Austin, TX – Tuesday, January 13th, marked the opening day of the 84th Texas Legislative Session. Today, the 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives and 31 State Senators were sworn-in as duly-elected representatives of their House and Senate districts, respectively. The Texas Legislature meets in regular session on the second Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year. The regular session is limited by the Texas Constitution to 140 calendar days.
“I am excited to continue working for our neighbors and friends in House District 14, and for Texans across the state,” State Representative John Raney said. “Each session brings a new set of challenges, and I am ready to start tackling them. I believe in limited government, working to find common sense solutions, and focusing on constituent driven issues.”
Thus far, Representative Raney’s legislative agenda addresses: improving accounting transparency of institutions that accept tax dollars; improving employment and benefit protections for returning military service members; and improving the adoption process and protection of life. His agenda will also address issues of local concern.
In addition to his legislative agenda, Representative Raney will keep a close eye on the budget for the upcoming 2016-2017 biennium. The Comptroller of Public Accounts, Glenn Hegar, announced on Monday that the state can expect $113 billion dollars in general revenue, after the transfer of $5 billion dollars to be split between the Rainy Day Fund and the State Highway Fund which was approved by Texans last November.
Representative Raney was honored to be chosen by Speaker Joe Straus to file House Resolution 1, allowing the family and friends of the representatives, and the press to be present on the House floor during opening ceremonies. Today, he was joined by his wife, Elizabeth, his eldest daughter, Beth Hawkins, and his granddaughter, Raney.
Representative John Raney represents District 14 in the Texas House of Representatives, which includes the cities of Bryan and College Station.