TSHA Capitol Watch

November 2, 2023

Capitol Watch is the TSHA Legislative Team’s vehicle for keeping members informed of activity at the state capitol and in other state regulatory meetings.

If you have questions regarding this or other Capitol Watch postings, please contact a member of the TSHA Legislative Team:

• Bobbie Kay Turkett, VP for Advocacy (government@txsha.org)
• Larry Higdon, Director of Governmental Relations (lwhtsha@gmail.com)
• Mark Hanna, Legal and Legislative Counsel

Legislative Information

Anything that you want to know about the legislative process can be found online at Texas Legislature Online.

Governor Abbot has issued a proclamation expanding the Third Special Session to include "Legislation relating to primary and secondary education, including the establishment of an education savings account program, the certification, compensation, and health coverage of certain public school employees, the public school finance system, special education in public schools, measures to support the education of public school students that include certain educational grant programs, reading instruction, and early childhood education, the provision of virtual education, and public school accountability...Legislation related to school safety measures and related state funding mechanisms."

What's Next?

Please act now.

Contact your legislators now and ask them to:

1. Oppose all voucher bills.
2. Support teacher pay raise legislation and specifically include speech-language pathologists and audiologists in any pay raise legislation.

Even if you have already contacted your state legislators, please contact them again and let them know you are monitoring how they vote. Remember to request legislators vote no to any voucher legislation by any name (i.e., education saving accounts, etc.), as funding for public schools is more important. The Third Special Session ends on November 8.

Important Voting Dates and Information

• Early voting is now open.
• Election Day is November 7.

On the November 7th Ballot:

• Vote "Yes" for Proposition 4, provides property tax relief
• Vote "Yes" for Proposition 5, expands investments in research and educates a broader range of students
• Vote "Yes" for Proposition 9, provides a pension increase for Texas Public School retirees, who have not received a cost-of-living increase since 2004

Please get on the voter rolls. Legislators do check to see if you vote, which makes a difference when you contact them.

Thank you for your help and support! Please support the TSHA PAC.

Your TSHA Legislative Team: Bobbie Kay, Larry, and Mark