The Chamber’s Executive Board met on Thursday, March 23, hosted by Spurs Sports and Entertainment at the AT&T Center. Katie Harvey, 2023 Chamber Chair and CEO of KGBTexas Communications, kicked off the meeting and invited Public Policy Council Chair Jeff Webster, VP Business Development, Jacobs Engineering Group, to give a state legislative update.
Jeff began his remarks by reminding Board members about the $33 billion budget surplus and reporting that more bills were filed this session than ever before. He then reviewed key bills that the Chamber is tracking:
- SB 1110, which could prohibit municipally owned utilities from transferring revenue from the utility to the municipality’s general fund.
- SB 3, Property Tax Relief Bill, which would raise the homestead exemption by 75% up to $70,000. This is one of the Governor and Lt. Governor’s top priorities.
- Water Relief Bill would make more funding available for resources and new concepts.
- HB 2127 (Texas Regulatory Consistency Act), which would provide regulatory consistency across the state and return historic exclusive regulatory powers to the state.
- SB 1071, which supports building a connector road between I-35 and State Highway 130.
JD Salinas, AT&T External and Legislative Affairs Vice President, also suggested the Chamber focus on HB307, relating to requiring certain employers to provide paid sick leave to employees, and HB9, which would provide $5 billion for broadband across the state.
The Chamber’s Interim President and CEO Dave Petersen gave an update on the implementation of the Chamber’s strategic plan, including key metrics and gap closures. Board members provided excellent feedback about being more proactive, communications, technology, and engaging the entire business community.
Katie Harvey gave an update on the opposition to Proposition A. The Chamber and several partners will be joining members of the business community to form aPolitical Action Committee to formally oppose Proposition A. The PAC is raising money to fund message testing and an opposition campaign. (Update: The San Antonio SAFE PAC has been formed and a fundraise was held on Tuesday evening. For more information, please see an email from Katie Harvey sent to the Chamber membership).
Finally, Dave Petersen gave his President’s Report and discussed the Chamber’s upcoming SA to DC trip. This year, the Chamber is taking 150 business, elected, and community leaders to Washington D.C. to advocate for the needs of our community. (Update: SA to DC 2023 was highly successful with meaningful issue team meetings with legislators and decision makers, thoughtful programming, and visits from several members of the Bexar County delegation. Learn more about the SA to DC 2023 trip.)