The Dallas Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Affairs voted Jan. 15 to reclassify several items on the city's state legislative program, remove ranked-choice voting from the list and seek formal legal clarity on card rooms and related gambling activity.

Committee chair DeBaez said the changes reflect a strategic prioritization of items for staff and the council. "Every single item on our legislative program is important," the chair said. "They're all our priorities." She described the appendix as a way to divide priorities into four categories: pursue, support, monitor and oppose.

Jake Anderson, interim director of the Office of Government Affairs, briefed the committee on the four categories and how staff will engage differently depending on classification. "There was a memo that went out this morning," Anderson said, "Those categories are pursue, support, monitor, and oppose. These are the categories, under which everything in the agenda fall." He said "pursue" items are those on which the city will actively draft legislation and secure authors; "support" items are those the city will endorse and actively engage on; and "monitor" items will be tracked and the city will engage as bills progress.

Key votes and moves

- Amend local government election dates: The committee agreed to separate this item from ranked-choice voting and to keep the item to allow the city to change its local election date (between the state-approved May and November dates) in the "pursue" category so the city can actively seek enabling state legislation. Council member West argued that voters' charter action (she cited a November vote) obligates the council to "take affirmative action." The motion to keep election-date authority in pursue passed unanimously.

- Ranked-choice voting: After discussion that state law currently prevents implementation and that local efforts would face "a very, very steep uphill battle," the committee approved removing ranked-choice voting from the city's state legislative agenda. One committee member said, "I think it should be just removed completely." The motion passed.

- Senior facility resident safety: The committee moved the agenda item on enhanced safety for residents of senior facilities from monitor to support. The topic was described as a statewide issue that would be implemented as state law overseen by Texas Health and Human Services, and committee members discussed background checks for maintenance workers and identification measures. The motion to move the item to support passed unanimously.

- Utility operations and grid reliability: The committee considered moving an item on transparency in utility operations and grid reliability from support to monitor but chose to keep it in the support category after hearing from Clifford Sparks, legislative director, who warned that prior legislative proposals could have required costly equipment purchases and that the city needs to stay engaged. "This could potentially affect how we generate power," Sparks said, adding that the item "is something that we do need to watch." The motion to keep the item in support passed.

- Rail safety legislation: The committee voted to leave the item supporting rail-safety measures in the support category, following a recommendation from staff and Clifford Sparks. The motion passed.

- Mental and physical health care, including Medicaid participation: Committee members debated whether to move the item from support to monitor. Staff and councilors noted that many health programs and funding flow through the county or state, but that the city's RightCare program could be a model and a source of funding. Councilors emphasized the importance of staying "in the conversation" so the city can seek grants or direct funding. The committee voted to keep the item in support.

- Card rooms and gambling clarity: After extended discussion and input from the city attorney's office, the committee voted to move "seek clarity regarding card rooms" from its current classification into the pursue category so the city can actively seek legal and legislative clarity. Bert Vandenberg of the city attorney's office said staff wants clarity on statutory terms such as "economic benefit" and "private place." Clifford Sparks told the committee that legislators want a clear statement from the city on whether it seeks increased enforcement, legislative definitions or broader regulatory authority. Several members cited ongoing litigation involving card rooms as a reason to pursue definitive guidance. The motion to move the item to pursue passed.

What this means next

Committee members and staff said the reclassifications aim to match staff resources and legislative strategy to the realities of state policymaking in Austin. Items classified as pursue will prompt the city to actively draft or request enabling legislation and seek authors in the legislature; support items will see active advocacy and testimony; monitor items will be tracked and engaged as needed.

On card rooms, the city attorney's office is seeking opinions and more definitive statutory language so the council can communicate a clear position to state legislators. On election dates, staff noted the sequence: a voter-approved charter change removed a specified local election date and state law must permit switching between May and November before the city council can act by ordinance.

No dollar amounts or numeric vote tallies for individual motions were recorded in the transcript beyond members' verbal aye/oppose responses; motions recorded in the meeting minutes were adopted by the committee as described above. The committee adjourned at 9:11 a.m.