By Robert Nichols

As we head into the holiday season and you gather with friends and family, I want to wish you a very merry Christmas from my family to yours.

Here are five things happening around your state this month:

1. Texas Commission on Judicial Selection. I am grateful to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for recently appointing me to serve as a legislative member on the Texas Commission on Judicial Selection.

This commission was created in 2019 by the 86th Legislature to study and review the method by which statutory county court judges, including probate court judges, districts judges and appellate justices and judges are selected for their office in Texas.

The commission has been charged with considering the fairness, effectiveness and desirability of how a judicial officer is selected through partisan elections. They must also consider methods of judicial selection that have been proposed or adopted by other states and look at alternative methods and their merits for selecting a judicial officer.

The commission is required to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the governor and Legislature no late than December 2020.

2. Rusk State Hospital groundbreaking. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the groundbreaking for the new $200 million construction project at Rusk State Hospital.

This new construction will include a 225,000-square-foot patient complex, which will house a 100 bed non-maximum security unit and a 100-bed maximum security unit. A new administrative building is also included in the new construction.

The Texas Legislature has appropriated $745 million for the construction of more modern facilities to replace outdated buildings at various state hospitals around Texas. Many of the buildings at Rusk State Hospital are approximately 130 years old, and cannot meet the needs of the people they serve.

As a part of this revitalization effort, Rusk State Hospital will be able to continue to provide services to those in need and provide job opportunities to its local communities.

3. New system at DPS. The Texas Department of Public Safety has announced they will unveil a new appointment system at driver’s license centers next year. The hope is this system will help to reduce the hours-long wait many Texans have had to endure in recent years.

The new system will allow individuals to look at the local offices around them, choose their preferred office and book appointments up to six months in advance. Workers at the various centers will be able to estimate how long a driver’s transaction will take and plan accordingly, to help cut down on wait times for other customers.

Some people will be able to wait at the centers on “standby” in case someone does not show up for their appointment, and if no spots open, they can then make an appointment for another day.

The Legislature appropriated approximately $200 million, which has allowed DPS to hire more than 500 employees to fill vacancies at the various centers across the state.

4. Low unemployment in Texas. October marked the fifth consecutive month in Texas of record low unemployment rates with 3.4% rate of unemployment. This is the lowest rate of unemployment since the state began tracking it back in 1976.

Approximately 297,100 new jobs have been added this year. This included 9,700 jobs in the trade, transportation and utilities industry, followed by professional and business services with 6,300 jobs and education and health services with 5,300 additional jobs.

I am proud to serve Senate District 3 in the Texas Senate and work ensure that this continued growth remains a positive for our great state.

5. Christmas ornament. To commemorate the Capitol’s history, every year since 1996 a unique ornament has been created. The proceeds of this annual tradition support ongoing Capitol conservation and educating the public about the history of the Capitol and its grounds.

The 2019 Christmas ornament was inspired by the famed Lone Star locomotive. It highlights historic details that include a tall smokestack, steam whistle, bell, boilers and cattle guard, which is typical of a steam train in the late 19th century.

The locomotive is decorated with Texas Lone Stars, Texas Flags and a holiday wreath that features the Capitol Dome. The railcar is filled with Sunset Red granite as it makes its way toward Austin to become part of the Texas Capitol.

If you would like to buy your own ornament and have a little piece of Capitol history, you can visit texascapitolgiftshop.com.

I had the privilege to attend the groundbreaking for the Rusk State Hospital upgrade alongside Representative Clardy and community leaders. Not only will the upgrade enhance inpatient adult psychiatric services to people in 36 counties in East Texas, but it is also expected to create several hundred construction jobs in the city! http://bit.ly/2CDIdbG

By Robert Nichols

I am very grateful for many things in November…my family, friends, and hunting season. I am also grateful for the opportunity to represent Senate District 3 in Austin as your State Senator. As you celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish you a holiday filled with family, friends and lots of pumpkin pie or pecan pie (which is the state pie of Texas!).

Here are five things happening around your state this month:

1. Mass Violence Prevention
The Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety met at the end of October to discuss how the role of digital media, dark web networks and overall cultural issues may play a part in the promotion of mass violence. The correlation of how these items might contribute to the incitement of racism, domestic terrorism, and the radicalization of individuals was also discussed.

They also examined the state’s interest in public safety and its ability to protect first amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion, while prohibiting individuals from wearing items intended to intimidate, incite violence or engage in criminal activity. This committee has held multiple hearings around the state in the past few months and will continue to meet before the next legislative session which begins in January 2021.

2. House Public Education Hearing
The Texas House Public Education Committee recently held a hearing to examine the implementation of House Bill 3, which provided approximately $11.6 billion to school districts across the state. They examined ways the bill’s language might have created hardships and/or unexpected increases or decreases in funding for school districts. Superintendents in Senate District 3 brought to my attention a complication in funding in regards to enrolling their students in career and technology courses. It is important to me to stay in touch with the school districts within Senate District 3 to ensure that I have an understanding of how the bills we pass in Austin affect those they were meant to help. The Legislature will continue to monitor House Bill 3 throughout the interim and will be able to address many of these concerns/issues in the next legislative session.

3. Interim Charges
Lieutenant Governor Patrick recently released interim charges for all of the standing Senate committees. As the Legislature only meets in odd-numbered years for 140 days, there is a limited amount of time for all issues to be addressed. Because of this, the Legislature uses interim charges as a way to study and examine the different sides of an issue, review legislation previously passed, provide suggestions for solutions and begin work on potential legislation for the next session. Over the next year, committees will hold hearings to discuss these interim charges.

Some of these charges include examining best practice models for recruiting, preparing and retaining teachers, examining and determining ways to improve health care services in rural areas and medically underserved areas, as well as examining the adequacy of long-term health care services and support options for veterans in Texas.

4. Explore Our State
We are lucky to live in a state that covers so much area and includes various types of scenery from the coastal plains of Corpus Christi to the high plains of Amarillo, to the pine trees in East Texas and the mountains in El Paso. As the holidays approach and you begin to plan trips with your family and friends, I hope you will consider making one of those trips within our great state. As our state is so large, it can often be overwhelming to know where to go. You can visit www.texastimetravel.coms and explore what to see and do in the various regions of Texas, as well as if there is a specific theme you are looking at such as arts and leisure or architecture.

5. Veterans Day
Veterans Day, which was originally known as Armistice Day, commemorated the ending of World War I in 1918. In 1954, President Eisenhower changed the name to ensure all U.S. Veterans were included. On Monday, November 11th, we will pay tribute to all American veterans and their services to our country. If you have a Veteran in your life, I encourage you to honor and thank them for the sacrifices they made to ensure we have our freedom.

Recently, Representative Clardy and I attended a groundbreaking event for the future I-69 project, which is one part of the transformation of US-59 to I-69. http://bit.ly/2Mud2nE

Yesterday was Community College Day at the Capitol. It was a pleasure meeting with students and faculty from Angelina Community College and Trinity Valley Community College.