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Senator Robert Nichols
From State Senator Robert Nichols, Texas Senate District 3
Davy Crockett was born in Tennessee on August 17, 1786. Over the course of his life, he gained a reputation as a sniper, hunter, and nature lover. He left his home state of Tennessee at the age of 49 and made his way to Texas. He arrived here in February 1836 and joined the Texas revolutionaries at the Alamo. He died on March 6, 1836 during the Battle of the Alamo.
Here are five things that will happen in your state:
- Proposed Amendments to the Texas Constitution
This week, Governor Abbott announced a special election date for the eight proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. This election will take place on November 2, 2021. To get on the ballot, a joint resolution must be passed by at least two-thirds of the members of the Texas House and Senate. The proposed changes are:
PROPOSAL 1: The constitutional amendment authorizing professional sports team charitable foundations of organizations sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association or the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association to hold charitable raffles at rodeo events.
PROPOSAL 2: The constitutional amendment that authorizes a county to fund the development or rehabilitation of means of transport or infrastructure in unproductive, underdeveloped or dilapidated areas of the county.
PROPOSAL 3: The constitutional amendment that forbids this state or a regional authority of this state to prohibit or restrict religious services of religious organizations.
PROPOSAL 4: The constitutional amendment changes the eligibility requirements for a Supreme Court judge, an appeals court judge, an appeals court judge, and a district judge.
PROPOSAL 5: The constitutional amendment that gives the State Commission on Judicial Conduct additional powers in relation to candidates for judicial office.
PROPOSAL 6: The constitutional amendment, which gives the residents of certain facilities the right to designate an important reference person for a personal visit.
PROPOSAL 7: The constitutional amendment that allows the surviving spouse of a disabled person to receive a cap on school district value taxes on the spouse’s place of residence if the spouse is 55 years or older at the time of the person’s death.
PROPOSAL 8: The constitutional amendment authorizing lawmakers to provide an exemption from value taxation of all or part of the market value of the home of the surviving spouse of a member of the United States Armed Forces engaged in the exercise of duty.
- Hunting and fishing licenses now available
The hunting season is just around the corner and licenses are now available from Texas Parks and Wildlife. Texans buy over 2.7 million licenses annually. These purchases fund a variety of conservation efforts at TPWD. You can purchase your 2021-2022 license online at https://tpwd.texas.gov.
- Information on the COVID-19 vaccine
This month, the CDC released data on how effective the COVID-19 vaccines are in preventing severe cases of COVID-19 that could result in hospitalization or death. Currently, the “breakthrough cases” are rare and a small percentage of fully vaccinated Texans become ill. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are very effective in preventing hospitalization. The current surge in hospital admissions is mainly being driven by unvaccinated Texans. In a survey of hospitals, 95 percent of people with COVID-19 were unvaccinated in intensive care beds. Over 13 million Texans are fully vaccinated and I am one of them. I received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine earlier this year and had no complications.
This week the US Census Bureau released raw population data for the entire country. These data will be used later in the fall when lawmakers start redistributing. Texas has gained 4 million people in the last decade and will therefore add two new seats in the US Congress. The detailed information that will help the reallocation committee redraw the boundaries will be available next month and we will then begin that process.
- Special session continues
We are still in the second special session of the 87th legislature. On the days I don’t have to be at the Capitol, I’ve made it a priority to travel to the district to visit voters. This week I’ve been to Houston County, Trinity County, and Polk County. In the past three weeks I have visited 18 counties. It was great to travel around East Texas and talk to all of you about what you think we need to work on.
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