State Rep. Paul Workman, R-Austin, had good news for residents waiting for the construction of SH 45 SW.

"I am pretty sure that by the time my grandchildren get married—and they're young—we may have built SH 45 SW," he said.

Workman assured a group of Oak Hill business leaders on Sept. 5 that the long-delayed tollway between MoPac and FM 1626 would be built sooner rather than later.

He backed up his statement by saying that the road remained in the long-term plans of the Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and that the environmental plan would be updated soon. The road also has a vocal advocate in Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty.

Before weighing in on SH 45 SW and the intersection of Hwy. 290 and Hwy. 71, Workman offered a recap of the recent regular and special legislative sessions.

Budgets

Workman said he voted against the legislature's biennial budget—"the only thing we're required to do, and probably the only thing we should do"—because he felt it overreached.

"There were a number of increases in there I didn't think we should be doing," he said.

There were no new taxes added in the 2013 session, he said.

The legislature also helped small businesses by implementing a $1 million-dollar exemption to the state franchise tax. Previously, a business that earned $950,000 was exempt while another earning $1.1 million was taxed on the full $1.1 million.

"What we did is exempted your first $1 million for everybody," he said. "Someone who is making $1.1 million now pays tax on that $100,000. It is huge in terms of fairness for small businesses."

This November, voters will be able to weigh in on a proposed constitutional amendment to create a special fund to help finance priority projects in the state's water plan. The representative said the demand for water will greatly increase in the next 50 years while the availability of water will decrease.

Education

Workman reported that the legislature added funds to help public education and the teachers' retirement system pension program. He said he was proud of the passage of House Bill 5, which will change how students earn high school diplomas.

When implemented in the 2014–15 school year, the bill requires that students receive a foundation certificate and then earn endorsements in subject areas such as math and science, fine arts or industry.

"[This means that] a ninth or 10th grader who knows he is not going to college can get on a path with an industrial endorsement to get a job as a welder, an auto mechanic, a vet tech or any number of vocations," he said.

The Texas Education Agency will soon begin assigning schools letter grades instead of ratings such as Academically Acceptable or Unacceptable. Charter schools will also have new requirements for transparency and accountability, he said.

Other actions

Workman said the legislature also changed the rules for juvenile offenders convicted of capital crimes. A 17-year-old convict is now eligible for parole after 40 years instead of being required to serve a full life sentence without the possibility of parole.

He also said the recent session changed regulations about propane, local 9-1-1 services and facilities that provide abortions.