degree, healthcare and health insurance (not the same thing) policy is driven at the federal government level, leaving the state a smaller room for policy maneuvering.

In this newsletter, we have highlighted the major legislation that came through the Human Services and Public Health Committees on which I served. While by no means exhaustive (Human Services had 285 bills referred to it; Public Health had 360), it is intended to provide a window into many of the issues my staff and I worked on. We have also provided a brief synopsis of HJR 38 which will, if approved by voters in November, prohibit the imposition of a state income tax in Texas.

It has been fantastic to be back home now for over a month. Hope to run into you in the district soon!

May God bless you and your family,

… this is an excerpt from Newsletter dated April 22, 2018