Posts in fromthetrail

My Five Cents

October 18th, 2021 Posted by nicholsforsenate fromthetrail, Photography 0 thoughts on “My Five Cents”

By Robert Nichols

On Oct. 13, 1845, voters in Texas overwhelmingly approved an ordinance to accept annexation into the United States by a vote of 4,245-257. They also adopted the state’s first constitution.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Hookset Brothers Combat Recovery wins governor’s volunteerism award.

The governor’s office announced the Governor’s Volunteer Award recipients this week, and one East Texas nonprofit was among the honorees.

Hookset Brothers Combat Recovery was awarded the Innovation in Volunteerism Award. The Bullard-based group provides free hunting and fishing trips to aid veterans recovering from combat-related post traumatic stress disorder.

The nonprofit was started by three brothers, themselves wounded veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They engage volunteers to support more than 100 combat veterans and their families each year. The organization also provides Gold Star Families with hunting and fishing excursions while serving as male role models to help children and young family members heal.

They offer an alternative approach to help veterans cope with the effects and trauma they sustained in defending America and her allies abroad. Congratulations to the Hookset brothers.

2. ERCOT Selection Committee appoints two to board of directors.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas received two new board members this week, the Public Utility Commission announced. The two new board members are Paul Foster, president of Franklin Management, and Carlos Aguilar, president of Texas Central Partners. Foster will serve as the chair of the ERCOT board.

During the most recent legislative session, the Legislature restructured the makeup of the ERCOT board and instituted changes in how members are appointed. The board went from 16 members to 11 members who now have to be selected by the ERCOT Selection Committee. The new directors will serve along with the other statutorily designated members of the ERCOT board: the chairman of the Public Utility Commission, the public counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel, and the CEO of ERCOT. With the addition of these two members, the ERCOT board now has the minimum number of three voting members required to function.

3. Community Outdoor Outreach Program grant applications available.

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department announced grant applications are now available for the Community Outdoor Outreach Program.

The program recognizes that community groups often face barriers to connecting Texans to the outdoors. CO-OP grants provide funding to organizations to help overcome those barriers. These grants support community-based conservation and outdoor recreation activities for programs that engage under-represented audiences.

Grant awards range from between $5,000 to up to $60,000 and can be used to support personnel, training, travel, food, park fees and other program supplies.

Applications for grants are due by 5 p.m. Nov. 1. To apply, visit tpwd.texas.gov/business/grants/recreation-grants/community-outdoor-outreach-program-co-op-grants.

4. Update on the Legislature’s third special session.

The end of the Legislature’s third called special session is in sight. This special session will come to a close on Tuesday, as required by state law, which mandates special sessions only last 30 days.

The most important process the Legislature has undertaken during this special session is redistricting. Though the timeline has been compressed due to delays in receiving the Census data because of COVID-19, the Legislature has managed to get much of the work done.

The State Senate and State Board of Education maps were voted on by the House on Friday. If they pass, they will go to the governor for his signature. The Texas House maps were passed by the House and now head to the Senate for a hearing in the Redistricting Committee. A vote on the new U.S. congressional maps most likely will have happened over the weekend.

5. Senate passes its plan for American Rescue Plan funds.

This week the Senate passed its proposal for how to spend the $16.3 billion in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Some highlights include:

■ $7.2 billion to balance the Unemployment Compensation Fund, which was drained during the COVID-19 pandemic.

■ $3.5 billion in salaries and benefits for public safety employees.

■ $2.5 billion in state and local hospital surge staffing.

■ $500.5 million for broadband infrastructure.

■ $75 million for rural hospitals.

■ $100 million for the Texans Feeding Texans program that supports food banks and home-delivered meals.

There are many other important causes supported with ARPA funding in the bill. The House was set to vote on the proposal over the weekend.

My Five Cents

October 11th, 2021 Posted by nicholsforsenate fromthetrail, Photography 0 thoughts on “My Five Cents”

By Robert Nichols

The Texas Revolution began at Gonzales 186 years ago. On Oct. 2, 1835, fighting broke out at Gonzales between Mexican soldiers and Texas militiamen.

When the Mexican military commander in Texas received word that the American colonists refused to surrender a small cannon that had been gifted to the settlement in 1831 as a defense against Indians, he dispatched a small contingent to retrieve it. The struggle featured the iconic “Come and Take It” flag and ended in a Mexican retreat.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Texas House releases redistricting maps, holds hearing.

Last week, the Texas House of Representatives released its initial maps for their newly drawn districts. After the Census Bureau released its official count, the ideal number of Texans in each House district increased to 194,303.

With these changes in mind, the House Redistricting Committee held a public hearing and made some alterations to their map before voting it out of committee.

It will come before the entire chamber this week for a final vote. After it leaves the House, the Senate will have an opportunity to vote on those maps.

2. T.L.L. Temple Foundation launches medical school loan repayment program.

The T.L.L. Temple Foundation announced it has negotiated a grant agreement for a medical school loan repayment program in an effort to increase the number of East Texas health professionals. The program will be run in conjunction with the State Office of Rural Health at the Texas Department of Agriculture. The funding amount of more than $1 million is included for the first cohort of eight participants. The max award will be $30,000 per year for four years per participant.

The program will be run by the State Office of Rural Health, which will administer the application process, reporting and tax compliance.

Participants will be required to serve for at least one consecutive year at an approved eligible site to qualify for the loan repayment award. Those eligible sites include clinics, local mental health authorities, public health facilities and other nonprofits in the 23 rural counties the T.L.L. Temple Foundation covers that have a primary focus of serving the underserved, including Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare and other low-income uninsured or under-insured populations.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Nov. 30 and can be found online at form.jotform.com/211393847074157.

3. Tenth annual veteran statewide hiring event announced.

This week the Texas Workforce Commission announced its 10th annual Hiring Red, White and You! event. This event focuses on connecting veterans, transitioning military members and military spouses to employers across the state.

In the 10 years since its inception, this event has worked with more than 18,000 employers, connected more than 100,000 job seekers to meaningful employment opportunities, and helped facilitate more than 2,800 same-day hires.

The statewide event will be Nov. 4. The Deep East Texas regional event will be in Lufkin at the Lufkin Memorial VFW Post 1836. The East Texas regional event will be in Longview at the Holiday Inn Longview-North Infinity Center.

4. Hazard mitigation plan grants available.

The Texas General Land Office, Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas Water Development Board are encouraging local entities eligible under federally declared counties or zip codes affected by Hurricane Harvey, the 2015 floods or the 2016 floods to apply for funding.

There is $25 million in grants available to help assist eligible entities in developing or updating FEMA-approved local hazard mitigation plans. These plans help local communities recognize the risk and hazards that currently exist, identify ways to reduce or eliminate these risks and qualify communities for additional grant-funded programs.

Local jurisdictions may be eligible for awards of up to $100,000 from the GLO to develop a new local hazard mitigation program. Communities also can be eligible for a smaller amount to update an existing plan. Local entities can apply at recovery.texas.gov/mitigation/lhmpp.html.

5. Border security 10-point plan.

This week, Gov. Greg Abbott outlined a 10-point plan he is urging the Biden Administration to follow in order to bring the border crisis under control. That plan includes:

■ Continue the Title 42 public health restrictions.

■ Fully reinstate the migrant protection protocols.

■ Finish securing the border.

■ End catch-and-release.

■ Clear the judicial backlog.

■ Resume the deportation of criminals.

■ Dedicate federal resources to eradicate human trafficking and drug trafficking.

■ Re-enter all agreements with our Northern Triangle partners and Mexico.

■ Send a clear message to potential migrants.

■ Deploy more federal law enforcement officers.

My Five Cents

October 4th, 2021 Posted by nicholsforsenate fromthetrail, Photography 0 thoughts on “My Five Cents”

By Robert Nichols

This week, the Texas Legislature is meeting to discuss everything from redistricting to electricity and the grid. We’ve only got a few more weeks left in this special session — hopefully we will get everything done.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Governor’s Broadband Council report released.

The Governor’s Broadband Development Council this month released its annual report to the Legislature as required by a bill passed in the 86th legislative session.

The report details the approximate number of households that have broadband access at acceptable speeds as set by the Legislature, as well as barriers to access and 10 recommendations from the council.

Those key recommendations include:

■ Planning and investing in broadband speeds greater than the FCC minimum of 25/3 Mbps;

■ Define what “underserved” means;

■ Study broadband demand at community, regional and statewide levels;

■ Invest in infrastructure that covers rural communities from cities and towns all the way to homes;

■ Fund digital literacy training programs;

■ Fund cybersecurity awareness and internet safety campaigns;

■ Allocate a portion of federal funds toward meaningful broadband infrastructure projects, including public-private partnerships, infrastructure, digital literacy and cybersecurity;

■ A statewide study on costs associated with lack of broadband;

■ Study the existence of any regulatory barriers communities may face for broadband expansion;

■ Partner with local communities, institutions and the private sector to promote digital inclusion initiatives that help advance broadband access, adoption and use.

2. U.S. congressional redistricting map released.

This week, Redistricting Chair Joan Huffman filed Senate Bill 6, the U.S. congressional redistricting bill. The Senate held a hearing on the legislation on Thursday to discuss the maps and collect public input on them.

The 2020 Census showed Texas grew substantially over the past decade. That growth required the addition of two new congressional districts in the state, bringing the total number of U.S. congressional seats in Texas to 38.

These two new seats were drawn in the Austin area and the Houston area in the proposed plan. To view these maps, go to dvr/Congress/14/PLANC2101.

3. State Senate, State Board of Education maps head to the floor.

This week, the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting gave initial approval to the newly drawn Texas Senate and State Board of Education plans.

Senate Bill 7, the SBOE map, was unanimously approved by the committee and Senate Bill 4, the Senate map, was approved 12-2. Now the bills will head to the Senate floor for a vote by the full Senate.

If approved, these maps will head over to the House for their approval.

To learn more about the redistricting process in Texas, visit redistricting.capitol.texas.gov for information about the history, the process and view all proposed maps.

4. Battleship Texas receives $500,000 grant.

Work continues on the Battleship Texas. The National Park Service, in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Museum and Library Services, recently announced that Battleship Texas has been awarded a $500,000 grant for the repair and restoration of her superstructure through the Save America’s Treasures grant program.

The superstructure is defined as the structures above the main deck, other than the ship’s five 14-inch gun turrets. This is a major piece of additional work that the Battleship Texas Foundation has been wanting to accomplish while the ship remains in dry dock.

5. Resolution on school bus driver shortage set for hearing.

Over the past several years, East Texas superintendents have continually brought up the same issue with me — the shortage of school bus drivers.

This shortage exists due to a multitude of factors including federal government regulations. Several years ago, Congress changed the requirements for commercial driver’s licenses. While these changes are appropriate for long-haul truckers and other commercial drivers, they also covered school bus drivers who have to have a CDL under federal law.

These new requirements ask bus drivers to be able to go under the hood of a vehicle and have skills outside the scope of their work. Because Congress raised the standards for CDLs, many licensees have chosen not to renew their licenses when it expires because the process or the test is difficult. The test also is a barrier to entry for possible new drivers.

During this special session, I filed Senate Concurrent Resolution 3 calling on Congress to address the school bus driver shortage. This resolution asks Congress to pass legislation that would allow states to make their own standards for school bus drivers.

My Five Cents

September 27th, 2021 Posted by nicholsforsenate fromthetrail, Photography 0 thoughts on “My Five Cents”

By Robert Nichols

The first official day of fall came on Sept. 22. With it came a welcome cold front across the state and a beautiful harvest moon. Fall brings cooler weather, leaves changing colors, and this year, another special session.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Third special session begins.

The Legislature convened for our third special session this week. There were five items originally on the call, including redistricting, appropriating federal funds from the American Rescue Plan, legislation regarding eligibility for teams in UIL athletics, legislation about vaccine mandates for local governmental entities, and legislation on dog restraints.

This week the governor added two additional items to the call: property tax relief and a constitutional amendment related to bail reform.

The Senate has successfully passed many of these priorities already, including property tax relief, dog restraint legislation, and a bill about youth sports. In the coming weeks, we’ll tackle the remaining items on the call.

It’s been an exciting summer in the Capitol and our work continues this fall.

2. Senate, State Board of Education proposed redistricting maps released.

Last week, Sen. Joan Huffman, chair of the Redistricting Committee, filed two proposed legislative redistricting maps for the Texas Senate and the State Board of Education. The committee, of which I’m a member, will be holding public hearings at 9 a.m. Sept. 25 to discuss the proposed maps.

Redistricting is one of the most difficult tasks the Legislature takes on but also one of the most important. These maps will shape the political landscape for the next 10 years.

To see the proposed maps, please visit dvr.capitol.texas.gov. If you’re interested in participating in these hearings, you can come to Austin to testify in person or submit written testimony to the committee.

You can submit written testimony through the public comment portal on the committee website at senate.texas.gov/cmte.php?c=625. To watch committee proceedings, visit senate.texas.gov/av-live.php at the time of the event to watch live.

You can also access the archives of redistricting hearings and all of the submitted public testimony on the Redistricting Committee’s webpage.

3. COVID-19 antibody infusion center launches in Livingston.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management in conjunction with Polk County, the city of Livingston, CHI St. Luke’s Memorial-Livingston, and the Polk County Office of Emergency Management have launched a new COVID-19 therapeutic infusion center in Livingston. The center uses Regeneron’s monoclonal antibodies to treat outpatient cases of COVID-19.

Importantly, patients need a referral from a doctor to receive the treatment. This treatment is available at no cost to the patient. This new center ensures East Texans have access to high-quality treatment options.

The Regeneron treatment is shown to be successful in decreasing the severity of a patient’s symptoms, which greatly decreases the chance of hospitalization. There are also more than 200 private health providers across the state who provide the antibody infusion treatment.

To find a provider near you, visit meds.tdem.texas.gov.

4. Army Corps of Engineers, General Land Office unveil Coastal Spine plan.

This month the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office released a final study that recommends a $28.87 billion system of levies and other features to shore up the Texas coast against storms.

The study, known as the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study, recommends a combination of coastal storm risk management and ecosystem restoration. The Coastal Spine, as it’s called, is broken into three groupings:

■ A coastwide ecosystem restoration plan to restore degraded ecosystems that buffer communities and industry on the coast;

■ A coastal storm risk management system on the lower coast that includes beach restoration on South Padre Island;

■ The Galveston Bay Storm Surge Barrier System on the upper coast that will reduce damage to communities, critical infrastructure, waterways, and other existing structures from storm surge.

The system will increase resiliency along the coast and is adaptable to future conditions, including sea level change.

Once this plan is approved by the USACE chief, it will be recommended to Congress for authorization and funding.

5. Texas Facilities Commission OKs contract for border wall.

Last week, the Texas Facilities Commission announced the final approval of a contract for the Texas border wall.

The project will be managed by Michael Baker and Huitt-Zollars Joint Venture. They will handle due diligence, budgeting, construction oversight, scheduling, reporting and project communications.

The project will focus on various locations in Texas and partner with local land owners.

My Five Cents

September 20th, 2021 Posted by nicholsforsenate fromthetrail, Photography 0 thoughts on “My Five Cents”

By Robert Nichols

Last week, Hurricane Nicholas made landfall, impacting the coastal region of Southeast Texas and neighboring counties. Though the storm hit as a hurricane, it was later downgraded to a tropical storm and then to a tropical depression.

There are 19 counties under the disaster declaration and five are in Senate District 3, including Jasper, Liberty, Montgomery, Newton and Orange counties.

If you have been affected by Nicholas, please complete the Self Reporting Damage Survey found on Texas Department of Emergency Management’s website to help the state identify damages to private homes and businesses at damage.tdem.texas.gov.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Texas Health and Human Services Commission to award $5 million to rural hospitals.

The HHSC and Gov. Greg Abbott announced the commission will receive $5 million in federal funding for rural hospitals through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The funding is coming through an innovative new program at CMS called the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model.

CHART is aimed at improving health outcomes, ensuring access to telehealth and addressing health disparities in rural communities. It is a seven-year cooperative agreement for rural communities to address significant barriers in access to health care.

The funding will help rural hospitals maintain financial stability due to low patient volumes, higher average fixed costs and difficulty attracting and maintaining health care workers. Eligible communities in Senate District 3 include areas within Angelina, Polk, and San Augustine counties. HHSC may expand eligibility as funding allows.

2. Abbott signs bail reform legislation.

This week Abbott signed Senate Bill 6 into law in Houston, finalizing bail reform measures he named as an emergency item in January before the regular legislative session.

The Damon Allen Act, as the legislation is known, is designed to make it harder for violent offenders to be released from jail. The bill bans the release of those accused of violent crime on personal bonds. Personal bonds do not require offenders to post any bail; they just require a promise the accused will appear in court.

The problem was that numerous violent offenders would go on to commit more violent crime, even murder, while on personal bonds. For example, a pregnant Houston-area woman was murdered by her estranged husband after he was released on a personal bond after being arrested for attacking her. Keeping these violent offenders behind bars while their case is being resolved keeps the public safe from further criminal acts.

3. DSHS to award $10 million in grants for local vaccination efforts.

The Department of State Health Services announced it is awarding $10 million in grants for local vaccination efforts through the Texas Vaccine Outreach and Education Grant program. It is encouraging education entities, faith-based organizations, government entities, community coalitions, associations and nonprofit groups to apply for grants ranging from $50,000 to $150,000.

Community groups should be engaged in vaccine education and aiming at increasing the number of vaccinated Texans. Priority is given to rural communities, disability organizations and communities of color.

4. SFA launches inaugural Aviation Science Program class.

This fall, Stephen F. Austin State University is offering a new degree program — Aviation Science. This month, the inaugural class began piloting aircraft at A.L. Mangham Airport.

The program is a public-private partnership with Nacogdoches-based HCH Aviation and other entities. The city of Nacogdoches is providing the airport, HCH Aviation and Piper Aircraft provide the planes and HCH Aviation provides the instructors.

Aviation Science graduates will be FAA certified upon graduation. The flight training program is open to collegiate and non-collegiate students, as well as those not interested in earning a bachelor’s degree. Though the program now has only 21 students, program leaders are hoping to expand their offerings to have up to 200 or more students in the program.

5. Texas Veterans Commission grants $1 million to East Texas veteran’s services.

Six veterans service groups in East Texas received a combined $1 million in grants from the Texas Veterans Commission this month. Grants range from general assistance to housing and transportation assistance.

The money for these grants comes from veterans’ cash lottery tickets, vehicle registrations and hunting and fishing licenses, which all have the option to donate to the Texas Veterans Commission. Through these small donations, the Texas Veterans Commission has been able to award more than $33 million just this year.

More than 5,000 East Texas veterans receive help from the community organizations that received grants this month. Veterans have access to other important resources through the Texas Veterans Commission and can learn more at tvc.texas.gov.

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