Email Updates

Dear Friends,

The third called special session of the 88th Texas Legislature begins today on the critical issues of education freedom, border security, public safety, and ending COVID restrictions.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on developing strong legislation in these areas.

In fact, we’re getting started immediately with a Senate Finance Committee hearing on school finance and teacher pay this afternoon.

Having spent 13 years on a local school board before serving in the Legislature, I’m confident that our state can recommit to a well-funded, excellence-driven public education system while also providing the flexibility Texas families deserve to select the school environment that best fits their children’s needs.

It’s not an “either-or” proposition – Texans deserve great public schools and other options.

As we begin this work with focused minds, our hearts are with our brothers and sisters in Israel. Robin and I had the very special opportunity to spend time in the Holy Land a few years ago and are praying fervently for our friends there as we seek out ways to aid in the relief efforts.

The turmoil of war is a painful reminder of the very high cost of freedom. May each of us be mindful of its value and emboldened to defend it with truth, honor, and integrity each day.

Sincerely,

Kelly Hancock
State Senate, District 9
Chair, Committee on Veteran Affairs
Vice Chair, Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs

Dear Friends,

Last week, the Texas Senate passed SB 1249 by a unanimous 31-0 vote to establish the first-ever Living Donor Education Program in Texas. Today, the bill was referred to the House Public Health Committee as its next step to becoming law.

I had the honor of developing this legislation in conjunction with Donate Life Texas as a way to spread the word about the new National Donate Life Living Donor Registry, which successfully completed its pilot phase here in Texas in 2021 and is under development for nationwide expansion in the years ahead.

Throughout this process, we’ve learned a truly astounding statistic…

Of the nearly 10,000 Texans and 100,000 Americans currently on the transplant waitlist, 96% are waiting for an organ that could be provided through the generosity of a living donor who feels called to step up and be someone’s hero – someone like my son-in-law, Greg, who gave me a kidney last year.

We’ve shared our story with you before, and with April being National Donate Life Month, it’s a real privilege for both of us to share our story more widely now. We’re grateful for this opportunity to raise awareness about the new living donor registry and what the whole process of living organ donation is like.

The links below include a few recent interviews on this topic as well as other important legislative session updates if you’d like to take a look.

Lone Star Politics, NBC 5 DFW

Following kidney transplant, Texas senator pushes for living donor education, Spectrum Local News

With sincere appreciation,

Kelly Hancock
State Senate, District 9
Chair, Committee on Veteran Affairs
Vice Chair, Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs

Dear Friends,

Bill-filing deadline for the 88th Legislative Session was last week, and I’m reminded that the most important bills are the ones that are brought to me by constituents.

That’s where we really see government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” working the way it’s supposed to.

In fact, earlier this week, CBS 11 ran a story about our multi-session fight against surprise medical billing – and how it all started with a conversation with a constituent in the hallway at church! You can watch the story below.

This session, among the 45 bills I’ve filed on everything from appraisal reform to energy reliability, we’re working on another critical issue that was brought to our attention by a District 9 constituent…

In April of last year, a 15-year-old girl from Tarrant County went missing while attending an event at the American Airlines Center in Dallas County. Although her disappearance was immediately reported by her father to the local police department, he was told to return home to file a report at his local office and ended up facing multiple layers of jurisdiction confusion and delays.

10 days later, in Oklahoma, his daughter was recovered. She had become victim to sex trafficking.

Working closely with this family and law enforcement, we developed SB 2429, the Missing Child Act, which would provide clear-cut training and procedures for missing child cases, particularly when there is a high risk of trafficking or abuse.

I hope to have good news to share with you on these bills and others throughout the remainder of the legislative session. Thank you for taking the time to read through our Capitol Updates, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office at any point during the session to share your thoughts on matters before the Legislature.

Sincerely,

Kelly Hancock
Texas Senate, District 9
Chair, Committee on Veteran Affairs
Vice Chair, Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs

Dear Friends,

The freedom of religion is a fundamental right clearly outlined in the Bill of Rights to our nation’s Constitution.

Nevertheless, when COVID-19 hit, a number of other states — and even some cities and counties right here in Texas — issued orders effectively banning religious services and church gatherings rather than allowing each congregation to determine its own health and safety practices.

Although those orders here in Texas were quickly struck down, it became clear that additional protections were needed.

Today, Gov. Greg Abbott formally signed Senate Joint Resolution 27, legislation I was honored to carry.

SJR 27 proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution that would explicitly and permanently prohibit state and local governments from shutting down religious services.

This proposed amendment will be on the November ballot for you to vote on. Please consider taking the time to turn out for this important constitutional amendment election, and encourage your friends, family, and churches to do the same.

Gathering together, corporate worship, is fundamental to our free exercise of faith. In Texas, we’re going to ensure that right is never ignored, revoked, or trampled on.

Sincerely,

Kelly Hancock
State Senator, District 9
Chairman, Veteran Affairs & Border Security

Dear Friends,

None of us will ever forget the horrible February week when Winter Storm Uri wreaked havoc on Texas roads, homes, and our state’s power grid.

As Chairman of the Texas Senate Business & Commerce Committee, I immediately called a series of investigative hearings – with more than 28 hours of expert testimony – about the across-the-board failures that occurred along our electric supply chain.

We promised the answers, accountability, and solutions you deserve… and I’m grateful to be able to say the 87th Legislature delivered all three.

Together, legislators filed more than 100 unique bills in response to Uri. Our office carried a dozen of those addressing everything from a complete overhaul of ERCOT’s leadership structure, to improved winter and summer weatherization requirements, to deploying more battery storage, protecting consumers from price hikes and extreme-risk retail electric plans, and requiring more reliable, dispatchable generation.

It was my honor to join Governor Greg Abbott earlier this week as he signed into law SB 2 and SB 3 – two of the most significant grid reforms ever passed in Texas – because the bottom line is this: you should never, ever have to deal with this issue again. With new leadership at ERCOT and the PUC, increased legislative oversight, and the massive reforms made this session, it’s my confident hope you never will.

Sincerely,

Kelly Hancock
State Senator, District 9
Chairman, Business & Commerce