We are in the final days of the 84th Legislative session, with Monday, June 1st being the final day.  The House and Senate are coming to agreements on most of the important issues; hopefully we will not be called back for a special session.

The House and the Senate have reached an agreement on open carry legislation that will allow CHL holders to openly carry their firearms in the same manner in which they are currently allowed to concealed carry.  License holders will continue to have to pass background checks and demonstrate proficiency with their firearm.

The House and Senate also reached an agreement on tax cuts that will benefit all businesses and home owners.  The compromise plan will give tax payers almost $4 billion in tax relief and will result in a 25% margins tax rate cut and a $10,000 increase in the statewide homestead exemption.  The homestead exemption increase will be presented to voters in November 2015. I hope that you will come out and make your voice heard on this constitutional amendment. 

You will also be asked to vote on another constitutional amendment, one that will dedicate approximately $2.5 billion of general sales tax dollars and up to $1.75 billion of vehicle sales tax dollars to transportation.  This measure goes a long way in fixing our transportation funding deficit and does so without raising taxes.  Transportation funding is one of the governor's emergency items and one of the most pressing issues facing our state.  I am pleased to report that the legislature is bringing you solutions on this front.

The House and Senate also finalized HB 11, which will allow the DPS to bulk up its presence on the Mexican border.   As we have seen in the past year, Texas must have a more significant presence on the border to make up for the failings of the federal government.  HB 11 will give our law enforcement the necessary tools to combat human trafficking, drug smuggling, and other transnational criminal activity.  As we have seen, increasing our law enforcement presence has been an effective option to combat these crimes. 

As the legislative session winds up, I want to encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 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.