Monday, June 1st was the final day of the 84th Legislative session.  Instead of the usual practice of adjourning until the next legislative day, both the House and the Senate adjourned sine die, or "without a day".

A lot happened in the final days of the 84th Legislative session.  We worked out the differences between the House and the Senate on two important Second Amendment issues: open carry and campus carry.  Starting January 1, 2016, CHL holders will be able to openly carry handguns as long as they are in a belt or shoulder holster.  These two bills makes Texas a leader in protecting our Second Amendment rights--exactly where we should be.

The House and Senate also finalized the budget for the next two years.  I will have a column later on about the specifics, but I can assure you that this is a fiscally conservative budget, with the increase over the last biennium lower than the rate of inflation and population growth. 

We also took great strides in addressing our transportation funding needs, sending you, the voters, a proposal that would create a minimum of $2.5 billion in dedicated transportation funding.  We also finalized almost $4 billion in tax cuts, which will provide tax relief to every homeowner in the state, as well as many of our small businesses.

On the education front, the House broadened the accountability system used to evaluate public schools, diminishing the role of standardized testing and taking other academic factors into account. The Legislature also approved a plan to more quickly and effectively reform schools that repeatedly fail to meet academic standards.

For the first time since 2006, legislators voted to fund new facilities at university campuses across the state. In addition, the Legislature created the Governor’s University Research Initiative, which will help public institutions of higher education recruit nationally recognized scholars.

Even though the legislative session has ended, I want to encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns or if I can be of any assistance. 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.