Legislative Update from Representative Andrew Murr
As the 84th session of the Texas Legislature enters its final weeks, Representative Andrew Murr is excited to share with you some of the accomplishments of the Texas House to date, including passage of one of the largest tax cuts in Texas history, additional concentration of transportation funding, and efforts to increase transparency and end past accounting gimmicks with the state budget.
Historic Tax Cuts:
Last week, the Texas House voted to pass two bills, both co-authored by Representative Murr, that will amount to nearly $5 billion in tax cuts for Texas families and businesses. The two pieces of legislation, House Bills 31 and 32, will provide $4.9 billion in permanent tax relief. House Bill 31 reduces the state sales tax rate from 6.25% to 5.95%, making it the first sales tax reduction in Texas history. House Bill 32 provides a 25% cut in the state's franchise tax, a burdensome business tax that has hurt small businesses and hampered job growth for years. Both bills were unanimously supported by the Texas House Republican Caucus members.
Budget Transparency:
Representative Murr was one of four joint authors on House Bill 7 which works to end the use of accounting gimmicks to balance the state budget. The legislation clarifies the appropriate uses for general revenue dedicated accounts -- special accounts created and used for specific purposes -- and it works to reduce certain state fees, and eliminate others, by over $400 million. House Bill 7 and its accompanying legislation, House Bill 6, will reduce the dependence of the Legislature on using surplus account balances of these dedicated accounts to certify the budget.
Increased Transportation Funding:
As a member of the House Transportation Committee, Representative Murr pushed forward two pieces of legislation that will devote more than $3 billion a year in sales tax revenue to highway funding. House Bill 13 & Senate Joint Resolution 5 recently passed in both chambers with minor variations. A conference committee of House and Senate members will convene to work on final compromise language in the coming days. This additional funding will bolster current budgeted amounts to properly maintain and care for the state's infrastructure and ensure the we are doing everything needed to support our strong state economy.
Protecting Public Servants:
Representative Murr's first piece of legislation to pass through the House of Representatives was House Bill 1595, a bill which will help protect those who put themselves at risk working in our criminal justice system. The bill modifies the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure to permit testing of an arrestee or inmate for infectious diseases if his or her bodily fluids come into contact with a correctional facility employee or magistrate while an offense is committed, during an arrest, the pre-trial period, the judicial proceedings or during confinement after a conviction. Current legislation limits permissible testing only to law enforcement personnel. Representative Murr extends his appreciation to all those who put themselves in harm's way to serve and protect us.
"I couldn't be prouder of the things we have accomplished to date on behalf of hard-working Texans this legislative session," said Murr. "These tax cuts will impact every Texan who pays taxes in this state, and they're permanent and meaningful cuts. House Bill 7 is necessary to help shine light on the budgeting process and require lawmakers to operate a budget more like we all do in our individual households, all in line with conservative budgeting. HB 13 and SJR 5 take an important and lasting step to ensure that our roads and infrastructure keep up with the demands of our fast-growing economy. There is still a month of work to be done this session, but so far I am very pleased with the progress we have made in advancing a commonsense and fiscally prudent agenda." |