The chair recognizes the honorable Morgan
Meyer of Dallas County for the introduction
of the sneakers family.
Thank you, Madam Secretary,
members and guests,
I am pleased to introduce to you
speaker feelings family members
joining us on the floor today,
his wife Kim, his four sons
Ford, Matt, Hank and Luke, his parents
Jane and Michael. Feeling and
speaker feelings syphilis welcome.
And now, fellow fellow
Members and honored guests,
it is my privilege to introduce to
you the Speaker of the House of
Representatives of the 88 legislature,
the Honorable David feeling
of Jefferson County.
Well, good afternoon and welcome to the
first day of the 88 Texas Legislature.
Madam Secretary, the honourable Jane Nelson,
welcome back to the House.
The West Wing looks good on you,
but it seems like senators will do anything
to get on the House floors these days.
Thank you for being here to oversee
today's proceedings as the first
Texan in history to preside over an
opening day ceremony in both the House
and the Senate. Congratulations.
Anybody, Angie, Tracy, Shelby,
John and Tony. Thank you.
I hope to live up to your words of support,
and I cannot do this job without
friends like you at my side.
After completing a regular session
that was anything but regular.
Three special sessions and traveling
30,000 miles this interim.
I would like to start this address
the way I'd like to start every day,
which is thanking my wife
Kim for still being my wife.
In addition to being an amazing wife,
she's a loving mother of Charles
four boys. An accomplished attorney.
An advocate for juvenile justice reform.
And later on, mental health
awareness and education.
I could go on for days,
but what I cannot do is this job without
your constant support. Thank you.
Who's texting me right now?
Please stop. Really.
I also like to thank my four sons,
Ford, Mac, paint and leave. Thank you, Boris.
I want to thank you for teaching me
how to referee your conversation.
Between people who care a lot about an issue,
we don't have points of order back home.
But a good knock down,
drag out fight over the Xbox is pretty
good training for being a speaker.
And Luke and Hank
had 1/2 hours ago.
Thank you for being the best
kids a dad could ask for.
And just like your mom,
I cannot do this without
your blessings, so thank you.
Where is Mike and Jane?
A6 brothers and sisters,
thank you for your love and
support over the years. Growing
up, if I had a giant gavel like I do now.
That would be an only child.
And they're also the ones with the really
big foreheads too. So sorry.
I I did. I get
criticized for my forehead.
But I inherited from my from my family.
As I look out upon this
distinguished gathering,
I see 149 people. Ordinary Texas.
Who are eager to get their
work on extraordinary things.
I am grateful for the majority of you
who have honored me with your vote.
I am proud to represent all of you
as Speaker of the ADA legislature.
I also see your beautiful families,
friends and supporters. Let us not forget
the sacrifices they have made
to get you where you are today.
Texas appreciates you, members.
Let's give them a round of applause.
For the newcomers here,
our freshman class of 2023.
Congratulations. Words of caution.
Please do not confuse this body
with the one in Washington DC.
After watching Congress attempt to
function last week, I cannot imagine
why some want Texas to be like DC.
Members you now or the Texas
House of Representatives,
part of Historic assembly.
100 years. After the first woman
was elected in the Texas House,
our membership now includes
45 women, the highest number ever.
And all of us represent
150 unique populations from the cities,
the suburbs and the countryside,
194,000 strong each district.
And while our visitors certainly unique
and they have one thing in common,
they have trusted us to be their voice.
And that is what we will do.
The next 140 days.
One data time, one issue at a time,
one bill at a time.
All that work will be rooted
in one of the most fundamental,
necessary elements of this institution,
the Texas House rules.
As the most deliberative
body in this nation, our rules matter,
and my advice to new members
is to know them, love them,
and be certain we will enforce them.
Because our rules keep the game fair.
But they do not dictate the outcome.
We will have divisions every session does,
but that division does not have to define us.
Levy political fires that have
raised compelled us to come
to the table for a solution,
not flee from our responsibilities.
There will be countless
outside voices. Not from your
district, not from this state.
That seek to control our conversation
and they will be plenty loud.
But the conversations that matter to us,
the conversations that matter to
our constituents, happen in here.
They happen in this room in the Texas House.
We do our work together here,
and when we do that,
we might just be surprised to find
out how much we have in common.
We can find our first patch of common ground
in the most fundamental
element of society, the family.
If we were going to be a family focused
house, and I do hope we will be,
we must take a long look at
what matters to Texas families.
Fortunately, everyone here has spent the
better part of a year on the campaign trail.
Hearing directly from our constituents.
And like you, that person very
straightforward concerns from
the families of my district.
I've heard about the economy, inflation,
difficulty in making ends meet.
Every increasing
property taxes that have
led many of the field year in
and year out, they are renting
their property from the governor.
Like them, I believe tax relief should
be a part of it.
Time again, we have seen the legislature
provide some form of property tax relief.
But to make it lasting, we must do
something about runaway appraisals,
because taxpayers deserve better.
My constituents also talked
about the need for quality
healthcare at a reasonable price
for families and businesses.
They appreciate the process we made
last session, tackling the cost of
prescription drugs and health plans,
pricing transparency,
improving outcomes for women and children,
but they need us to do much more.
So we're going to continue the
minimum momentum by getting
patients greater control over their
healthcare as well as better access.
In my travels, also heard about
Texas desire for State Street.
During the 87th, we reset the national
conversation on criminal justice.
We show it's possible to improve
public safety while defining the
rights of the accused and offering
second chances when deserved.
We led the nation in decreasing
incarceration rates,
reducing recidivism and facilitating reentry.
We have proven you can be tough on
violent criminals while also making
the criminal justice system work
better for nonviolent offenders,
and that is what we will continue to do.
The members we can work
all day on these issues.
But if Rogue District attorneys
will not uphold the law,
what progress are we really making?
It is time to
rank them in.
Our constituents also want roads.
That can move them in a timely manner.
From their home to their job,
to their child school to
their place of worship.
Texans won a reliable supply of water,
resiliency from flooding,
dependable energy and high speed
Internet across this great state.
They want exceptional schools
with exceptional teachers.
With a once in a lifetime budget surplus,
now is the time to put a down
payment on the future of Texas.
To make this down
payment even more critical,
over 1000 people move to
Texas every single day.
They do not bring these
investments with their members.
We all serve different regions,
but we recognize these
as common obligations.
The members, perhaps we have
no greater task ahead of us.
And protecting those who are
carrying on what we have started
with the children of Texas.
I created the Select Committee on
Youth Health and Safety last session to
examine the issues facing our children.
The threats to their safety.
Are all too real. Child trafficking.
Violence in schools.
Bad actors seeking to exploit
their innocence.
And social media companies that
prey on the insecurities of children,
leaving them vulnerable to exploitation,
sexualization,
and indoctrination members who must
stand up to the children of Texas.
Teachers and parents alike want safer
schools. Our kids deserve them.
Last May. July the
21 Texas teachers and children.
Or stolen. When a gunman opened fire,
robbed elementary and you Baldy, Texas.
We owe it to the memory of
those children and teachers.
To make sensible meaningful change.
I want to thank the families of
the valley for inviting me to
meet with them just last week.
Having heard from them directly and
taking into account the findings
of our investigative committee,
we have insights to inform our decision.
This is going to be an
especially tough conversation.
This body has proven capable of handling
conversations like this in the past.
I am confident we will do so again.
As we work to make Texas a
better place to raise a family,
we must also acknowledge there's
true suffering in society.
And we have to make those those
things better, those families
and those toughest situations.
The most important thing to do,
certainly, is to ensure our
economy continues to generate
quality jobs and meaningful wages.
After all, an opportunity to provide for
one family is a powerful motivator,
no matter where one is in life.
At the same time, let us not forget
people who need more than a job.
Even with a vibrant economy,
a single parent who can work.
Afford childcare, healthcare,
transportation and housing is indeed there.
How can we improve their lives
and their children's features?
Tax free diapers, wipes and
other childcare supplies is
a great start, and so is ensuring health
coverage for new moms that last not 60 days,
not 60 months, but an entire year.
Johnny Rose stood up.
Starting today, I represent Jasper County.
Last week I read a story about
the local County Hospital joining
the 60% of rural Texas hospitals
that no longer deliver babies.
Mothers in rural areas now faced
hour long drives for basic services.
We should not leave this session that a
firm commitment to reversing this trend.
Because in my dictionary,
the definition of pro-life.
Includes ensuring.
Access to affordable healthcare for all,
especially Texas mothers and their babies.
And to show the Texas House is
committed to the maternal health
of our own staff this session,
I am proud to announce we were offering
additional resources to guarantee
12 full weeks of paid maternal and
paternal leave for those working
for this Chamber this session.
Members, our names may be on
the door, but the men and women who serve
in our capital and our district offices
are the ones who do the heavy lifting.
We must provide an environment that
respects them and recognizes their value.
With rapid inflation, let's also retain
them by finally increasing their salaries.
Sure, Mr. Schafer voting aye.
Making things better for all
types of families is how we
deliver it on the limitless
potential for our state in every area,
from gainful employment to public safety.
That includes border security.
Which is certainly in the Minds department,
but especially those who
represent the border communities.
We can all agree that our border towns
have been buried the brunt of Washington's
failed immigration policies, some
going as far as they claim themselves
to be in a state of disaster.
It is a legal and humanitarian crisis.
Every budget I voted for has poured
millions, now billions, of dollars,
into the gap between federal policies
and the realities on the ground.
As stewards in every budget dollar,
we must ensure our strategy not
only fits realities on the ground,
but is truly measurably effective.
We must also knowledge the additional
threats posed by a poorest border.
More than 1600 Texans died from fentanyl
overdoses in 2021 as 1600 too many.
Before Texas families get that
heartbreaking call, members,
we must stop the cartels in
their tracks. And we will.
Members then we face many
challenges this session.
There will be even more opportunities.
The work is hard, but it is worthwhile.
The work is demanding, but it is noble.
The work is necessary.
And because we have the privilege
of doing it for the people of Texas,
I know we'll get done together.
It is a privilege to serve as a
Member of this distinguished body.
And I'm once again humbled by the
opportunity to be your speaker.
Thank you for this enormous honor.
Thank you for serving this great state.
God bless you all,
and God bless Texas.