State Agenda

DETAILED AGENDA

ISSUES

AEROSPACE

San Antonio has been a historic hub in the United States for maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations and is now the geographic center of a growing and innovative private sector space industry. The Chamber supports legislation that fosters investment in long-term aviation and aerospace infrastructure, including:

• Support efforts to reduce Sales, Property, and Inventory tax burdens to support capital and personnel intensive industries in Texas
• Support legislation that will encourage the establishment and growth of the Urban Air/ Advanced Air Mobility Industry, and needs adopted in the TxDOT Urban Air Mobility Report 2021
• Support extending the work of the Urban Air Mobility Advisory Committee established under TxDOT via SB763 from 2021.

BROADBAND

Access to broadband supports economic opportunities and strengthens the business community. The Chamber supports financial investments to remove barriers to broadband access, and to address the digital divide in local communities. The Chamber supports efforts to:

• Find and create a long-term funding solution to broadband infrastructure in the State of Texas
• Encourage Public-Private Partnerships between broadband providers and local organizations for the best in construction, service, upgrades, and security (Public Private Partnerships are a more practical, viable, and economical solution than Government Owned Networks)
• Encourage utilization of Federally funded affordability programs in areas where cost concerns are high
• Support for Digital literacy and online safety programming for communities and urban areas

CYBERSECURITY

 San Antonio is the second largest cyber hub in the United States. The Chamber supports legislation to strengthen the cybersecurity industry, government, and community partners in Texas.

• Support increased aid to after school cybersecurity programs. This includes categorizing programs as official competitive sponsored activities with full funding and teaching
• Support strengthening Texas small business cyber resiliency though increased funding of cybersecurity training and cybersecurity adoption for small and medium sized businesses
• Support streamlined privacy regulatory requirements (reporting, ) for Texas businesses that deal with sensitive customer data.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

State and local incentives drive economic development and help secure job creation and capital investment that is critical to Texas’ economic growth and help ensure Texas remains globally competitive. The Chamber supports efforts to strengthen our region’s growth and ability to thrive in a competitive national and international market.

• Support the development of a state-level business recruitment incentive to attract businesses to move to Texas, creating significant numbers of new jobs.
• Support the expansion of local economic incentives and greater flexibility for county and municipal governments to tailor these agreements to local needs
• Support the update of the Texas moving image industry incentives program (HB 2417, 2021)

EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Connecting businesses with education to build local talent is more necessary than ever before. The Chamber supports business community engagement with partners in education and workforce development to help drive regional economic success.

Public Education

• Funding
  • Work toward a sustainable and equitable school finance system to include a basic allotment that reflects the national per pupil spending average and includes an inflationary adjustment
• Teacher Workforce
  • Strengthen teacher development programs and advocate for the removal of state barriers for teacher candidates that deter candidates from entering the profession
  • Support workforce We would like multiple employee groups to be included in any retention conversations.
  • Invest in teacher and support staff recruitment strategies, including but not limited to: scholarships, loan forgiveness, and “Troops for Teachers.”

• Career and Technical Education
  • Supports legislation and appropriations for expanded career, technology and skilled trade programs in Texas public schools focused on high-need jobs with high tech and relevant machinery/equipment, curriculum, and hands-on toolkits for classrooms and expanded student career readiness choices

Higher Education

• Increased investments in general academic higher education institutions to include: new and existing non-formula funding exceptional items; and universal higher education programs like: Formula Funding; the Texas Research Incentive Program (TRIP); Hazelwood program supporting military-affiliated students and their dependents; Texas Grant program for low- income and first generation students; and if addressed during the 88th Session, support for the Capital Construction Assistance Program (CCAP) which is critically important to all public universities that have aging buildings and significant deferred maintenance.
• Increased investments in community colleges that should be tied to: outcomes balanced with the true cost of education; incentivizing partnerships with industry to accelerate programs driven by employer demand, increasing access and use of state financial aid for all students, and encouraging completion of credentials of value.

Academic Health Centers

• Support policies that protect and increase Texas’s investments in UT Health San Antonio, our comprehensives academic health center. UT Health San Antonio plays a vital role in research and retooling job training and education to address our growing healthcare workforce shortages by educating more healthcare workers to meet the increased demand in San Antonio and the South Texas Border Region.

Workforce Development

• We encourage the Legislature to focus the State’s resources so that Texans can pursue a career for economic We ask the Legislature to maintain, if not expand, opportunities for our community members to access workforce training for upskilling to high-need jobs.

Child Care & Early Childhood Education

• The Texas economy is better off when parents have access to high-quality child Lack of affordable, quality child care options is holding back our economy and the full engagement of our workforce. The Chamber supports efforts by the Legislature to build a robust child care industry for our state. The Chamber also encourages the Legislature to consider the creation of incentives, like tax credits, to help employers expand the child care supports offered to employees.

ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY

Our state’s rich natural resources and attractive business climate have contributed to Texas prosperity, and we want that to continue. The Chamber supports legislation to preserve the Municipally Owned Utility (MOU) Business Model and proposals to enhance reliability and resiliency of electric and natural gas systems in a manner that appropriately balances the associated costs with customer benefits and affordability. The Chamber supports:

• Directing available state and federal funds to Texans in need of assistance with their utility bills
• The Chamber opposes deadlines, such as net zero emissions targets that are not achievable, nor supported by data to prove validity
• availability of low carbon incentives for business investments in environmentally friendly technologies or products
• Opposes any efforts that would erode CPS Energy’s ability to directly serve the needs of our San Antonio community

HEALTHCARE & BIOSCIENCE

The healthcare and bioscience industry is an economic generator for the San Antonio community. The Chamber supports financial investment in the industry to support entrepreneurial development and grow the economy.

• Supports use of available state funding to match federal funding requirements for maintaining and increasing physician graduate medical education (GME) residency positions, allowing us to keep our medical school graduates in Texas, and continued funding to address other healthcare workforce shortages, including in nursing and other health professions
• Supports polices and legislation that address the documented health disparities in morbidity and mortality, particularly among racial/ethnic minority groups and those of lower socioeconomic status; and that increase access to healthcare including preventing and primary care services
• Support continued authorized provider claims for full reimbursement for telephonic, telemedicine, and telehealth services
• Support creating a Brain Research Institute of Texas based on the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) model with the mission of creating and expanding life science infrastructure across the state and expediting innovation in research and enhance the potential of breakthroughs in prevention and cures
• Support increased funding for mental health programs and expanding service availability and outreach across communities
• Support full drawdown of federal funds available for extending health insurance coverage for Texas families

MILITARY AFFAIRS

Texas is home to 15 military installations and the U.S. Army Futures Command. Known as Military City USA™, San Antonio is home to 684,000 military personnel and 266 mission partners. Military operations have an over $120 billion impact on the Texas economy. The Chamber supports legislation and policies that positively impact the success of military missions in Texas and quality of life for military members and their families, including:

• Support of increased Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant (DEAGG) funding
• Support of state recognition of the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape
• Support incentivizing the hiring of veterans into key industries that support both national security and economic development

TOURISM & HOSPITALITY

San Antonio is home to the Riverwalk, the Alamo, many family entertainment attractions, the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas, and is the second city in the United States to receive the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy designation. The Chamber supports legislation and policies that support the economic well-being of our city and state and the many economic benefits the tourism and hospitality industry provide for our city.

• Support the collection and use of Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT funds)
• Support continued allocated funding for Alamo Master Plan work
• Support the continuation of the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office

TRANSPORTATION

San Antonio’s population is expected to grow by over 1.2 million people (40%) in the next 20 years, placing extreme demand on the city’s already over-burdened transportation network. The Chamber supports any policy, bill, appropriation, or rider that increases dedicated transportation revenue, including support for:

• The continued use of liquid fuels for transportation
• All vehicles contributing to creation and maintenance of roads and highways
• Continued funding and extension of sunset dates for both Prop 1 (FY 2035) and Prop 7 (FY 2032) so funding sources can be included in TxDOT and MPO ten-year plans
• Continued policy of non-diversion of revenue from the State Highway Fund to non-transportation programs

WATER

San Antonio has the largest aquifer storage and recovery system in the country and some of the nation’s best water conservation programs, using the same amount of water as it did twenty years ago. The Chamber supports programs that safeguard the City’s water infrastructure and policies that improve the region’s water resiliency including:

• Appropriate checks and balances in groundwater district laws and regulations that provide a sustainable and equitable framework for developing and managing water supply projects
• Requiring the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality obtain or develop updated water availability models for the Guadalupe-San Antonio River basins
• Legislation that provides for funding or other mechanisms that facilitate multigenerational preservation, protection, and enhancement of the Edwards Aquifer through conservation measures, including the acquisition of conservation easements and land management practices located on the Recharge and Contributing Zones of the Edwards Aquifer
• Support ongoing water conservation efforts, such as improving water use efficiency and the reduction of water loss