This week the House of Representatives passed our version of the state budget.  This is the only bill that we are required to pass each session and is undoubtedly the most important and far reaching bill we debate.  This year, the House debate lasted for 18 hours.  That's right, we started at noon and did not finish until almost 6:00 a.m. the next morning.

There were many important issues addressed in this budget.  Most importantly, the House made good on our commitment to public education, adding an additional $2.2 billion in funding for our public schools.  We also allocated a further $800 million, subject to certain legislation that is making its way through the House.  This additional $800 million will be used to bring equity and fairness to the amount school districts receive per student. 

The budget is also where the House showed its commitment to securing our border.  We appropriated more than $500 million for border security, including funding for 300 new state troopers to serve in the border region.  Texas is committed to securing the border, in light of the continuing failures of the federal government . This funding and surge of manpower will go a long way toward accomplishing our goal.

This week, the House Energy Resources Committee voted to send House Bill 40 to the entire House for debate.  H.B. 40 is an important piece of legislation that will help protect the Texas economy by ensuring that cities cannot pass outright bans of oil and gas activities.  Cities will still be able to enact ordinances to protect the health and safety of their citizens, but are not able to usurp the state's authority in regulating the production of oil and gas, which helped Texas weather the economic downturn and allowed us to continue to be the economic envy of the nation.

As the legislative session continues, I want to encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about legislation. I want to hear your opinion regarding the issues that are important to you. It is with your input that I am able to best represent you. My office number is 512-463-0556 or district9.paddie@house.state.tx.us.