Legislative Update June 2017

Texas Legislative Update – June 2017
Addendum – June 7, 2017
AORN Greater Houston

Addendum June 2017 Legislative Report
Joanne D. Oliver, BSN, RN, CNOR

Governor Abbott has called a special session of the Texas Legislature to begin
Tuesday, July 18, 2017 for 30 days.

This session can only address the following issues.

 Sunset legislation

o Must pass to keep Texas Medical Board functioning after September

first

 Education

o $1000 teacher pay increase

o Administrative flexibility in hiring & retention practices

o Creation school finance reform commission

o Allow school choice for special needs students

 Property

o Property tax reform

o Caps on state and local spending

o Preventing cities from regulating what property owners do with trees

on private land

o Preventing local governments from changing rules midway through

construction projects

o Speeding up local government permitting process

o Municipal annexation reform

 Healthcare related

o Prohibition of taxpayer funding for abortion providers

o Pro-life insurance reform

o Strengthening abortion reporting requirements when health

complications arise

o Strengthening patient protections relating to do-not- resuscitate orders

o Extending maternal mortality task force

 Miscellaneous

o Expansion of bathroom bill

o Texting while driving preemption

o Privacy legislation

o Prohibition of taxpayer dollars to collect union dues

o Cracking down on mail-in ballot fraud