Monday and Tuesday, TSCRA participated in the first ever Texas Tribune symposium on the future of rural Texas. The event addressed the future of rural education, health care, natural resource preservation and infrastructure investment, and looked at the current political climate in rural Texas and the state’s economic future. More information can be found on the Texas Tribune website here.
TSCRA leaders and staff also continue to meet with key legislators in preparation for the legislative session. Those conversations center mostly on the need for eminent domain reform, which will be the association’s chief priority for the 86th Texas Legislative Session.
Though the official vote will not occur until the beginning of the legislative session, news broke this week that Chairman Dennis Bonnen, of Angleton, will most likely be the next Speaker of the House. Bonnen is currently Speaker Pro Tempore and chairman of the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means. The announcement ends long-running debate and speculation about the position since current Speaker Joe Straus announced his retirement last year.