Visitors flocking to state capitol
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By Rep. Trent Ashby
Representing District 9
This past week, we saw a flurry of visitors from House District 9 as they visited their Texas Capitol to see the legislative process in action. I was pleased to see constituents from Tyler and Houston counties, members from First Baptist Church Livingston, Angelina College, and large group from the Lufkin Association of Realtors. Additionally, I was proud to sponsor a House resolution recognizing the Texas Forestry Association for their rich history and seedling giveaway at the capitol. The seedling giveaway is always a popular event for lawmakers and staff during session and presents an incredible opportunity for their members to talk directly with decision makers about the importance of our state’s forest and wood products economy. If you would like to arrange a visit to the capitol during session, we’d love to arrange that by simply calling our Austin office.
With that, here’s an update from your State Capitol…
This past week, I presented House Bill 1846 to the House Transportation Committee. I filed this bill because Texas, like many other states, is experiencing a shortage of truck drivers who possess a commercial driver’s license (CDL). As the demand for transportation services has increased over the years, this shortage of CDL drivers has wreaked havoc on our ability to move goods and freight around the state and country. This situation has led to higher transportation costs, delayed deliveries, and reduced the overall productivity of the trucking industry. After listening to stakeholders and constituents, I filed HB 1846 to require the Department of Public Safety, or one of its 245 licensed third-party vendors, to provide CDL testing for out-of-state CDL applicants who have passed the written portion of the CDL test in their home state. If this bill passes, it is estimated that we could increase CDL drivers in Texas by 25% over the next few years.
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This coming week, the House will consider our first full bill calendar to be voted on in the House chamber. This is a significant milestone as it means from now until the end of session the House will be considering bills on the floor of our chamber. The House Calendars Committee is tasked with developing our daily calendar and it can be viewed online each day on the Texas House of Representatives website. Your voice matters in this process, so if you see or hear of a piece of legislation that you feel strongly about, please don’t hesitate to call or email one of our offices to share your thoughts.
The mobile office is on the road again and we look forward to seeing you on the following dates, in the following locations: April 5 at the San Augustine County Courthouse from 9-11 a.m., April 12 at the Polk County Commissioner’s Courtroom in Livingston from 9-11 a.m. or at the Tyler County Courthouse in Woodville from 1:30-3:30 p.m., April 19 at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Crockett from 9-11 a.m. or at the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
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 and our capitol office at 512-463-0508. Additionally, I welcome you to follow along on my official Facebook page, where I will post regular updates on what’s happening in your State Capitol and share information that could be useful to you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/RepTrentAshby/.
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