Bills to watch
With the legislative session underway until June 2, Michael Carpenter, the new Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee Chair, gave a briefing to chamber members on March 18, honing in on three key areas.
A duo of bills, House Bill 1258 and Senate Bill 209, are backed by the Chamber as they would establish the Texas technology and innovation program. This would match or supplement money received by a Texas-based business entity via the Small Business Technology Transfer Program.
STTR, along with the Small Business Innovation Research, are known as the Small Business Programs, and according to the National Institutes of Health, set aside more than $1.4 billion to provide support to early-stage small businesses. House Bill 1268 is currently sitting in the House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Committee; Senate Bill 209 is currently in the Senate Economic Development Committee.
“The more that we invest in our existing businesses here in Texas, the stronger that we get, and we’re [in] an amazingly strong position amongst the states of the Union for how friendly we are to business,” Carpenter said.
While the Chamber advocates for those bills, the organization also advocates against any legislation that would create unfunded mandates for Texas businesses, public schools or local governments. Carpenter said that “it’s already difficult” as a small- or medium-size business owner to stay afloat “without having our state government tell us there’s something else we have to do” that will cost time and money.
One more thing
Legislation that hits closest to the Greater San Antonio area is related to military families, specifically giving spouses of military members who have certifications or licenses in other states the ability to work in Texas. Multiple bills such as Senate Bill 2255 have been introduced to either recognize the out-of-state licenses and certifications, or provide fast tracking for spouses to receive them in-state.
Carpenter said that military spouses who cannot use their license or certification in Texas will not have the same earning potential as the state they came from, denied a chance to supplement state workforce and tax dollars. The legislation would also send a strong message to military families across the country, Carpenter added.
“It’s not just about getting the spouse of our military members to work here in Texas, it’s that we as a state appear to be more friendly to our military installations [and] our military community,” Carpenter said.
