Latest News - James Frank for Texas State Representative District 69

Constitutional Amendments October 15, 2021

November 3, 2017 by ewebdesign in Election General News

From the newsletter sent October 15, 2021

Starting October 18th through 29th (early voting) and on November 2nd (election day), Texans will have the opportunity to vote on eight potential amendments to our state constitution. For amendment proposals to make it onto the ballot, they must first be approved in the form of a Joint Resolution by a two-thirds vote of both chambers of the Texas Legislature. Unlike passage of normal laws, Joint Resolutions do not go to the Governor for a signature or veto. They also often have accompanying “enabling legislation” which are normal bills that modify existing state code, not just the Constitution, in order to enact the changes called for in the amendment proposal.

It is difficult to get the necessary votes to get an amendment on the ballot. As such, most (but certainly not all) amendments are fairly non-controversial and easily approved by voters. While they are all important, Proposition 6 has a special place for me as it is the result of a ton of hard work by my staff and individuals across the state to ensure that nursing home residents are never again denied their right to in-person visitation by a loved one. In addition to Prop 6, I will be voting in support of 7 of the 8 amendments.

The proposed amendments are as follows:

Proposition 1: Allows charitable foundations linked to professional rodeo associations to conduct raffles.

Proposition 2: Provides municipalities the authority to finance infrastructure in underdeveloped areas.

Proposition 3: Prohibits the state from limiting religious services.

Proposition 4: Raises the qualifications to serve as a judge or justice on certain courts.

Proposition 5: Allows the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to investigate and take action against judicial candidates in the same manner as they do for sitting judges.

Proposition 6: Establishes the right of individuals in long-term care facilities to designate an individual as an essential caregiver for in-person visitation.

Proposition 7: Places a tax freeze on school district taxes on the homesteads of eligible surviving spouses of disabled individuals.

Proposition 8: Creates a property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of a servicemember killed in the line of duty.

We’ve included a more in-depth explainer on each proposition below. The Texas House Research Organization also has produced a good non-partisan briefing on the amendments that you can read here. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.

May God bless you and your family,

James B. Frank

READ FULL NEWSLETTER HERE

2nd Special Session Wrap-up & 3rd Special Coming Soon September 8, 2021

November 3, 2017 by ewebdesign in Election General News

From the newsletter sent September 8, 2021

It was a long time coming, but once the House finally reached a quorum, we were able to work through most of the special session agenda relatively quickly. In total, there are 15 bills set to become law, each pertaining to the issues the Governor placed on the special session call.

We’ve talked about it before, but the marquee issue of this special session was the election integrity bill. Without rehashing all the details, this bill makes election laws consistent across the state, expands early voting hours for most counties, and increases the penalties for those who commit voter fraud. It’s a good bill that is the result of lots of negotiation and input from Texans across the state. I, along with the majority of my colleagues, voted yes, and the bill is set to become law before the 2022 midterm elections.

In other news, the Legislature passed SB 4 to shore up protections for women’s health. This bill strengthens existing reporting requirements for abortion-related complications and tightens the regulation of drug-induced abortions. Given the fertility and health risks associated with these drugs, this legislation will protect children and their mothers. Though some tried to make this a partisan issue, it was actually continuing safety regulations started during the Clinton Administration.

We also appropriated over $3 billion this session which will go towards property tax relief, securing the border, increasing rates for foster care providers, and funding Article X of the budget (ensuring that legislative staff and legislative agency staff will continue to be paid for their work).

Additionally, there are bills headed to the Governor’s desk to provide a 13th check to retired teachers, reform the bail system, improve K-12 education, address critical race theory in school classrooms, and prevent censorship on social media. We’ve included a full list of bills set to become law below.

Finally, the Governor announced yesterday that the Legislature will convene for a third special session on September 20, less than two weeks away. Redistricting will be the main priority as we work to draw state and congressional maps for the next election cycle. There are a handful of other issues on the call as well: appropriations of federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, vaccine mandates by governmental entities, transgender athlete participation in UIL sports, and dog tethering restrictions.

That means that we’ve had another special session announced before we were able to get out this recap newsletter of the last special session. It’s truly been a long summer!

As always, if you have questions about specific bills that did or did not pass, please contact us and we’ll be happy to get you additional information.

May God bless you and your family,

James B. Frank

READ FULL NEWSLETTER HERE

Voter Suppression? Election Integrity? READ THE BILL! July 23, 2021

November 3, 2017 by ewebdesign in Election General News

From the newsletter sent July 23, 2021

The most frustrating part of politics is hearing people (including elected officials) make incendiary claims about legislation that seem to have nothing to do with the actual bill. At a time when it has never been easier to read bills for yourself, it seems very few actually do so before commenting. People seem content to shout their team’s slogans and accuse others of having the worst of motives.

I have outlined some of my thoughts on what HB 3–the election integrity bill making the news recently–actually does on the following pages, but if you’d like to read the bill yourself, you may do so by going here. You may not agree with everything that’s in it or you may have specific questions. If that’s the case, I invite you to reach out to me at votejamesfrank@gmail.com and I’d love to respond.

The Texas Constitution requires 100 of the 150 House members be present for the body to act. Enough House Democrats fled the state a couple of weeks ago to deny that quorum. Regardless of your thoughts about HB 3 or other elections bills, there are several other important issues that should be before the Legislature during this special session, but are currently on hold due to the lack of quorum. Among these items are increased benefits for retired teachers, property tax relief, and important reforms to the bail system that would keep our state safer.

With the decision by House Democrats to leave the state, the members remaining took the extraordinary step of issuing a Call of the House. It’s been a procedure rarely used in the past and I explain the specifics later on in the newsletter. If you’re interested in reading about elected members of the Legislature being locked inside the House chamber, read on!

May God bless you and your family,

James B. Frank

READ FULL NEWSLETTER HERE

End of Session Recap, New Laws, Personal Bills June 25, 2021

November 3, 2017 by ewebdesign in Election General News

From the newsletter sent June 25, 2021

Every session has a certain personality to it. Some are characterized by partisan rancor or fiery rhetoric, while others can feel fairly benign. Sessions also typically get described by the issues that make the most headlines–regardless of whether or not those issues took up the lion’s share of the time. Though this session will be remembered by some as the “one with the Democrat walk-out” or as the “COVID session,” I think it’s important to judge a session by the work product in full–not the headlines.

That’s why we are sending out this end of session recap: to provide an overview of the various bills that passed and the issues the Legislature worked on over the last 5 months. While we try to cover the items that most people will be interested in, this newsletter can in no way cover everything. There were nearly 7,000 bills filed this session, and over 1,000 of those passed both the House and Senate. Therefore, if you have specific questions that aren’t answered in this newsletter, I invite you to contact us and we’ll be happy to get you answers. In that vein, be on the lookout for a follow-up newsletter where we will cover the unfinished business from this session, including the issues that will likely be considered in a special session.

Though it may change over time, I think I’ll remember this session for the strangeness of being at the Capitol during COVID protocol and for the ERCOT/PUC issues in the wake of Winter Storm Uri. I’ll also remember it for the passage of meaningful pro-life legislation, firearms rights protection, and as a meaningful start on a health care plan for Texas.

From a personal perspective, I don’t know that we’ve ever had a more successful session. I filed 23 bills and sponsored 8 Senate bills ranging in topics from health insurance coverage and Medicaid reform to foster care and water. Of those 31 bills, 20 of them either passed on their own or were included as parts of other bills. I am proud of that success rate and appreciate the support of my colleagues in making it possible. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the hard work of my staff–Travis Stedje, Gregory Cline, Carlye Bindel, Maureen Metteauer, and Jim Johnson–without whom none of this would happen.

Finally, I want to say thank you to you-the people who work and live in Archer, Baylor, Clay, Foard, Knox, and Wichita Counties. This was the 5th regular session that I have had the honor of representing you in Austin. Even though sessions are full of hard work, long hours, and a long time away from home, I know what a privilege it is to do this and continue to appreciate the support and faith shown in me.

May God bless you and your family,

James B. Frank

READ FULL NEWSLETTER HERE

Sine Die, A Busy Week, Memorial Day

November 3, 2017 by ewebdesign in Election General News

From the newsletter sent May 31, 2021

Today is Sine Die, which marks the end of the 87th Legislative Session. While we have made real, important progress this session, it is definitely time to return home. I’m looking forward to spending time with family and friends and meeting with people across the district.

Backing up a bit, we passed some of the most consequential bills of session this past week (and failed to pass one really big one — more on that later). In particular, the House and Senate were able to come to an agreement and pass the budget. We provided a more in-depth overview in a previous newsletter, but some of the highlights of the budget include:

Increasing public education funding to $46.5 billion for the biennium, including $664 million in programs targeted to overcoming pandemic-related learning loss

Investing in the health of Texans by increasing funding for rural hospitals, women’s health programs, and disability services

Significant investment in infrastructure, including new funds to repair highways and bridges and an increase in funding for the oversight of our electric grid

Salary increases for law enforcement officers and additional funding to secure the border and combat human trafficking

Outside of the budget, several other meaningful bills were passed this week. SB 2 will increase oversight of ERCOT, ensuring that our grid operators are held to high standards. SB 3, designed to weatherize and strengthen the electric grid, is also headed to the Governor’s desk. Additionally, SB 25 and SJR 19 passed this week establishing the right of residents in long-term care facilities to designate an essential caregiver.

Sunday night on the House floor, I was disappointed that nearly all of the Democrats chose to abdicate a basic responsibility of being a member–show up to represent your district. By leaving the House floor and the Capitol itself, these members prevented the House from having a quorum (100 members present) which means that we cannot vote on legislation. We are supposed to be here for 140 days to get our biennial work done-whether we agree with policies or not. Fortunately, this is likely to have little or no long-term impact in the larger scheme as we will certainly take up the issue of election integrity in a special session later on this year. Ultimately, I expect that the Texas House will end up passing legislation in the next few months that is every bit as strong as SB 7.

While this will be our final weekly newsletter of session, we will be sending out a special end-of-session edition at some point in the next couple weeks. We’ll give a recap of passed legislation in major policy areas, our own legislation, and provide a look-ahead at the interim.

Finally, I hope each of you had a good Memorial Day weekend, surrounded by loved ones. I’m incredibly grateful for the courageous men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. May we never forget their valiant sacrifice.

May God bless you and your family,

James B. Frank

READ FULL NEWSLETTER HERE

The Final Countdown, Protecting Kids, Almost Home

November 3, 2017 by ewebdesign in Election General News

From the newsletter sent May 21, 2021

Last week we crossed the first major deadline of session as we voted the final House Bills out of the chamber, and now we are rapidly approaching the last day to vote out Senate Bills (this coming Tuesday). After that deadline has passed, we will spend most of our time voting out conference reports, which are the products of the negotiations that occur when the House and Senate vote out different versions of a bill.

The biggest outstanding item is the budget. If you’ll remember, the House passed our version of the budget back in April, and negotiations have been taking place between House and Senate appropriators ever since. All signs point to these talks being successful, so I’m optimistic that we will have a balanced, conservative budget headed to the Governor’s desk on time.

Outside of the budget, we are continuing to push legislation that improves child welfare outcomes across the state. We’ve made some great progress on this issue over the last few months, and I’m hopeful that we will get a couple more bills across the finish line. Those interested can find an overview of some of these reforms below.

While I have genuinely enjoyed this session and feel that we’ve accomplished some really good things, I am looking forward to being back in Wichita Falls. One of my favorite parts of returning home is meeting with various clubs, groups, and individuals to recap the last several months and get your feedback. Anyone interested in setting up a meeting can shoot an email to Jim Johnson, my Chief of Staff, at jim.johnson@house.texas.gov.

Finally, Alisha, my wife, is an amazing lady and partner in every part of my life. Yesterday, we celebrated our 32nd anniversary, though it once again took a bit of a backseat to the craziness of the final days of session. I hope to make it up to her soon as we prepare to return home.

May God bless you and your family,

James B. Frank

READ FULL NEWSLETTER HERE

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