This week, a critical economic development bill is voted out of committee, workforce development and education items move forward, and the Partnership provides a rundown of 5 important bills to keep an eye on.

Economic Development Bill Headed to the House floor 

What’s new: On Monday, House Bill 5, the Texas Jobs & Security Act, by Representative Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi), was voted favorably out of the House Ways & Means committee by a vote of 11-0. House Bill 5 establishes a new economic development incentive program, improving the state’s ability to attract large-scale business projects and high-quality jobs to our local communities.
Houston in Focus: The Partnership appreciates the 17 Houston-area lawmakers who signed on as co-authors in support of the bill.
Take Action: To show support for House Bill 5, the Partnership is encouraging organizations to take one of the following actions:

• Post on your social media platforms support for House Bill 5.
• Quote retweet the Partnership’s post, including a shout-out to your State Representative tagging them as a co-author (see Greater-Houston list above or view link here to see all co-authors).
• Tweet thank you to the over 250 trade associations, chambers of commerce, and organizations backing House Bill 5 by sharing this link.

*Houston-area House Bill 5 co-authors as of April 27 

Update: Workforce Fund Bill Passes the House
 
On Wednesday, House Bill 1755, by Representative Angie Chen Button (R-Richardson), passed the House with a vote of 121-27. House Bill 1755 establishes the Lone Star Workforce of the Future Fund, allocating funds to community colleges, technical colleges, and nonprofits administering performance-based workforce training programs. 

Why it matters: According to the National Skills Coalition, middle-skill jobs account for 54% of the labor market in Texas, but only 45% of workers are trained to the middle-skill level. This fund would allow the State to respond to industry needs at an accelerated pace while providing opportunities for upward mobility for many Texans.

What’s next: House Bill 1755 was received by the Senate on Thursday. The Senate companion bill, Senate Bill 592, by Senator Carol Alvarado (D-Houston), was heard in the Senate Committee on April 19th. 

Senate Passes K-12 Curriculum Reform 
 
This week, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 2565 by Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Woodlands) with a vote of 22 to 8. The bill works to improve the quality of classroom curricular resources. 

Houston in Focus: The high-quality instructional material (HQIM) called for in Senate Bill 2565 has already demonstrated its effectiveness in Houston classrooms. Aldine ISD, a supporter of the bill, saw significant increases in reading scores within two years after adopting HQIM and has now restored reading proficiency to pre-pandemic levels. 
What’s next: Senate Bill 2565 will make its way over to the House for a vote. The House companion bill, House Bill 1605 by Representative Brad Buckley (R-Killeen), was passed out of committee on April 6th and is in the Calendars Committee, meaning the bill could be voted on by the House vote as soon as next week. 

Go deeper on curriculum reform in the Partnership’s Week 12 Legislative Session Update. 

On the Move: 5 Bills to Watch
 
Mandatory Arbitration: 

• On Tuesday, the House Committee on Urban Affairs heard Senate Bill 736 by Senator John Whitmire (D-Houston). The bill provides for mandatory arbitration to resolve collective bargaining impasses between the City of Houston and the Firefighters. 
• The bill, as heard in committee, does not provide for financial guardrails to guide the arbitration decisions. While the Partnership supports the intent of the bill, allowing contract disputes to be settled by an arbitrator without guardrail language could negatively impact the City’s budget. 

Carbon Capture: 

• On Monday, the Senate Natural Resources & Economic Development Committee unanimously voted out the paired-down carbon capture bill, Senate Bill 2107 by Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville). The bill is waiting to be set on the next Senate Local/Uncontested Calendar. 
• A social media toolkit is available to those wanting to help mobilize support for the bill as moves through the process.

Advanced Recycling: 

• House Bill 3060 by Representative Ed Thompson (R-Pearland) passed unanimously out of the House on Tuesday. The measure removes barriers to the widespread adoption of advanced recycling, which diverts hard-to-recycle plastics from landfills by turning them into new products.
• The House Bill will quickly catch up to its companion, Senate Bill 2044 by Senator Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills), which was heard last week and left pending in Senate Natural Resources & Economic Development. 

Broadband: 

• House Bill 9 by Representative Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin) passed the House on Wednesday with a vote of 140-8. The bill provides transformational funding to expand access to and adoption of broadband service across the state. 
• Senate Bill 1238 by Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) was also favorably voted out of the House State Affairs Committee this week. Senate Bill 1238 will better align state statutes with any new federal guidelines since Congress’ passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, ensuring our State maximizes federal dollars to close Texas’ digital divide.

During the 88th Legislative Session, the Greater Houston Partnership will provide a weekly update on newsworthy items from Austin. You can view more policy news and archives of our weekly updates here. Subscribe here to get our weekly legislative updates