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Preview of the 88th Legislature in Amarillo

Preview of the 88th Legislature in Amarillo

Preview of the 88th Legislature in Amarillo

Earlier this week, the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce hosted a legislative panel with Representative John Smithee, Representative Four Price, and Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson. The group discussed local and state priorities for Amarillo and the surrounding region. The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce was invited to attend due to the overlap in shared priorities in several areas, such as agriculture and energy, support for Texas Tech, and the Ports-to-Plains corridor. Among the priorities the panel highlighted were school safety in the wake of Uvalde, continued partnership with Texas Tech following the opening of the School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo earlier this year, infrastructure to meet the demands caused by population growth, and public lobbying.

Amarillo Chamber of Commerce CEO Jason Harrison moderated the panel discussion. He alluded to his support for communities like Amarillo and Lubbock to work alongside one another on shared goals, like they did when advocating for the Texas Tech vet school. Representative Smithee told a story about boarding a plane in Lubbock that was headed for Austin in 2019. It just so happened that was "Lubbock Day" at the state capitol, so a ton of people on the plane were wearing identical red buttons that said "Lubbock Business SUPPORTS the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine." Communities west of the I-35 corridor are outnumbered when it comes to representation, so working together gives us the best odds at achieving desired legislative outcomes that benefit West Texas.

Representative Price noted that the state of Texas is growing by roughly 1,000 people every day. About half of that is due to newborns, and the other half are people moving to Texas from somewhere else. He highlighted that investing in our state's infrastructure to accommodate that growth will be a policy that pays off several years from now. Like other areas in West Texas, Amarillo sees their roads in need of repair due to heavy agriculture and energy traffic. Lastly, the question of public school vouchers was brought up. Representative Price said this issue has been brought up several times over the years, and that he's yet to see a proposal that he could support. He cited issues of private schools not wanting to take public dollars, lack of choice in rural areas (compared to metro areas with many schools), etc.
 

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