Senate District 30 Capitol update from Sen. Springer

Bills for Senate District 30

At the beginning of this session, I filed a variety of bills for SD 30 that ranged from strengthening our higher education institutions to responding to the many challenges we faced during the pandemic and Winter Storm Uri. While there are more bills and amendments that I passed this session, I want to highlight some of the legislation that I worked on for SD 30 and the Lone Star State.

* House Bill 1522: Brings Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls into the Texas Tech University System which will strengthen both institutions.

* Senate Bill 1126: Unifies all three campuses of the Texas Woman’s University into the first women focused university system in the nation

* Senate Bill 22: Ensures that first responders who contract COVID-19 on the job have access to the benefits they deserve. I was proud to work on this priority bill.

* Senate Bill 572: Allows clergy members to visit hospital patients during a disaster, emergency or epidemic.

* Senate Bill 550: Expands the definition for the type of holster Texans can use when concealed carrying their firearm.

* House Bill 3924: Provides an innovative opportunity for rural Texans to have access to quality, affordable, health care plans in places where insurance options are historically limited.

Budget Victories The state budget is the only constitu

The state budget is the only constitutionally-mandated task the Texas Legislature must complete each session and this year, we passed a fiscally responsible budget that reduces overall spending by $13.5 billion. The budget for the 2022-23 fiscal cycle includes several provisions important to Texans, including:

* $30 billion investment in Texas infrastructure for highway planning and design, construction, maintenance and preservation.

* Increasing our commitment to public education, with the addition of directly delivering $11 billion in federal CARES Act funds.

* $57.6 million to combat human trafficking.

*$34 billion to health care programs to address expanding telehealth and telemedicine services and delivers funding for mental health care.

* $1 billion to strengthen our border security and includes funding for 100 new troopers along the border, which is an increase from previous years.

* $4.2 million to reform the Public Utility Commission (PUC) after Winter Storm Uri.

* Additional funds to strengthen election integrity technology and training county election officials.

As always, my door is open to help and answer any questions for Senate District 30. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need assistance or want to share your thoughts on anything happening in the Texas Legislature. It’s an honor and a privilege to represent North Texas in the Senate.

God Bless, Drew Springer SD30