General Business. TAB never gets tired of reading the stories about how our state has beat the recession (CNN), how workers nationwide are migrating to Texas because of jobs and no income tax (Economist), and how our employers have expanded payrolls (Dallas Morning News). To be able to produce news headlines such as these, TAB fought and continues to fight, fearlessly against both federal and state legislation that would hinder business growth, deny economic development and increase costs for employers. In an effort to keep Texas’ economy growing, and to keep the jobs coming, TAB’s general business priorities are: Auto choice. Support changes in state law allowing drivers to choose between the current system, in which they can sue for non-economic damages, and a new system under which they would waive the option to recover non-economic damages.
Contracting. Fund Balances. Industrial facility security. Industrial facility operation in emergencies. Internet Regulation. Insurance fraud. Mineral rights. Nonsubscription. Workers' Compensation. Prior to 2005, the status of the Workers’ Compensation System in Texas was grim. Employers were faced with eye-popping premiums, providers were fleeing and injured workers were caught in a failing system. In 2004, only 23 percent of doctors were willing to accept new workers’ compensation patients.
After a massive revamp of the Workers’ Compensation System during the 79th legislative session, the outlook has dramatically improved. While many of the reforms are in place, the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) is in its last phase of implementation so it is still not possible to fully assess all the changes made in 2005. Despite that fact, we can assess some areas. The DWC is undergoing a Sunset Review which we believe is an opportunity to streamline processes at the Division. The Workers’ Compensation System is improving, but TAB and the business community must stay vigilant to protect the reforms already in place and streamline any identified processes Accountability of Providers.
Transportation. Principles and Priorities Principles. – All transportation policy decisions should be viewed through the lens of increasing efficiency, efficacy, and ease of movement of people and goods across Texas and between the other states and our neighboring countries. We must understand our system needs in the short-term while envisioning a system that is sustainable for the next several decades. While financing options, project sizes, and decision processes are limiting factors to implementation, we cannot originate infrastructure goals based solely or primarily on funding. Financing methodology is an important but secondary question.
Instead, we must first envision the system the state deserves and then figure out how to pay for it. For the future of mobility and continued business growth, TAB supports the following: Improved Transportation Systems. International Trade Corridor. Toll Roads. Waterway, Port, and Ship Channel Improvements. Bonds. Public/Private Partnerships. Pass Thru Financing.
Tort Reform. Through the passage of ground-breaking tort reform legislation that addressed medical malpractice, venue shopping, asbestos lawsuit abuse, and other legal inequities, TAB helped bring balance to the Texas civil justice system. As a result, the Texas economy is thriving and more Fortune 500 companies call Texas home than any other state in the nation. While the United States experiences a devastating recession, Texas is leading the nation to recovery. Texas’ tort system and the reforms passed in the past decade are key factors to why Texas is outpacing the rest of the country coming out of the recession. Although Texas has been called a shining example of what other states can do to reform their civil justice systems, we still have an uphill battle in maintaining our hard fought reforms and correcting additional burdens on the system. According to a national ranking conducted by the U.S. The improved ranking is good news for employers and the Texas economy.
Asbestos litigation. Taxes & Spending. As a result of the global economic downturn, Texas is facing a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall. Texas has faced similar challenges, most recently in 2003. The Legislature could have taken the easy way out and raised taxes, but instead they made the hard choices to cut taxes and reduce the size of government. The 2011 session will present similar if not more difficult circumstances. There is true hope, though, for the preservation of our solid business climate. State leaders including Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. To see that Texas stays the course against new taxes and the growth of government, TAB proudly supports the following legislative policies: Casino gambling. Equity. Fairness. Provide for a 90-day protest period for taxpayers; Allow taxpayers an automatic filing extension with a federal extension; and Eliminate pay-to-play that currently requires Texas taxpayers to prepay tax or post a bond to obtain access to the trial court level.
Federal funding. Fiscal policy. Incentives. Immigration. Health Care. 2010 was a big year in the realm of health care. The federal government passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the President signed the bill on March 30, 2010 .The law includes, among other items, a large number of health care provisions to take effect over the next four years. Such provisions include: expanding Medicaid eligibility, mandating medical loss ratios (MLRs) for carriers, prohibiting denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and establishing health insurance exchanges. The quality, cost and accessibility of health care services provided to Texans continues to be one of the most important public policy issues for the Texas Association of Business.While federal reform will change many dynamics of health care, currently most Texans under the age of 65 obtain health care services through employer-sponsored health insurance plans. Also, businesses pay 62 percent of the combined state and local taxes.
Access. Administration. Affordability. Environment & Energy. Despite significant progress in Texas in recent years in improving environmental quality, reducing industrial and transportation emissions and promoting clean energy, there remains a significant movement at both the federal and state level to further impose more stringent environmental regulations. As a result of unprecedented emission reductions, millions of Texans are breathing significantly cleaner air in our urban areas. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is on the verge of complying with the 1997 federal ozone standard.
The Houston-Galveston area is actually attaining the standard years ahead of schedule. Texas has established an internationally recognized program for establishing very conservative screening levels for hazardous air pollutants and emissions of those pollutants have been reduced significantly. Fresh water remains a critical resource to the future of Texas. For the 82nd legislative session, the priorities of TAB include the following: Access to research. Emission Limits. Employment Relations. Employer input into the adoption of laws and enacting of labor law rules and regulations is critical.
Too often, laws passed with good intentions have proven to be confusing and costly to the employer and do little for the employees the laws were meant to serve. In 2009, TAB opposed and defeated 70 plus employment relations bills that would have made it much more difficult and more expensive for employers to operate their businesses. The voice of business was heard at the Capitol last session, which made a significant impact on the Texas economy today. Job growth trends in Texas continue to outpace the United States. Texas employment has grown every month in 2010 with more than 155,000 jobs added in the first half of 2010.
While we are experiencing many positive trends across the state, too many Texans still exhaust unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, even when unemployment rates are very low. Arbitration. Drug testing. Drug testing for UI beneficiaries. Employment-at-will. Education and Workforce. To build upon the success of the Texas business climate, our state must be prepared to meet the challenges of the future. The greatest obstacle Texas faces is preparing students to graduate with a degree that prepares them for postsecondary education or to enter the workforce. With more education necessary to keep pace with the demands of employers, Texas must have a rich supply of workers on hand to fill jobs. The Texas Association of Business believes that the following legislative initiatives can help keep our state at the forefront of our global economy: Academic excellence. Accountability.
Alternative certification. Career and technology. Career and technology funding. Classroom size mandate. Communities in school. Community colleges. Dropout prevention. Effectiveness. Funding Higher Education. GO Centers. Higher Education System. Incentives for math and science teachers. Local control. Parental involvement. Pay for performance. School choice pilot program. School spending. Economic Development. E-mail Bill Hammond Across America, state economies are struggling to add jobs as the nation begins to emerge from the national recession. Here in Texas, a globally recognized economic powerhouse, our employers added 43,600 jobs last month alone. Since last year, Texas added 110,200 jobs. Texas has been rated by CNBC as the Number One State for Business; is home to six of the top 21 recession-proof metro areas; and is the number one exporting; while three of our metro-areas have been listed as among the best places to ride out the recession.
In order to continue moving our state forward and build upon these gains, Texas must address its budget shortfall without raising taxes, protect the rights of job creators, and curb the growth of government. To spur economic development, the Texas Association of Business supports the following measures to sustain economic and job growth: Economic development funds. Electric industry deregulation. Electricity costs. TAB supports policies that: TAFA.