Capitol Update from Rep. Spiller
Last week, the Texas House passed a Constitutional Carry bill, House Bill 1927. I was proud to co-author this monumental legislation as it was the first time in years for this bill to hit the House Floor. HB 1927 upholds our 2nd Amendment Rights and makes clear that citizens are endowed with the right to protect themselves.
For those of you who have not yet contacted my office, I would encourage you to do so. I want to hear from you and I look forward to our discussion. Please contact my Capitol office at 512-463-0526 and follow me on Facebook (@RepresentativeDavidSpiller) for important updates.
In other legislative news, a lot of important bills were heard on the House Floor last week. Some of these included expanding telehealth, lowering prescription costs, providing 2nd Amendment protections and more. These are significant items that my constituents have voiced are important to them, and I am proud to be a co-author on all of them. A recap of the legislation can be found below:
HB 4 - Expanding Telehealth. Provides greater access to care for patients who are in underserved communities and codifies the state’s ability to reimburse providers for these innovative services in order to incentivize more to provide them.
HB 18 - Lowering Prescription Costs. On Thursday, I stood with 3 million Texans who need help cutting prescription costs by voting in support of House Bill 18, aka the Texas Cares act. This bill would create a self-sustaining fund to help uninsured and underinsured Texans gain access to cost-savings on prescription medications.
HB 1500 - 2nd Amendment Protections. HB 1500 prevents any government official from prohibiting lawful citizens from being able to purchase guns and ammo in Texas. I am proud to co-author and support this legislation as it is strongly needed.
HB 1927 - Constitutional Carry. This is a permit less carry proposal that allows law-abiding citizens to carry a handgun without a state-issued License To Carry (LTC). This bill does not change existing gun laws in Texas or at the Federal level. It asserts the rights of all law-abiding citizens age 21 and older to carry a handgun.
Additionally, the Appropriations Committee passed the House Budget, sending it to the Calendars Committee to be set for a floor debate. This Thursday, the House will take up Senate Bill 1, the State Budget. This will be a significant day as the State of Texas must have a balanced budget. I have been working closely with the Appropriations Committee to ensure rural schools and rural hospitals are taken care of in House District 68.
Thank you to all of the constituents who have continued to engage in discussion with me about important legislative matters. I always look forward to hearing from you and would encourage anyone who has concerns or thoughts on upcoming legislation to contact me at 512-463-0526 or email me at district68.spiller@house.texas.gov. It is an honor to serve you in the Texas House.
Sincerely,
David Spiller
State Representative
Texas House District 68