Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick revealed the areas he wishes the State Senate to address during the next legislative session with his interim charges.
Before the 88th legislative session began, Patrick submitted a list of priorities to be researched by Senate members. According to his office, senators proposed more than six hundred policy recommendations, all gathered by the lieutenant governor.
Patrick suggested priorities across a wide range of subjects, which he said reflect concerns Texas residents discussed with him as he toured the Lone Star State.
The 2022 interim charges are divided up amongst the relevant Senate committees, which include:
Border Security, Business & Commerce, Criminal Justice, Education, Finance, Health & Human Services, Higher Education, Local Government, Natural Resources, State Affairs, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, and Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs.
Under Border Security, Patrick requested monitoring of the agencies receiving border security funding and reporting on their success in ensuring safety along the state’s international border. He also placed priority on curtailing transnational crime from spreading across the state.
Patrick’s charges additionally directed the Committee to investigate and report on the effects of Operation Lone Star on the border, rural, and urban communities across Texas.
He asked senators to examine the impact that employing people who serve on state active duty has on members of the Texas National Guard and other essential professions. He also wants the Committee to review the availability of existing border barrier materials that remain unused by the Federal Government and determine whether Texas may use them to secure the border.
As the Texas electricity grid has been a concern since its deregulation, the lieutenant governor has listed it amongst the charges for senators of the Business & Commerce Committee to consider during the recess, making the investigation of the reliability and weather preparedness of the grid a priority. Patrick also asked for the effects of the expanding electric vehicle market on the energy sector to be examined.
“Assess the electricity market in Texas,” the April 4 release from Patrick’s office read. “Study issues impacting the Texas electric grid, including weather preparedness, transmission planning, maintenance scheduling, and the natural gas supply chain. Study the consequences of increased electric vehicle usage and charging on the generation, transmission and distribution, and retail sectors of Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and evaluate their potential impact on increased electric demand and reliability of the grid.”
The Dallas Express recently reported on automobile theft offenses in Dallas and the State of Texas. Patrick wants senators of the Criminal Justice Committee to review legislation related to the theft of auto parts, including catalytic converters, which has become a pressing issue for Texans. House Bill 4110 has already been created to address the issue, with scrap metal regulation set for expansion, but Patrick said the Senate needs to pursue further action to combat the problem.
“Determine what actions are needed to aid law enforcement and stop catalytic converter theft and its related violence,” his memo read.
Also under the Criminal Justice category, Patrick requested that the Texas Senate search for ways to facilitate incarcerated individuals’ reintroduction to society after they are released from prison. He asked for a review of “current offender re-entry programs provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and county jails” to “identify barriers to their success.”
The lieutenant governor added pandemic healthcare policies across Texas to the considerations under Health and Human Services. Patrick asked senators to examine how regulations, whether from government agencies or the health care industry, affect patient care and treatment and the relationship between patient and provider.
Under the heading of “Mental Health Delivery,” Patrick asked the Finance Committee to:
“Examine the state mental health service delivery system. Study the state’s Comprehensive Plan for State-Funded Inpatient Mental Health Services and the Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan and evaluate the existing state investments in mental health services and state hospital capacity.”
Patrick also requested an inspection of current forensic and civil mental health service waitlists and recommendations to improve coordination and outcomes to reduce waitlists. He charged the Committee to investigate and report on options for expanding mental health service capacities, such as constructing state hospitals in the Panhandle and Rio Grande Valley.
In the State Affairs category, Patrick asked senators to examine the effectiveness of the Texas Heartbeat Act, which limits abortions. He also requested that the current alternatives to abortion be evaluated.
The “Protecting the Unborn” portion of the document states:
“Monitor the impact of Senate Bill 8, The Texas Heartbeat Act, and the expanded funding for alternatives to abortion programs passed by the 87th Legislature. Study alternatives to abortion programs’ effectiveness in meeting the needs of pregnant and post-partum women and recommend how the Legislature should strengthen the program. Recommend ways to provide additional alternatives to abortion and comprehensive informed consent resources to mothers who are expecting.”
Senators will look over the issues in the twenty-two-page, 5,423-word brief to determine which the Texas Senate wishes to consider and begin work in committees over the coming months.
