Capitol Comments May  16,  2016  

Capitol  News  

Former  Governor  Rick  Perry’s  Portrait  Hung  For  the  first  time  in  nearly  a  generation  the  State  Preservation  Board  added  a  new  Governor's  portrait  to  the  rotunda  walls.    This  included  the  arduous  process  of  moving  51  other  portraits  over  one  space  to  the  left-­‐  done  over  a  span  of  3  days  by  the  State  Preservation  Board.  Governor  Rick  Perry's  portrait  was  unveiled  Friday,  May  6th  at  a  public  ceremony  at  the  Capitol.  

Texas  Supreme  Court  Rules  School  Finance  System  Constitutional  After  months  of  deliberations,  the  Texas  Supreme  Court  on  Friday  ruled  the  state’s  school  finance  system  to  be  constitutional.    I  am  very  pleased  with  the  verdict  upholding  what  the  people's  representatives  enacted  into  law.    However,  we  still  need  to  be  ever  diligent  in  making  sure  our  children  have  the  best  education  possible  -­‐  no  matter  where  they  live  and  no  matter  their  economic  status.    Follow  this  link  to  view  Justice  Willet's  opinion:  http://bit.ly/27jBZGJ  

Legislative  Conference  in  Pittsburgh  Even  though  session  does  not  start  until  January  2017,  legislators  are  using  this  time  to  discuss  the  best  ways  to  propose  and  pass  conservative  legislation.    I  was  happy  to  discuss  tax  &  fiscal  policy  with  legislators  from  around  the  nation  at  a  recent  American  Legislative  Exchange  Conference  (ALEC)  Task  Force  meeting  in  Pittsburgh  to  get  a  national  perspective  on  how  to  implement  

fiscally  responsible  legislation  in  Texas!  

 

District  News  

PUC  Investigates  Frontier  Communications  My  office  has  received  numerous  calls  asking  for  assistance  with  getting  outages  repaired  in  a  timely  manner  by  Frontier  Communications,  which  took  over  from  Verizon  FiOS  back  in  April.    These  issues  with  Frontier  span  across  North  Texas-­‐  and  now  the  state  has  taken  notice.    

This  week,  the  Texas  Public  Utilities  Commission  announced  it  is  investigating  Frontier  Communications  due  to  numerous  customer  complaints  of  slow  turnaround  times  for  repairs.    If  you  are  experiencing  a  problem,  feel  free  to  email  my  office  at  district65@house.state.tx.us  and  my  office  will  forward  your  complaint  to  help  expedite  repairs.    

 

National  Day  of  Prayer  

Millions  of  Americans  came  together  on  Thursday,  May  5th  to  pray  for  our  country.  Pictured  on  the  right  is  the  Denton  Courthouse  “Prayer-­‐on-­‐the-­‐Square”  where  citizens  and  officials  participated  in  a  service  filled  with  music  and  prayer,  one  of  several  events  held  across  the  county  and  across  the  nation.    Thanks  to  everyone  who  came  out  to  support  our  freedom  of  religion  in  this  great  country!    

Texas  Armed  Services  Scholarship  Each  member  of  the  legislature  has  the  privilege  of  nominating  a  student  to  receive  the  Texas  Armed  Services  Scholarship,  which  was  created  to  assist  promising  Texas  students  who  are  committed  to  education  and  service.    It  encourages  young  leaders  to  participate  in  the  Texas  Guard,  Army  National  Guard,  or  Air  National  Guard,  or  to  become  commissioned  officers  in  the  United  States  armed  services.  

The  scholarship  will  provide  recipients  with  up  to  $10,000  per  academic  year  for  up  to  four  years  (out  of  the  five  years  allowed  for  graduation)  toward  undergraduate  education  at  any  Texas  university  with  an  active  ROTC  program.    Students  graduating  from  a  high  school  in  House  District  65  in  2016  and  attending  a  public  Texas  institution  in  the  ROTC  program  starting  in  the  2016-­‐2017  school  year  may  apply  for  our  office’s  nomination  for  the  scholarship.        Link  to  scholarship  application:  http://bit.ly/1rKL9vy    Link  for  general  TASSP  information:  http://www.texasarmedservicescholarships.com/    Deadline  for  application:  Monday,  August  15th  at  12:00  PM    

DCTA  Offering  Youth  Summer  Passes  The  Denton  County  Transportation  Authority  is  offering  $30  summer  passes  good  for  unlimited  rides  on  the  A-­‐train,  Denton  and  Lewisville  Connect  buses,  Highland  Village  Connect  Shuttle  and  Community  On-­‐Demand  and  the  University  of  North  Texas  Campus  Shuttle  for  children  ages  5-­‐18.  For  more  details  and  to  buy  a  pass,  follow  this  link:  https://www.dcta.net/fare-­‐information/summer-­‐youth-­‐pass-­‐1    

 

Congratulations  to  Our  Graduating  Seniors  

Over  the  next  several  weeks,  many  students  across  our  district  will  celebrate  a  significant  milestone  as  they  receive  their  diplomas  and  graduate  from  high  school.    I  want  to  extend  my  sincere  congratulations  to  all  our  graduating  seniors  on  their  accomplishment.    An  accomplishment  such  as  this  deserves  to  be  recognized  and  celebrated  and  I  hope  it  will  inspire  these  students  to  realize  their  true  potential  and  relentlessly  pursue  their  dreams.      

As  anyone  close  to  a  high  school  student  knows,  this  important  moment  could  not  have  been  achieved  without  the  hard  work  of  parents,  teachers,  administrators,  mentors,  and  friends.    High  school  graduation  is  a  major  achievement  not  

only  for  students  but  for  their  communities  as  well.    I  wish  every  student  the  best  of  luck  in  their  future  endeavors.          

As  always,  the  honor  is  all  mine  to  be  serving  you  as  your  state  representative.      

 Best  regards,  

 

Ron  Simmons  State  Representative  House  District  65  

 

To celebrate the achievement of our HD 65 students, my office is in the process of sending out

a letter to every single graduating senior in the district