Capitol Update: Hunters for the Hungry

Rising temperatures and back-to-school shopping can only mean one thing: August has arrived! In Austin, the pace continues to pick up at the Capitol as fellow House members and State Senators take dead aim on the 85th Legislative Session. Here’s a quick update on some interim charges, and a chance for you to help those in need . . .

House Interim Charges: House Committee on General Investigating & Ethics

This week we continue our look at interim committee charges with the House Committee on General Investigating & Ethics – the group of my colleagues given the responsibility of providing transparency between our state government and Texas citizens.

Over the course of the interim, hearings have been held to, first and foremost, examine existing ethics laws for government employees, appointees, and elected officials in order to ensure that the public maintains a high sense of confidence and trust in the people who spend their tax dollars. This includes a deep dive into the issues of financial disclosures and conflicts of interest. In addition, the committee will be considering existing laws over all agencies in which it provides oversight. These agencies will closely be inspected to determine whether they could respond to requests from citizens more quickly, whether some programs and services could be streamlined (while maintaining the mission of the program), and whether the agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner.

Hunters for the Hungry

With deer season just a few months away, and licenses going on sale August 15th, I wanted to take a minute to tell you about Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s “Hunters for the Hungry” program. Each year, Hunters for the Hungry provides over nine million servings of venison to struggling Texans through local food banks. Whether you’re an avid hunter who lacks space in your freezer, a landowner needing to manage your herd, or would just like to help a fellow Texan, Hunters for the Hungry is the answer for you. Just bring your legally tagged and field dressed white tail or mule deer to a participating meat processor, pay the discounted processing fee, and receive a tax deductible receipt.

For more information on participating processors, or to find out how your business can get involved, please visit www.feedingtexas.org/get-involved/hunt/ or contact my capitol office.

Reminders

The mobile office is back on the road for the month of August, and looks forward to seeing you around our district!  As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762, or you can call my Capitol office at (512) 463-0508.