Before the legislative session begins in January, another Democrat chair in the Texas House is being called on by Republican lawmakers to allow study on a series of issues including taxpayer-funded lobbying, property tax elimination, and the impact of illegal immigration.
Democrat State Rep. Victoria Neave Criado was placed in charge of the House Committee on County Affairs by Speaker Dade Phelan.
While Phelan did not issue interim charges for the committee to study before the next legislative session, Republican State Reps. Tony Tinderholt and Nate Schatzline are trying to change that.
In a letter to Neave, the pair of lawmakers requested the consideration of the following issues:
- Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying We request a hearing on the extent to which taxpayer-funded lobbying is utilized by county governments in Texas. We request that the committee investigate the costs to taxpayers, as well as the legislation these lobbying firms have both supported and opposed in recent years. We further request that the Committee study the savings to taxpayers should taxpayer-funded lobbying be abolished. We believe this information should be made readily available to the public.
- Property Tax Elimination We request that the Committee study the actions that the State of Texas could take to encourage counties to offer greater exemptions to all homestead property owners. We further request that the growth of county property taxes and the drivers of that growth be studied and released by the Committee for the public’s awareness.
- Impact of Illegal Immigration We request that the Committee study the total annual cost that illegal immigrants create for all counties across the state of Texas. This includes but is not limited to the cost of healthcare, emergency services such as police, fire and EMS, jails, courts, county assistance programs, and any other costs associated with providing services through counties to illegal aliens.
The letter comes after Republican State Reps. Brian Harrison and Schatzline similarly called on Democrat Chair of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee Joe Moody to hold hearings on border security and potential child abuse and fraud at Texas Children’s Hospital, as well as President Joe Biden’s lawfare against whistleblowers.
State Rep. Steve Toth also has called on Democrat State Rep. Abel Herrero, who chairs the Corrections Committee, to investigate the cost of incarcerating illegal aliens to Texas taxpayers.
A majority of Republican lawmakers say they want to see an end to the practice of placing Democrats in charge of committees, but Phelan states he will not waver from the practice.
Neave, meanwhile, will not be returning next session after unsuccessfully running for the Texas Senate earlier this year.
