Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa: Triumphs of the 86th Legislature
The tone of the 86th legislative session was very different from the 85th session. There is no doubt that elections have consequences and the voters were not happy with the issues that were made a priority in 2017.
Our teacher groups were active and engaged leading up to the 2018 elections, and their advocacy made a difference. We also had Hurricane Harvey shortly after the 2017 session, causing major flooding from which many of our communities are still recovering. This brought us together and proved that we needed to be prepared for disasters. We were then struck by another tragedy, the Santa Fe school shooting, which made us realize that we had safety challenges in our schools.
WE HAD OUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT
Based in large part on these events, Gov. Greg Abbott rightly named the following as emergency items at the start of the session: school finance reform and increasing teacher pay; school safety; property tax reform; and, disaster response.
This session, we finally transformed public education with the passage of House Bill 3, which I proudly co-authored, and the investment of an additional $11.5 billion. These new funds will reduce school property taxes by $5 billion, increase teacher pay by $2 billion, and increase the state's share of funding from 38 percent to 45 percent. Together, these reforms will make the school finance system more equitable and reduce the burden on local property taxes.
We also enhanced school safety by providing over $331 million, including $100 million for the Texas Child Mental Health Consortium to provide early intervention for students at risk of suicide, substance abuse, or becoming a danger to themselves or others, and $100 million for school hardening.
We made sure to take care our retired teachers and school employees, too, by providing funding for a much needed 13th check capped at $2,000, along with an additional $1.1 billion toward the pension plan, the Teacher Retirement System (TRS), to ensure actuarial soundness. Further, additional funding was provided to TRS-Care for health insurance so that our retirees will not see a premium increase in 2020.
BETTER-PREPARED FOR HURRICANES
Disaster preparedness was another big issue this session. A year ago, I wrote an editorial titled "Investments in Flood and Drought Control Should be Proactive, Not Reactive." This came after Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast and dropped 50 inches of rain in the Houston area, causing significant flooding and damage to our communities. Thankfully, the Legislature heeded my call in appropriating $3.5 billion from the "Rainy Day Fund" to help the Gulf Coast recover and rebuild from Harvey, and to allow for investments across the state to improve disaster preparedness.
These efforts will also be bolstered by the passage of Senate Bills 6, 7, and 8 which greatly improve on state policies and procedures in disaster mitigation and preparation. This legislation will allow our local officials to access the funds needed to complete drainage infrastructure projects. We cannot control the weather, but we can minimize the impact of significant weather events, which are happening more frequently.
WINDSTORM INSURANCE REFORMS
Another priority this session for our coastal delegation was addressing issues with the Texas Windstorm Association (TWIA). I was proud to join Sen. Larry Taylor as co-sponsor of House Bill 1900. This bill is a big step in slowing down the insurance premium rate increases burdening our coastal businesses and homeowners. This bill clarifies the funding structure and board processes required to pay for losses for one or more storms in a single catastrophe year and will allow TWIA to build up a reserve for future storm years. These changes will help prevent unnecessary premium rate increases. Additionally, the bill creates an oversight board to study and report on TWIA's funding and funding structure.
Once again, I was honored to assist in the budget writing efforts as Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee. Overall, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will receive $139 million from the state which is an increase of $8.4 million. This includes $2.3 million in first-time funding for a much needed civil and industrial engineering program. This will address an increase in need for engineering graduates driven by recent $50 billion industry investment and the state funds will be matched by an additional $2 million in local Type A funds from the City of Corpus Christi.
Our delegation also secured $10.2 million for the Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas to assist in continued recovery efforts from damage caused by Harvey; $500,000 for the Texas State Aquarium to consolidate and enhance the Wildlife Rescue Program; an increase of $1.2 million in state funds for Del Mar College; $9.1 million for Healthy South Texas headquartered in Corpus Christi; and $30 million for Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance (DEAAG) Grants.
Lastly, with the passage of HB 3, the minimum per-student amount the state uses to fund schools will increase from $5,180 per student to $6,160. According to estimates provided by the Legislative Budget Board, all school districts will see an increase in funding including: $15.4 million for Corpus Christi ISD; $972,000 for Robstown ISD; $1 million for Tuloso-Midway ISD; and $2 million for West Oso ISD.
This was a great session for all Texans.
State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, represents Senate District 20, which includes the Corpus Christi area.