State reps file bills for new legislative session

The 88th Texas Legislative Session kicks off in January but Olney’s elected representatives, Rep. David Spiller and Sen. Drew Springer, already have filed legislation for the new session. The two teamed up on bills that mandate minimum setbacks for wind farms and dole out state aid to allow small counties to pay their sheriffs a minimum of $75,000 per year.

Young County Judge-elect Win Graham was not familiar with the wind farm measure, which would require windmills to be set back at least 3,000 feet from property lines unless neighbors allow them closer, but said he favors “any measure to support law enforcement.”

“Law enforcement is crucial to our communities and it is becoming harder and harder to recruit and retain quality law enforcement in rural Texas,” he said.

Mr. Spiller said he will focus in the coming session on what he determined were “the three biggest concerns” in House District 68 – “the border, property taxes, and election integrity issues.” He has filed eight bills, including measures to increase penalties and mandate deportation for illegal immigrants who are arrested in Texas, and to increase penalties for election fraud.

Olney Police Chief Dan Birbeck said the criminal justice measures on illegal immigration and election fraud if passed, will have little impact on Olney. “So far we really haven’t had a lot of issues with this,” he said of the proposed bills Chief Birbeck has been urging state lawmakers for years to prioritize mental health funding and long-term mental health care for rural communities. Chief Birbeck and Young County Sheriff Travis Babcock have spoken publicly and frequently about the huge cost to local taxpayers of untreated mentally ill adults and juveniles who wind up on the streets or in the county jail because state mental health institutions in Wichita Falls will not accept them.

Judge John Bullock recently criticized state lawmakers for transferring $360 million from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice budget to Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border security program while inmates languish in Young County jail at local taxpayers’ expense rather than being moved to state prisons.

In a bid to lower property taxes, Mr. Spiller also has filed a measure to eliminate the maintenance and operations tax for school districts from local property taxes and replace it with a consumption tax – a move that could affect funding for Olney Independent School District, Superintendent Dr. Greg Roach said. Mr. Spiller did not consult OISD about the proposal. “There could be philosophical argument against that type of bill and it seems to be from a taxing standpoint a bit too regressive in nature,” Dr. Roach said.

Mr. Springer filed 11 bills on Nov. 14, including measures to exempt feminine hygiene products from state sales tax, increase criminal penalties for possession of child pornography, set criteria for school safety volunteers in counties of fewer than 50,000 people, prohibit primary and secondary public schools from being used as polling places, and allowing cities to regulate statewide commerce in some cases.

Chief Birbeck, who has been working with OISD to improve school safety and frequently lectures statewide on active shooter scenarios, said of the school safety volunteer measure: “I disagree that volunteers, however well intended, are a good idea. Police departments currently struggle to find resources, time, and funding to train their full-time police officers for these high-stress responses,” he said. “The skills required to navigate such a scenario are perishable, and placing retired military and law enforcement who are not regularly training into this environment is risky at best. On the other hand, it may be the best option for school districts that do not have School Resource Officers. Still, ideally, a trained on-duty police officer communicating with other first responders is the best solution, in my opinion.”

Both Mr. Spiller and Mr. Springer said they are working with constituents and local officials on additional legislation.

“Although we filed a number of bills on the first day of pre-filing, we have several issues that we are working on for constituents in Young County,” Mr. Spiller told the Enterprise.

“We have a number of additional bills that we will be filing prior to session that are still in the process of being drafted. Those include, but are not limited to, the issues of mental health funding and options for rural counties, issues relating to juvenile detention facilities and programs, legislation supporting both rural schools and rural hospitals, a cost-ofliving adjustment for retired teachers, and additional bills for significantly reducing property taxes. I look forward to supporting and passing meaningful legislation that benefits Texas, House District 68 and Young County.”

Olney law enforcement, hospital, and city officials are working closely with Mr. Springer’s representatives in hopes of snagging funds from the state’s $27-billion sale tax surplus for critical water, infrastructure, and mental health projects.

The Legislature convenes for its biennial session on Jan. 10. Texas House members and Senators may file bills from Nov. 14 through March 10.