Newsletter - July 28th, 2010

Dear Friends,

I hope you are enjoying your summer. Though these months are a time to relax, things in Austin are busy in preparation for the coming legislative session. There are several issues that will shape the next session. The estimated $18 billion deficit will be a significant challenge. It is important to balance the budget without increasing the tax burden in a tough economic environment. In addition, Texas will undergo redistricting for Congressional, Board of Education, and State House and Senate seats. Texas stands to gain three to four congressional seats, which will increase our influence at the Federal level. School finance will continue to be an issue, as greater funding equity is sought. Plus, several major state agencies are undergoing sunset review to ensure they are still fulfilling their intended purpose.

The committees I serve on have been very active. The House Committee on Redistricting has traveled across the state gathering public input. The House Committee on State Affairs has held several hearings. The next meeting on August 18 will address their interim charge #1 to review state compliance with federal law regarding undocumented immigrants. The committee will also evaluate the costs of services and benefits provided to undocumented immigrants by state agencies and local governments.

Cypress Creek Parkway - FM 1960 Name Designation

Since there has been a lot of discussion lately about the designation of FM 1960 as Cypress Creek Parkway, I would like to take this opportunity to share some information. As a lifelong resident of the area, I support all efforts to preserve our community’s quality of life. Several years ago, area leaders recognized that action was needed for our community to continue to prosper. As surrounding communities have established a clear identity, our area has been without a recognizable unifying brand. Local community leaders believed an alternate name for FM 1960 would reinforce our community's identity. Several meetings over the last four years were held to discuss community issues including naming options. After much discussion, these community leaders asked me to join them on a letter to the Harris County Commissioner’s Court to designate Cypress Creek Parkway as an alternate name for FM 1960. FM 1960 will stay a legal name for mail. Cypress Creek Parkway will be the alternate name. Businesses may choose to use either name, but will not have to change their address because FM 1960 will stay a legal name for mail delivery.

While I realize the name change will not please everyone, the name chosen is the identifying characteristic of our community. Cypress Creek runs through our entire area and was the place of initial settlement when our part of Harris County was first populated. I also understand there have been questions about community input. Meeting notices were given in the local newspaper and through local community mailing lists, as a more extensive awareness campaign would have been costly. There have also been questions about the cost of the name change. Harris County estimated their costs to change the street signage at approximately $5,000.

Public Input on Texas Rail Plan

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is hosting an open-house style public outreach meeting for the development of the Texas Rail Plan. This plan will establish a framework for addressing future and existing passenger and freight rail service in Texas. The plan will inventory and review all rail lines, analyze rail service goals and rail's contribution to the state, develop a long-range rail investment program in freight and passenger infrastructure, and examine public financing issues for projects and service. The plan will also review rail safety improvement projects. The meeting will be held August 2, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 pm at the TxDOT Houston District Office, 7600 Washington Ave., Houston, TX, 77007.

On a personal note, in our last email update I told you about my mom's battle with pancreatic cancer. She passed away on June 3, 90 days after being diagnosed. It has been an incredible gift to watch my mother live her life with honor, grace and dignity, but it was an even greater gift to see her pass with that same grace and dignity. Our family is so thankful for your prayers, and your continued prayers are appreciated as we go through the stages of grieving.

I hope you find the information in this newsletter useful. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office or email me at Patricia.Harless@house.state.tx.us. Please feel free to forward this email update. If you would like to have an email address added or removed from this distribution list, please send us a reply.

Patricia Harless
State Representative
District 126
512.463.0496 (Capitol office)
281.376.4114 (District office)