It has been a busy week in Austin.  This week marked the deadline to file legislation, and we saw a flurry of bills filed at the end.  We will now continue the process of hearing these bills in committee to determine which ones are worthy of debate by the full House.

This week, I filed legislation that will help our volunteer fire departments build storage facilities without the requirement for expensive and unnecessary engineering studies.   Reducing the cost of these unoccupied buildings will make it easier for our volunteer fire departments to operate and will ultimately save all of us money.

I also filed a bill that will help to alleviate some of our rural healthcare shortages.  My bill would make it easier for advanced practice nurse practitioners to operate under the supervision of a doctor.  This bill will help bring more of these nurse practitioners to our area and will provide badly needed healthcare options in East Texas.

This week the House Energy Resources Committee heard two resolutions calling on the federal government to end the crude oil export ban and to speed the process of permitting natural gas export terminals.  If the federal government would implement these common sense strategies, it would undermine the regimes of countries hostile to the United States while also creating well-paying jobs here in the US, many directly in East Texas.

As we move into the busier parts of the session, I want to encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about legislation.  I want to hear your opinion on all of 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 you can email me at district9.paddie@house.state.tx.us.