[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6058270,"mediaKeyId","3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55","parentId",3297541,"title","Senate committee advances local bill to simplify San Antonio retiree health contributions and survivor rules","audioSeconds",194,"startMs",2241720,"endMs",2435805,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55&start=2241&end=2435","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55/thumbnail_2241720.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6058270/Texas/Senate-committee-advances-local-bill-to-simplify-San-Antonio-retiree-health-contributions-and-survivor-rules","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6058270-c6d01da309e3f583237de359a84741f5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447909&Signature=F3i8qr1CxlzNFXlrp-~UhIfHuypVvm5-2MQGNfCLXf-bD3Iyr~YmTXAUax4Sb5TwzQXA7NZ3t-NFoArtq8-cgJQpDrOdGo2xW8fZSGItNd2aOYMFuk8z4guNeVtdGABYug6MXtEcqFqaFlU-aDQUOUBMA1C-Sfjg7RKbKcnS1DDfoLMaTYcLYE67f2-x9JXMAUkKr-BvbhSgZ9i-VTR4d7F1EdwUxz~MMDjtNoydxZduV1iYr5RnXuiojCOf8oBP9LqKvMUwk8ffuuSnyCwxNqa-H-gEHlX8jhdIKj8y9hn~YLrDTUiWreXakoOVORD8TQHpLmMbXYqMyYj92oqOOQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Texas Legislature","date","2025-05-14T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Finance Committee considered House Bill 3,594, a locally focused measure intended to streamline post‑retirement contribution procedures and remove certain penalties for surviving spouses in the San Antonio Fire and Police Retiree Healthcare Fund.

Senator José Menéndez said the bill would allow retirees to pay the fund directly rather than through the pension system, permit retirees the option to pay remaining contributions as a lump sum, and give the fund board authority to remove a remarriage penalty for surviving spouses. He said stakeholders including the city of San Antonio, unions and the fund board developed the text.

Christopher Lutton, a San Antonio police officer and a member of the fund’s board, testified that the fund’s actuary reviewed the bill and confirmed it would have no effect on the fund’s unfunded actuarial liability. “The bill has been endorsed by all of the principal stakeholders involved,” Lutton told the committee.

Senators thanked stakeholders for the negotiated work and the committee reported the bill favorably to the full Senate; the bill was recommended for the local and uncontested calendar.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Committee on Finance May 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","House Bill 3,594, a locally negotiated bill to change contribution procedures and beneficiary rules for the San Antonio Fire and Police Retiree Healthcare Fund, was presented as agreed by affected stakeholders and reported favorably by the Senate Finance Committee after testimony from the fund’s trustees.","taxTitle","Committee on Finance, Senate, Legislative, Texas","taxId",16845,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6058275,"Committee grills depository plan for gold-and-silver debit card as stakeholders raise security, fiscal, and regulatory concerns",2399,2585705,4985270,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55&start=2585&end=4985","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55/thumbnail_2585705.jpg","/articles/6058275/Texas/Committee-grills-depository-plan-for-gold-and-silver-debit-card-as-stakeholders-raise-security-fiscal-and-regulatory-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6058275-29f4a24d251c874aa4d83ddf992d4877/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447909&Signature=HHnZ-AO6L5n0Nif~r1bUmYWjf76Y3x8oETW7hJU66c5CbR9B3nR~K5S1sxt2CApjgmENLl3Tjum3mdJXgJXFSuwmrkHpS4RKb8fG2ylWKAUvpi0XpR7C38uSf7mW14zE4L05MceNUqcAnhHogeRmhcuFxOJKjKq4wEmJ9yB2Pp~fmNV7nV35EZSJvyxfiTwUjDBqxAxmg~5OGbuJ6nScGoMDKhZq2s4d1ffWL3f7w0WSEsxVjrOgzAh-rZMpS5bfWqgRx8F227E1LQJ0dVBYfltP9CV9jNMYNNkfXAh31P~ai6bb0y9gn2iLvLgdLhdF3Pck6YLo~4-78leg4kq0Tg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Finance Committee held an extended hearing Wednesday on House Bill 10,56, a measure to enable gold and silver held in the Texas Bullion Depository to function as legal tender and to permit transactions via a state-run or contractor-run digital payment mechanism.

Senator Bryan Hughes, the bill’s sponsor in the Senate, said the measure would allow Texans to deposit physical gold and silver in the state depository or buy bullion-backed digital currency and use a debit card for ordinary purchases. “Based on the existence of the Texas bullion depository…this would be run by the state of Texas,” Hughes said.

Comptroller staff and the depository administrator described operational and fiscal issues. Macy Douglas, administrator of the Texas Bullion Depository, said the state facility currently holds more than $380 million in metals on deposit and that most customer deliveries are shipped to the Leander facility; she cautioned that the program as written requires further market research and vendor work. Victoria North of the Comptroller’s Office told senators the draft limits administrative fees to the “industry standard merchant fee,” which her office said could constrain revenue recovery and prompted the comptroller’s office to raise its fiscal estimate. The comptroller’s office provided a revised fiscal estimate during questioning that included millions in vendor and IT costs for initial implementation; witnesses described a revised first-year estimate in the low‑ to mid‑tens of millions (committee staff cited a revised estimate of roughly $27 million in the hearing).

Several bankers and credit-union witnesses opposed the bill or urged major changes, citing consumer-protection gaps and uncertainty about how existing federal banking and electronic-funds protections (Regulation E, Electronic Funds Transfer Act) and deposit-insurance frameworks would apply to bullion-backed digital currency. “House Bill 10 56 is silent on all of those provisions,” Celeste Embree, general counsel for the Texas Bankers Association, told the committee.

Proponents, including private-sector vendors and constitutional legal experts, argued the state has authority under the U.S. Constitution for states to make gold and silver legal tender and said technology exists to manage transactions. Ari Kunan, a former Texas solicitor-general attorney now in private practice, told the committee he believes the legislation tracks Constitutional text and existing Supreme Court precedent on state use of specie.

Members asked detailed operational questions about definitions in the bill, including the term “specie” and whether the measure contemplates coinage or only bullion-backed digital units. Macy Douglas said the bill’s language could be interpreted to permit coins (specie) and that the depository currently supports segregated storage for depositors but that the bill contemplates pooled storage to back transactional units. Senators also asked how merchants would be paid, whether a federal capital-gains issue would arise when people use bullion for purchases, and whether the program should be vendor-operated or run through an array of regulated Texas banks and credit unions.

Credit-union and banking representatives asked that state-chartered financial institutions be considered as partners and that the bill clarify consumer protection, anti-money-laundering, and settlement requirements. Resource witnesses and several stakeholders urged more market research and clearer statutory definitions before moving forward. The committee closed public testimony and left the bill pending.","House Bill 10,56 would let Texans use gold and silver held in the Texas Bullion Depository as legal tender and create a state-run digital payment mechanism; witnesses split across industry, banks, and legal experts, and the comptroller described significant operational questions and a rising fiscal estimate.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6058279,"Panel backs voluntary driver-license donations to fund nonprofits aiding DPS officers",220,1646835,1867265,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55&start=1646&end=1867","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55/thumbnail_1646835.jpg","/articles/6058279/Texas/Panel-backs-voluntary-driver-license-donations-to-fund-nonprofits-aiding-DPS-officers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6058279-26da92b72c486a8c3f0471308657fc37/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447909&Signature=iSi9THxzoWPtbzTpMrc0vs~tCnPvf7B18CiJYZKxKFqLfJpe1u28sdQ2Vm8DMwvs3Dy51d-hotRssRt8L8WEzL7eQseUhwWHD1b4EGZvPtn9X4kuxfOkUp9zcGr9Kg4pIc~LyIbwPueEWKO3ZM8IQDWb6fyVV9TTfsTVCMRfl7rRPXgT3cpxcxQFZd4Ppe-twE57ZKw3JX9BpHIiu-DpA7wxRg02puL6hSQ8QUzdXwsexO7P8D1eVTDFw2KGaeWh2J-FCdtvtXxk8K5JzRCZiNZ4dyGYTGzVVqxolNuVbI6ZEqqgspJVq0-8SwNyCXdjVvhc12F2JSAGPfkw9q5Wzw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Finance Committee considered House Bill 3,033, which would require the Texas Department of Public Safety to establish and administer a grant program to provide financial support to eligible nonprofit organizations that assist DPS employees who are killed or injured in the line of duty and their families.

Senator Kelly King, presenting the measure, said the program would be funded by voluntary donations: drivers would be offered an option to give $3 or more when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or ID. “The funds for this program will be used to provide assistance for DPS employees and their families and to fund memorial highway signs for DPS employees who have been killed in the line of duty,” King said, noting signs can cost more than $40,000.

Clay Taylor, executive director of the DPS Officers Association, told senators that the DPS Troopers Foundation — a 501(c)(3) established by the DPSOA in 2010 — has provided more than $3.5 million in assistance over the past decade, including scholarships, emergency aid and memorial sign funding. Taylor described recent assistance after the Ector County line-of-duty death of Trooper Ramirez Vasquez: the foundation provided more than $27,000 in funeral-related costs and helped raise and contribute over $69,000 to the family.

Taylor and other witnesses urged the committee to adopt the bill; senators later voted to report House Bill 3,033 favorably to the full Senate. The committee’s roll call recorded unanimous or near-unanimous approval as recorded in the committee minutes.","House Bill 3,033 would require the Department of Public Safety to establish a grant program funded by voluntary donations at driver-license and ID renewal to support nonprofits that help DPS employees killed or injured in the line of duty; the bill drew support from the DPS Officers Association and other foundations.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6058284,"Senate committee debates tax break for restimulating inactive oil wells; fiscal note and scope questioned",237,920180,1157330,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55&start=920&end=1157","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55/thumbnail_920180.jpg","/articles/6058284/Texas/Senate-committee-debates-tax-break-for-restimulating-inactive-oil-wells-fiscal-note-and-scope-questioned","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6058284-37f0646ae8fb732ebf6dea72011d8ec9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447909&Signature=nG9GQ~ll5k9577eiEAda~ln7rgygggJkn6PijV-lYocT9tHJnKOUbc-gqz3fVuHUl0Ia9RJMuKB6JG~ODUSb6KBwkGKNPyFTbCs9qeZd9s021rgayiIJBN9JUDNpcITNQe~YgyCIES-H4NO--Bwh6KQu37roizd7FHTgHgF6w99DusXn~WiRm76FGvKxYmCGDYnVgtAcw4Nq4vD9z-5xEpTR1PNFd8~AESitnBwPwaHylBHJzhtfolD771YRUPTm9L7vU~Vi3q-tv8EMor9YcI7d2ajdO7vj4dyk6CUtZLymPa75IdAjKjfcqcTNH31U0lMEmwV0iqMg~Am86mF0eg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Finance Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 782, which would create a temporary tax exemption to encourage restimulation of inactive horizontal oil and gas wells.

Senator Kelly King, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee the measure would exempt service taxes for a qualifying well for up to 36 consecutive months or until exempt taxes equal the lesser of the restimulation cost or $750,000. The bill would require certification of eligible wells by the Railroad Commission.

Proponents said the exemption could prompt operators to invest in mature wells that currently produce little or nothing. “This is an activity that largely is not happening today,” Dean Foreman, chief economist for the Texas Oil and Gas Association, testified. Foreman said restimulation has the potential to extend the life of mature wells, avoid liabilities, and generate mineral and tax revenue that otherwise would not occur.

Industry witnesses said restimulation of an inactive well can be costly; Lynn Pham, a resource witness from the comptroller’s office, told senators a typical restimulation (refrac) can cost about $4 million. Pham also explained the committee sub had been revised to focus on inactive wells with little to no current production, which comptroller staff said could reduce near-term fiscal exposure because many targeted wells now generate no taxable production.

Committee members pressed for clarity on the bill’s fiscal note. The comptroller’s office explained the original fiscal estimate was large but the committee substitute’s focus on inactive wells and other drafting changes reduced the projected near-term cost; staff said the intent is to capture additional production that otherwise would not be taxed and that final fiscal impacts will depend on how many operators take up the incentive and on certification by the Railroad Commission.

Witnesses from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers and the Texas Oil and Gas Association said the policy would stimulate local economic activity and address inactive and orphan wells, while committee members asked for clearer definitions of “inactive” versus “abandoned” wells and how the Railroad Commission would certify eligibility.

The committee did not finalize the bill and left the committee substitute pending for further work and fiscal clarification.","Senate Bill 782 would allow a temporary tax exemption for restimulation of inactive horizontal oil and gas wells; proponents argued it could extend life of mature wells and spur local economic activity while the comptroller and others questioned the fiscal impact and definition of eligible wells.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6058289,"Senate panel hears push to expand state aid for localities hit by disabled-veteran property tax exemption",233,24595,258020,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55&start=24&end=258","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3297541-4858ab6a943ea374404171ae42036b55/thumbnail_24595.jpg","/articles/6058289/Texas/Senate-panel-hears-push-to-expand-state-aid-for-localities-hit-by-disabled-veteran-property-tax-exemption","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6058289-69c9bb2a326b607f48a0387f187b6438/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447909&Signature=CRpUmbqUcKAW4fPY4S02ZZ6X-6W7b9Stdc32uk3c0V0kvBue52BSCwcuGALFtnnB6w767E0gJMLyYZJw6GE6XxgSdhlfAaQ8~dr5kQID8uQtrgcbmGzMK~QISQszVCJh-m6hIgWnoNS2YmjaLt2~LQrXHJ~L9ds1kKchStTI1M1YUie~d-bCjCXRD-Rv-WAIlDLO-rXsXDa8095IUpf82BC30xuLDYQqq3LT8edOwuGEJ5EnIbSk-bAm-CD2TU1UQonrVO2ZVH9j094ZVMAQmSS4NSP3ukxO7rfLH~PUTOTT16wDC7mFdwfTYLwGPM~PE0nr5-2f6Jkn5avJgAhGiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Committee on Finance members heard testimony Tuesday on the committee substitute for House Bill 2,894, a proposal to expand eligibility for state reimbursement to local governments disproportionately affected by the Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Sarah Flores, told the committee the measure would add municipalities in Bell, Coryell and Lampasas counties to a list of local governments that may qualify for relief when revenue losses from the exemption equal or exceed 10% of a local government’s general revenue fund. “Committee substitute for House Bill 28 94 seeks to expand the eligibility criteria for state aid of local governments that are disproportionately affected by the Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption,” Flores said.

The bill matters to local officials who say their tax bases have been materially eroded. “In 2024, Lampasas County lost approximately $1,600,000 in tax revenue. That’s 16% basically of our budget,” said Randall Hoyer, Lampasas County judge, who testified in support. David Blackburn, Bell County judge, said the exemption represented “3¢ of our 32¢ tax rate this past year” — about $11 million — and said Bell County is more disproportionately impacted than any other Texas county.

City and county witnesses described growing, compounding fiscal pressure. Kent Cagle, City of Killeen, said his municipality added $241 million of new taxable value in the past year while the increase in the disabled-veteran exemption was roughly $287 million, creating an almost $16 million hit to Killeen’s general fund. Several witnesses said expansion should be accompanied by additional funding. “Expanding eligibility, without adequate funding will only increase the challenges that cities, counties, and the state will face,” Blackburn told senators.

Some witnesses urged tighter fiscal accounting for reimbursements. Howard Airy, who testified as a resident, asked the committee to require reimbursements to be counted as property tax revenue for voter-approval-rate calculations so local voters see the effect of the reimbursements rather than creating a possible local funding windfall.

Veteran organizations backed the change, noting an expected increase in veterans eligible for disability under the PACT Act. Jim Brennan, legislative director for the Texas Coalition of Veterans Organizations, said the PAC Act will likely increase the number of veterans eligible for disability compensation and that veterans support solutions that address local fiscal impacts.

The committee accepted public testimony on the substitute and later moved the committee substitute out of committee. The committee reported the committee substitute to the full Senate; the roll call recorded 8 ayes and 1 nay.

Additional details in the hearing included the role of the Texas Comptroller in administering pro rata distributions and witnesses’ repeated requests that the Legislature pair any expansion of eligibility with adequate appropriation language or clear funding guidance for the comptroller’s office.","Local officials from Lampasas, Bell and Killeen told the Senate Finance Committee that expanding eligibility for state reimbursement under House Bill 2,894 is needed to offset large local budget impacts from the Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption; witnesses urged the committee to pair any expansion with adequate funding.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee advances local bill to simplify San Antonio retiree health contributions and survivor rules

Committee grills depository plan for gold-and-silver debit card as stakeholders raise security, fiscal, and regulatory concerns

Panel backs voluntary driver-license donations to fund nonprofits aiding DPS officers

Senate committee debates tax break for restimulating inactive oil wells; fiscal note and scope questioned

Senate panel hears push to expand state aid for localities hit by disabled-veteran property tax exemption