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Legislature ends after 209 days After 209 days, things have finally come to a close for the 83rd Session of Texas Legislature. It took the House and Senate only a handful of days during the third special session to pass a transportation funding measure, and with no other issue added to the call by Governor Perry, the House adjourned earlier this week. It’s good to be finally home.
Transportation
I am pleased to report that the third time was indeed a charm for the Legislature’s attempt to fund the increasing needs on our state’s transportation system without raising fees or taxes. SJR1 passed both the House and Senate this week, and if the voters approve this ballot measure next November, then we will begin directing a portion of future revenues from oil and gas severance taxes that would otherwise be headed towards our state’s rainy day fund to our highway fund. Additionally, HB1 was passed and along with creating a special legislative committee to ensure a healthy balance remains in our rainy day fund, it requires TxDOT to find $100 million in efficiencies in their budget. These savings will be used to pay down existing debt on transportation bonds. As Texas continues its rapid population growth and our roads become more congested, it’s clear more will need to be done in this area, but these two bills together are a good start.
Energy Council
As our district and most of the Lone Star State are experiencing economic growth and job creation as a result of the energy sector, I’ve becoming increasingly focused on policies that affect this vital industry. Recently,
OPINION, ETC.
Thursday, August 15, 2013 70. *Class action to find president 71. 100 centavos 72. Baseball Giant and hall-of-famer 73. “The Sun Also _____”
TRENT ASHBY
DOWN
State Representative
I was honored to have been appointed, along with a handful of other legislators, to the Energy Council by House Speaker Joe Straus. The Energy Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to facilitate cooperation in national energy policy matters among several energy-producing states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming, plus the province of Alberta, Canada. I am excited about this opportunity to hear from energy policy experts and learn from others about ways to expand opportunities for this growing component of our regional and state economy.
HB5
There were over 1,500 bills passed in the House and Senate this year. During the interim, I will pick some to highlight and explain how these new laws will impact Texans. With the passage of HB5 during the regular legislative session, students entering high school this fall will take 10 fewer state exams than their classmates two years ahead of them. The old law required 15 state standardized exams to graduate. Now, students will need to pass only five. This legislation also made changes to the curriculum required for a high school diploma, enabling students to focus more on science and technology, business and industry, public services, humanities or a multidisciplinary option.
Contact
As always, my staff and I are available during the week at 936-634-2762 or 512-463-0508.
Theme:
Back to School ACROSS
1. Group of wives 6. *Requires parental involvement 9. Cyberspace soliloquy 13. Yawning 14. Barley bristle 15. It’s controversial in fight against crime 16. Japanese bed 17. Decompose 18. *Found in art class 19. *Pedagogue
21. *Energy outlet 23. Magic’s infection 24. It often holds 24 25. Tax pro 28. First female Attorney General 30. Breath freshener 35. Two quarters 37. Grannies 39. Top of Lady Liberty 40. Seed covering 41. Virgo’s brightest star 43. “Laughing on the inside” in text message 44. Officially allowed 46. Way, way off
47. Diabolical 48. Doghouse 50. Cupid’s counterpart 52. “The ___” by The Doors 53. Swerve 55. Bovine sound 57. *Junior’s ruler? 60. *Required substance 64. Editor’s insertion mark 65. Tarzan’s mom, e.g. 67. Papal court 68. Like a video game bird 69. *Sophomore’s grade
1. Dagger handle 2. Flu symptom 3. Pro ____ 4. Period 5. Large upright stone 6. Young salmon 7. *Pencil type 8. Bone hollow 9. Highlands hillside 10. It’s often denoted in red 11. Half of binary code 12. Used for styling 15. Trickery 20. 0 and 2, e.g. 22. “C’___ la vie!” 24. Pine, e.g. 25. *Calcium sulfate’s common name 26. Humorous slang for “Paris” 27. Set straight 29. Famous valley 31. This king was a merry old soul 32. Treasure collection 33. Perform in 34. *Not to be left behind 36. Custard dessert 38. Capone’s mark 42. Enophile’s sensory concern 45. Funny business 49. Actor DiCaprio 51. Goal-oriented activity 54. Inspiration for poets and musicians 56. Eyes 57. All there 58. Units of work 59. Infamous Roman Emperor 60. Blowhole 61. Wraths 62. Not naughty 63. Beanery sign 64. Upper limit 66. *Teacher’s applegiver
We don’t need to see you in Sept.
Summertime is over, and it’s time to face the fall. Hopefully, your family has enjoyed a nice vacation and you’ve had your share of fun in the sun. You may even reminisce about the popular song, “See You in September,” which was written by Sid Wayne and Sherman Edwards and made memorable by The Happenings in 1966. As children, teenagers, and young adults return to school, now is a good time for you to take a look at the books, too — whether that means starting your retirement planning, making sure your retirement plans are on track, or taking the plunge and applying for Social Security retirement benefits. \But just because you have Social Security business and retirement matters to tend to does not mean you need to fight the traffic and trudge into a busy government office.
PEGGY BUCHANAN Social Security District Manager - Lufkin
We don’t need to see you (in person) in September. That’s because whether you’re working on your retirement planning or ready to retire, you can do everything from the comfort of your home or office computer at www.socialsecurity.gov. If you’ve been to our website before, you’ll notice that the new homepage is even better. We’ve revised the homepage and made it clearer and easier to use. You’ll now find what you want, without the need to read through a lot of links. If you’re starting to think about a retirement that is in the far-off future, a good place to begin is with Social Security’s Benefits Planners at www.socialsecurity.gov/ planners. You can use
Who to Call
the planners to help you understand your Social Security protection as you plan your financial future. In fact, you can learn about survivors and disability benefits as well as retirement benefits. No matter how new you may be to the working world, it’s never too early to begin planning for a sound financial future. For those of you with more years of work under your belt, get a more precise look at what your benefits will be with Social Security’s Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator. The Estimator makes use of your reported wages from past years and projects your current earnings into the future to give you an instant, personalized estimate of your future benefits. You can change the variables, such as date of retirement and future earnings estimates, to see what you can expect in
different scenarios. If you’re ready to say goodbye to the daily grind of working and you’re ready to apply for Social Security retirement benefits, it’s exciting to know that you can apply from the comfort of your home or office in as little as 15 minutes. Once you complete the online application for benefits, in most cases, that’s all there is to it. No papers to sign or documents to provide. Give it a try when you’re ready to retire at www. socialsecurity.gov/applyonline. You have better things to do in September than to come see us. Whether you’re just beginning your retirement plans, making sure your longterm plans are on track, or you’re ready to retire, we don’t need to see you in September. Take advantage of our new, easyto-use website at www. socialsecurity.gov.
Diboll Free Press
State Rep. Trent Ashby Austin Office
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