by Sen. Robert Nichols
Recently, our state experienced a tragedy in the Hill Country. We mourn the lives lost during the
flooding over the Fourth of July holiday on the Guadalupe River. Texas lost 135 men, women,
and children with some still missing. We pray for the recovery of the missing, the Texans we
lost, and the communities impact by this tragedy.
Here are five things happening around your state:
- Governor Abbott calls First Special Session
This month, Governor Greg Abbott announced the Legislature would convene for the first called
special session of the 89 th Legislature. The Governor put 18 items for the Legislature to consider
on the call. During a special session, the Legislature may only consider those specific topics that
the Governor has called us to consider. Some of the 18 items include flood preparedness,
emergency communications infrastructure and flood relief funding, elimination of the STAAR
test, reducing property taxes, hemp-derived product regulation, protecting unborn children,
prohibiting tax-payer funded lobbying, redistricting, and other more specific bills that were
vetoed after the regular session. The Legislature convened for the special session on July 21 and
has 30 days to address the items on the call. Committee hearings and floor votes are well
underway in Austin. - House Natural Resources Committee holds hearing on East Texas groundwater issue
On July 15, Chairman Cody Harris convened a hearing at the Capitol of the House Natural
Resources Committee to hear testimony regarding the impact of high-capacity and large volume
groundwater production in the Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District
(NTVGCD). Over 11 hours, members of the committee, additional interested House members,
Senate Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Committee Chairman Charles Perry, and myself
heard testimony regarding the role of groundwater in our state, the proposed projects, and the
possible impact those projects could have on groundwater in the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifier which
covers the northern part of Senate District 3. The testimony highlighted the risk East Texas faces
of overuse of the aquifer which may cause depletion of the aquifer. This is an issue I care about deeply and will continue to pursue remedies to ensure communities in East Texas maintain access to the groundwater under their land. - Ban on THC products passes Senate
This week, Senate Bill 5 by Senator Charles Perry passed on a bipartisan vote in the Senate. The
bill would prohibit the sale of consumable hemp products that contain THC. Hemp products that
contain cannabidiol (CBD) or cannabigerol (CBG) will remain legal. Products that remain legal
under the law would have to comply with a strict regulatory framework set up in the bill. The bill
also prohibits the sale of consumable hemp products to anyone under the age of 21, prohibits
marketing those products to minors, and requires certain packaging and labeling of the products.
Intoxicating forms of THC endanger the health and safety of children and families and it’s time
to rigorously regulate these substances. The existing Texas Compassionate Use Program or laws
related to the farming of hemp will not be impacted by these changes. - TPWD, Animal Health Commission form task force to address New World Screwworm
The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
(TPWD) announced the formation of a joint response team to coordinate effort in combating
New World screwworm (NWS), following a directive from Governor Abbott. New World
screwworm is a fly that carries NWS disease, which attacks warm-blooded animals through open
wounds. The disease can be fatal. The pest was eradicated in US in the 1960s, but has recently
reemerged in Central America and Mexico. Due to the size of Texas’ border with Mexico,
extensive animal agriculture industry, and wildlife, the risk of the reemergence in Texas is of
strong concern, especially in our agriculture industry. This joint effort has provided training and
education to agency personnel, members of the public, veterinarians, and stakeholders to identify
and respond to the threat NWS poses. - Lufkin teens place 2 nd in national rodeo
Two eighth-graders in Lufkin recently won national reserve champion for ribbon roping at the
National Junior High Rodeo in Des Moines, Iowa. Ribbon roping involves a “roper” on a horse
who ropes and holds a steer, and a “runner” who grabs a ribbon from the steer’s tail and races to
cross the finish line. Bella Bardwell and Colt Sanders have competed together for three years. To
make it to the national rodeo, the pair competed regionally and statewide. They won first place at
the state rodeo for ribbon roping. Congratulations, Bella and Colt!
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