Together for Texas

June 10, 2009
Hopson's Capitol Chronicle

The 81st Legislative Session is now complete. It was eventful, at times unconventional, and in the end fruitful. It reinforced for me the undeniable truth that when Texans work together, remarkable things can be accomplished.

This year, state lawmakers:

  • Adopted a state budget that reduces general revenue spending by 1.9 percent;

  • Passed education reforms that focus on student growth and achievement when determining school rankings;
  • Increased public education funding by $1.9 billion;
  • Increased higher education funding by $1.2 billion;
  • Provided money to lay the groundwork for additional Tier One universities in Texas;
  • Added $250 million in financial aid to make college affordable for 35,000 more students;
  • Reformed the Top Ten Percent rule to give the University of Texas more flexibility;
  • Approved a tax cut to benefit approximately 40,000 Texas small businesses weather the national recession; and
  • Protected $9.1 billion in the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

By leaving the $9 billion “Rainy Day Fund” untouched, we created a budgetary ‘cushion’ for the next legislative session – when we will have to confront a structural deficit without the benefit of a federal stimulus fund infusion.

What About Voter ID?

As is always the case, the Legislative Session runs out of time before resolving every tough issue Texans face. Regarding Voter ID, I believe that a person’s right to vote should be tirelessly guarded from fraud and manipulation. Had the Voter ID Bill made it to the House floor for a vote I would have introduced several amendments to make the bill better and stronger. While this issue is extremely controversial, I truly think a compromise can be reached.

Lake Columbia

This session I authored and sponsored bills to help ensure the continued success of the Lake Columbia Project and the District as a whole. Lake Columbia will be a 14-mile long and 1.5-mile wide body of water located in the Mud Creek floodplain, near Jacksonville, Texas, primarily in Cherokee County. The Lake will be large enough to meet our current water needs and provide for future growth in our district and the surrounding area. Additionally, the lake will immediately stimulate new economic development in the region. Some of the participants in the Lake Columbia Project include Cherokee County, Jacksonville, Rusk, Troup, New London, and New Summerfield, among others.

Now that the session is over and the summer season has begun, I hope to not only to spend more time at home with my family, but to also to catch up with folks throughout District 11. I hope that you will stay in touch and email me in the upcoming months with questions, input, news, and/or about events in your town or county. Remember that truth: we will accomplish great things for our communities and our state when we work together.

Sincerely,
Chuck Hopson
Chuck Hopson