Legislative Summary
State Representative Rick Noriega
80th Legislative Session
At the beginning of the 80th Legislative Session, Representative Rick Noriega was
assigned to the Appropriations Committee, the committee that establishes budget
priorities for the State of Texas. The representative retained his seat on the critical
Defense Affairs & State-Federal Relations Committee and was the CBO for the budget
process for Defense Affairs.
Appropriations demands a huge commitment of time, starting early and ending late
each day. Membership on this very important committee enabled Rep. Noriega to
provide support to programs important to the citizens of District 145 and Houston’s East
End community, Houston and the state as a whole.
His leadership on the appropriations committee included insuring that budget
instructions to HMO’s insist payments be made promptly to public health clinics and
other Medicaid providers. Timely payment, particularly for programs with very low
reimbursement rates like Medicaid, is essential for most providers to continue service
and maintain quality of care.
Another Noriega effort provided bond dollars for the preservation and restoration of the
Battleship Texas. The Texas is located on the east side of Houston and has been in
desperate need of repair.
Legislation
Education, the environment, public safety, and veterans' affairs were of major emphasis
in Representative Noriega's legislation efforts in the 80th Legislature.
Air Quality: Representative Noriega's HB 2293 is a giant step forward, leading the way
to a cleaner, healthier environment by requiring that no less than 10% of the vehicle
purchases made by state agencies shall be for low-emission and fuel-efficient vehicles
that meet federal low emission guidelines A variety of low-emission vehicles and
cleaner fuels to reduce air pollution have been available for a number of years, but there
has been little movement by the state toward replacing gasoline guzzlers with those
options. These vehicles can help save $200 to $1,500 each year per vehicle in fuel
costs, and help the environment by emitting less carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into
the atmosphere. More importantly, it can help strengthen national security by reducing
dependence on foreign oil.
Homeland Security and Public Safety: The inspection of heavy trucks moving in and
out of the Port of Houston, and of the cargo they carry, is a most important component
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of Homeland Security. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) has primary
responsibility for such inspections, but local police perform this task in major cities,
taking officers off neighborhood streets or reducing the number of inspections that can
be done.
Securing additional funding to help the Houston Police Department (HPD) pay for the
safety inspections of commercial vehicles was a priority for Representative Noriega
during the 80th Legislature. With access to federal grants available through DPS, HPD
will now be able to hire additional personnel to improve both local and national safety
(added to SB 11, Homeland Security).
Cooperating again with HPD, Representative Noriega passed several bills to protect
neighborhood values. Junk vehicles and substandard buildings diminish neighborhood
values and in many instances, are threats to public safety. Several changes in the law
will allow more efficient enforcement to rid neighborhoods of these public nuisances (SB
350, 351, 352).
Deterring acts of terrorism is another vital function of homeland security. HB 2546 by
Noriega was model legislation intended to prevent terrorists from acquiring explosive
compounds such as were used in the terrorist act of the Oklahoma City bombing in
1995.
Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound commonly used as fertilizer; however, the
compound can be used to create explosives. Current law had no restrictions on the
sale or purchase of ammonium nitrate, and did not require sellers of this volatile
compound to record sales or to register with the state.
Under Noriega's bill, which takes effect September 1, 2007, sellers of ammonium nitrate
must register with the Texas Feed and Fertilizer Control Service. Sellers also must
record all sales and require purchasers to provide identifying information. The Service
will adopt rules allowing a person to refuse to sell ammonium nitrate based on the
season or the location of the sale. The bill also establishes penalties for sellers who do
not register, for individuals who present false identification, and for individuals who
purchase the compound with the intention of manufacturing an explosive device
.Veterans and Military
Maintaining benefits and providing needed new services for our military personnel has
always been a top priority for Representative Noriega. This session, he focused on
issues especially important for veterans returning from service in combat zones.
HB 711/SB363: Fifteen other states have passed or proposed legislation for their
Adjutant General to aide the State's National Guardsmen with facilitating screening for
depleted uranium in Veteran's Hospitals. Depleted Uranium (DU) has been linked with
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Gulf War Syndrome, which has claimed the lives of 13,000 troops since the Gulf War,
when only 250 were killed and 7,000 injured in actual hostilities.
DU is a heavy metal that remains after radioactive isotopes have been removed, and is
used in ammunition and other munitions. It poses little threat outside the body, but the
nano-particles, which contain radiation, can penetrate the body through the lungs to
poison internal organs.
Representative Noriega and Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Chair of the Senate Veterans
Affairs Committee, passed SB 363 that requires the Adjutant General of the Texas
Military Forces (TXMF) and the Texas Veterans Commission to assist members of the
TXMF to obtain federal government treatment services, including a screening test if they
have been exposed to depleted uranium during military service. A study is to be
completed on the affects of exposure to depleted uranium and submitted to the
governor and the 2009 Texas Legislature.
“Dial 211” for Veteran Services: SB 1058, passed by Representative Noriega in the
House, is a huge leap forward for military personnel seeking benefits or services that
have been promised by our government, or are that are available to them through a
variety of state, local and national private or governmental organizations. The present
service delivery system is fragmented and many veterans struggle with reintegration
into family and work life upon returning from combat. Many battle the effects of brain
injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and re-employment issues.
This new law requires a comprehensive array of governmental agencies to identify
state, local and private or government resources--medical, social and economic--that
are available to military personnel and their immediate families. The agencies must
coordinate the compilation of a directory of these resources, and disseminate the
information through the Texas Information and Referral Network (Dial 211). Links to the
directory must be provided on agency websites. Service members will be able to locate
available services in their specific community.
Important educational benefits were extended for military personnel and veterans in HB
1445/SDB 685. Veterans will now be exempt from added fees, which now often equal
or excel tuition at some institutions. As a result of this bill, veterans will be exempt from
was the cost of fees, in addition to free tuition, for most veterans at all state public
institutions of higher education.
Other important bills included the protection of the voting rights of deployed military
personnel; protecting the unauthorized use of the image of a deceased member of the
armed forces for advertising purposes; securing child custody rights during military
deployment and protecting the rights of those serving in the military to adopt a child; and
a pending constitutional amendment to allow voters to authorize the legislature to
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exempt all or part of the residence homesteads of certain totally disabled veterans from
taxation.
General Budget
The most significant piece of legislation approved by the legislature is the state budget,
House Bill 1. For the FY 2008-2009 budget that begins on September 1, 2007, the
total is $152.5 billion, an increase of $10 billion or 7 percent more than the current level.
The state will spend almost 95% of General Revenue in the 2008-09 budget on
education, health care, and corrections; the two largest areas of state spending are for
public and higher education, almost $61 billion or 40% of all spending, and for health &
human services, over $51 billion or a third of all spending. In addition to these amounts,
the legislature set aside over $14 billion for property tax cuts that will benefit mostly high
income families. As a result, many important needs are still unmet. Compared to other
states, Texas remains at the bottom in what is invested in children and care for the most
vulnerable citizens.
Education
Over the objections of House leadership, Representative Noriega proposed, and the
House passed, an amendment to the budget to give teaching professionals a raise of
more than $800 per year. The vote to overturn a budget recommendation for incentive
pay for some teachers, and instead assure a pay raise for all teachers, was a turning
point in House debate during the 80th Legislature. Though the amount of the teacher
pay raise was reduced eventually in conference, Representative Noriega fought to
ensure that every teacher received an across-the-board raise.
Criminal Justice
A priority of Representative Noriega was to keep a promise to his wife Melissa, who
replaced him in the legislature in 2005 while he was deployed to Afghanistan as part of
Operation Enduring Freedom. Melissa had fought unsuccessfully for a change in penal
policy, to prevent non-violent pregnant women’s children from being taken from their
mothers, if the mothers had a limited sentence. Noriega introduced and joint-authored
HB199, which will change state policy to create a pilot program where non-violent
pregnant women will not have their children taken from them--they will be allowed to
keep their infants and will receive training in being responsible parents. This model has
been successful in reducing recidivism in women’s prisons across the country and
addresses the potential for long-term damage to Texas children who have been
separated from their mothers at birth.
These were a few of the highlights of another productive, successful session for
Representative Noriega and staff, serving the people of District 145 and the State of
Texas with competence and compassion.
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