Sen. Paxton on his first senate bill
Posted: 19 Jan 2013
Franchise Tax, 2nd Amendment and the
83rd Legislative Session
Last Tuesday,
January 8, 2013, was the first day of the 83rd Regular Session of the
Texas Legislature (the Legislature convenes for 140 days every other
year in odd-numbered years). On that day, I was sworn in as State
Senator for District 8. I am humbled and honored to continue serving you
in Austin, now on the other side of the rotunda.
The first bill I
have filed this session is Senate Bill (SB) 179, a measure to eliminate
the corporate franchise tax by phasing it out by January 1, 2017. An
economic analysis prepared by the Beacon Hill Institute shows that the
elimination of the franchise tax will generate real economic growth as
businesses will have over $9 billion to invest in new job creation and
capital investments.
As our state's economy grows due to job creation and capital investments,
our state budget will quickly overcome any short term tax revenue
loss. The elimination of this tax will keep Texas competitive and
strong by allowing Texans to grow their own businesses and possibly
attracting businesses from other states that have higher taxes.
Additionally
this week, I have joint-authored SB 182 to allow concealed handgun
license holders to carry a concealed handgun on public university
campuses. Senator Brian Birdwell filed SB 182 to ensure that Texans'
constitutional right to bear arms will be protected on the campuses of
our states' universities.
I will continue
pursuing legislative opportunities to protect the 2nd Amendment rights
of law-abiding Texans, particularly at a time when leaders at the
federal level are seeking measures to limit this precious freedom.
To track either of these bills or any other legislation of interest, please visit http://www.capitol.
You may also create a personal list of bills for tracking
purposes and can even receive electronic notification when there are
actions affecting particular legislation. You may receive e-mail
notification when selected calendars, committee hearing notices or
committee minutes are posted. These services are free of charge. To
create a "My Texas Legislature Online" personal list, go to http://www.capitol.state.
The Texas Legislative Council Document Distribution service
distributes hard copies of bills and other documents, general
information and legislative reference publications members. For more
information on obtaining copies of any of these documents, visit their
website athttp://www.tlc.state.tx.us/.
Finally, vote information on bills
is included in the Senate or House journal if a record vote is
requested at the time the vote takes place, or if a member registers
within a specified time limit to request that his or her vote is
recorded in the journal. This allows constituents to keep track of how
their legislators voted on a particular bill. For more information on
tracking legislative votes, visit http://www.capitol.
I hope these
resources will prove to be useful. I believe it is important for voters
to know the issues being discussed and considered by their government,
and I strongly believe that constituents have the right to know how
their elected officials voted on any particular issue. I look forward
to serving you in Austin, and, as always, I welcome your feedback during
this time.
- J.B. Blocker is a media consultant based in Collin County in North Texas.
