Metro 8 Legislative Agenda
TRANSPORTATION
Stop Diversions
The current biennial statutory diversion of transportation resources to other uses exceeds $1.5 billion and increases each biennium. Diversions of transportation funds must be eliminated in order to provide adequate funding to maintain and expand Texas’ transportation infrastructure.
Index the Motor Fuels Tax
The Metro Chambers support indexing the motor fuels tax to the CPI or another index, which would enable the revenue that funds transportation to grow with inflation. Any increase to the motor fuels tax should be directed 100 percent to transportation sources.
Local Option Transportation Tax
Authorize metropolitan regions the ability to call public referendums to consider transportation taxes and fees for regional transportation investments. This does not include exceeding the 8.25% sales tax cap.
Texas Mobility Fund
The Texas Mobility Fund (TMF) provides the state with a creative mechanism to substantially leverage transportation dollars. It is estimated that for every $100 million allocated annually for the TMF, about $1 billion in bonding authority is created. The Metro Chambers urge the Legislature to identify additional revenue sources during the 81st Texas Legislature and redirect them from General Revenue to the Texas Mobility Fund.
Adopt enabling legislation for Proposition 12
Proposition 12 was adopted by the voters of Texas in 2007 and allows the Legislature to authorize the Texas Transportation Commission to issue state general obligation bonds up to $5 billion for highway improvements with repayment of the bonds from the State's General Revenue Fund. Enabling legislation is needed to implement this much needed bonding capacity. These funds should be directed to projects that will reduce congestion and improve air quality.
Rail Relocation Fund
The Metro Chambers support the appropriation of $200 million per year for the Rail Relocation Fund. The 79th Texas Legislature passed legislation to create the Rail Relocation Fund. However, the program was not funded. Approved in November 2005 by citizen vote, the Rail Relocation Fund was designed as a creative mechanism for financing the relocation of dangerous freight rail lines in densely populated areas. The Metro Chambers are committed to working with the Texas Legislature and
the Texas Transportation Commission on a feasible funding solution for rail relocation.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Metro Chambers encourage the continuation and expansion of the following State economic development incentives and protection of local incentive tools to ensure the long-term economic vitality and competitiveness of Texas.
Texas Enterprise Fund
The Metro Chambers support the continued funding and structure for the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF). The TEF has created thousands of jobs for Texans serving as a focused, deal-closing tool to help local communities secure high impact projects.
Emerging Technology Fund
The Metro Chambers support the continued funding and structure for the Emerging Technology Fund and associated Regional Centers for Innovation and Commercialization. The Fund and RCICs act as a catalyst for technology research, development and commercialization throughout Texas.
HB 1200 – Economic Development Act
The Metro Chambers recommend that project eligibility under the Economic Development Act be fully expanded to include any project meeting current capital investment requirements.
Texas Enterprise Zone
The Metro Chambers support continuation of the Texas Enterprise Zone program, providing an additional and invaluable tool for the State and local communities to promote economic development in distressed areas of the state.
Skills Development Fund
The Metro Chambers support continued funding of the State’s primary workforce training initiative, the Skills Development Fund, at or exceeding current the current level. Streamline the process, rethink the measures for employers to access TWC and local workforce investment board funds and align the system with employer needs.
Local Property and Sales Tax Incentives
The Metro Chambers support continuation of local government authority to enter into sales and property tax abatement and rebate agreements to support economic development projects.
Tax Credits
The Metro Chambers recommend that research and development, job creation and capital investment credits previously available under the franchise tax be incorporated into the margins tax. These credits will enhance our competitiveness for major projects. These credits were important to the growth in Texas of large employers such as Texas Instruments, Toyota, and 3M.
PUBLIC AND HIGHER EDUCATION
The Metro Chambers applaud improvement made by the education systems but recognize graduating the vast majority of students ready for workforce or college – a key competitiveness goal – has yet to be achieved. Therefore, the Metro Chambers support:
Strong and improved K12 education accountability and assessment:
• Measure, provide diagnostic information and disclose whether students are acquiring knowledge and skills, grade by grade, in sync with standards necessary and on the path to college/good job readiness;
• Reflect growth and improvement that districts, schools and students have made;
• Recognize and have consequences which promote and ensure minimum levels of student performance against a college and workforce ready standard; and
• Provide data transparency and accuracy for areas of success and improvement.
Update and use public and higher education state funding formulas:
• Return to distributing K12 school revenue through formula funding;
• Update the ‘Cost of Education Index’ to ensure school districts in more costly labor markets receive accurate and appropriate formula funding;
• Ensure enhanced weighted funding for secondary school English Learners;
• Ensure the ‘high school allotment’ – which provides districts targeted funds to increase graduates and college enrollees – is retained and enhanced;
• Phase-in voluntary pre-kindergarten student enrollment through formula funding.
• Direct incentive funding to higher education institutions who meet student course and degree completion targets in line with regional needs; and
• Develop policy to award state incentive funding to higher education institutions that raise specific levels of private dollars.
Improve teacher availability and quality to enhance alternative educator and principal certification programs. Explore additional measures to meet critical talent needs.
Strengthen early childhood education programs:
• Collaborations between school districts and early childhood providers should prepare students to be kindergarten ready;
• Increase program quality through child care licensing standards and teacher training requirements; and
Improve students’ college/workplace readiness and postsecondary enrollment:
• The Recommended High School Program should continue to expect physics and math beyond algebra II, courses which can be taught in a hands-on approach;
• Update K12 technical education course standards to meet industry expectations;
• In courses where technology rapidly changes, the State Board of Education should be allowed to review course standards every three years, with business input;
• Align Texas’ three primary state-funded scholarships with academic and financial eligibility of TEXAS Grant. Appropriate $600 million in net new funding. Phase-in rule that eligible students who graduate ‘college ready’ receive first priority.
• Significantly expand public comprehensive university and community college enrollment capacity.
HEALTH CARE
A healthy, high quality health care system is important to our business community and our residents. Texas continues to rank #1 in the number of uninsured as our state’s health care costs continue to rise at an unsustainable rate.
The Texas Legislature needs to address issues related to making healthcare more accessible and affordable and implementing strategies to improve the quality of care with an emphasis on promoting wellness and personal responsibility. We believe the legislature can improve health care to the uninsured and under-insured by:
• Creating programs to expand primary and preventive health care
• Expanding the three-share program
• Ensuring 12 months of coverage for children’s Medicaid like the current 12 month eligibility process for CHIP
• Maximizing the availability of federal funding
In order to maximize the effectiveness of the CHIP program, we believe the Legislature should support a CHIP buy-in program based on a family’s ability to pay and implement policies for outreach and education to reach those eligible who are not currently enrolled.
The Metro Chambers believe the health of Texans would improve with the Legislature’s support of the “medical home” concept through incentive-based strategies and developing strategies and implementing programs to promote wellness and prevention with an emphasis on tobacco cessation, obesity, diabetes, and immunizations.
Additionally, the Metro Chambers believe the health care system will greatly benefit with a focus on quality, trauma care and an expanded health care workforce. The Metro Chambers believe the State should: 1) Promote quality and patient safety through defining a common set of indicators for clinical quality for hospitals and physicians; 2) Distribute all of the uncompensated trauma and emergency health care designated account funds to designated trauma centers in a timely and appropriate manner and 3) Continue
to prioritize funding increases for expansion of various health care professional education programs. We also believe that the legislature should restore Medicaid Graduate Medical Education to designated teaching hospitals for training and education of medical residents.
Lastly, the Metro Chambers are prepared to oppose unionization of any component of the health care workforce.
AIR QUALITY
The Metro Chambers recognize cleaner air is a statewide challenge and accordingly, support the adoption of TCEQ’s Legislative Appropriations Request for the next biennium for air quality planning activities.
The Metro Chambers also support programmatic adjustments to the Low Income Vehicle Repair Assistance, Retrofit, and Accelerated Vehicle Retirement Program (LIRAP). LIRAP reduces emissions from older, high-emitting vehicles by allowing assistance to qualified owners of vehicles who fail the emissions test.
Additionally, the Metro Chambers recognize the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) has proven to be a successful incentive program aimed at improving air quality, enhancing public health, and promoting economic prosperity. The Metro Chambers support programmatic adjustments to this program as necessary.
WATER
The Metro Chambers support Texas' statewide water plan, adopted by the Texas Water Development Board in 2006, which includes the proposal submitted late by Region L. This plan was prepared by Texas' 16 regional planning groups and represents the state's plan to provide water to all Texans through 2060. The Metro Chambers support SB3 from the 80th Legislative Session and the strategies and elements of the statewide water plan. The Metro will oppose any legislation that removes any water management
strategies currently contained in the plan.
IMMIGRATION
Immigration issues continue to be a concern for Texas businesses, foreign governments and academic institutions as they engage talent from around the world to remain competitive in an increasingly global economy. The Metro Chambers have historically supported national employer-based immigration policies and we support immigration reform which will give employers access to a legal workforce to meet legitimate business needs in all sectors of the economy.
Given businesses needs to have nationally consistent, comprehensive immigration standards, the Metro Chambers encourage the Texas state legislators to defer from policymaking at the state level and promote continued debate and national policy development at the federal level.
Submitted By: President Richard Perez
Approval Date: 10-23-2008
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