State Agenda

 

DETAILED AGENDA

ISSUES

AEROSPACE

The aerospace industry provides billions of dollars in economic impact to our region and employs thousands of individuals. To ensure the continued growth and development of this vital sector, we ask for consideration of the following issues:

• Advanced Air Mobility: Our region eagerly anticipates the positive impact of advanced air mobility and believes Texas can be a leader in this effort. The Greater Chamber supports the continuation of the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Advisory Committee and the development of a Statewide AAM plan to increase awareness and attract investments in this technology. The statewide plan should include recommendations on:
  • Cybersecurity risk mitigation
  • First responder training
  • Statewide airspace infrastructure with uniform standards
  • Workforce development to support robust AAM industry
• Reduction of Sales Tax on Aircraft Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) Activities: The Greater Chamber encourages legislation to reduce sales tax on aircraft MRO activities in Texas, ensuring tax parity with neighboring states and maintaining the state’s competitiveness in this critical area.
• Support SBIR & STTR - SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) programs support a diverse portfolio of small businesses and organizations across technology areas and markets to stimulate innovation, meet R&D needs, increase commercial transitions, and grow our military missions. The Greater Chamber supports measures that can grow the impact of these research and innovation programs in our region, including providing grant matching funds.

BROADBAND

Closing the digital divide is essential for San Antonio and the State of Texas. Access to high-speed broadband/internet enhances and protects every aspect of our daily lives and contributes to the economic success of our community. Public policy initiatives that support access to and the security of high-speed broadband/internet networks will improve education, telemedicine, public safety, and work/play for all Texans. The Greater San Antonio Chamber requests the Legislature consider issues impacting broadband connectivity including:

• Funding for emergency communications and communications equipment, including school safety upgrades, NextGen 9-1-1, and ensuring first responder equipment interoperability
• Tax policies that facilitate and encourage investment in broadband infrastructure
• Funding to ensure the State of Texas’ government cyber networks are secure

LOCAL ISSUES

 The Greater Chamber is committed to working with the City of San Antonio and Bexar County to pursue legislation to ensure state resources address local needs.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Continued prosperity and global competitiveness for our region and state depends on aligning workers’ skills with the needs of industry. We support measures across critical industries that enhance collaboration between education institutions and employers that result in workers with clear pathways to high-paying, high-demand jobs. The Greater Chamber also encourages efforts to help military spouses maintain professional and financial stability when they relocate to Texas such as the approval of occupational licensure compacts and improving application processes.

EDUCATION

Early Childhood Education

High quality early childhood education is important to support workforce participation and to promote kindergarten readiness. The Greater Chamber encourages support for enhanced access to quality, affordable child care for military families and working parents across our community.

Public Education

A strong and transparent public education system is critical to the economic potential of our community and entire state. We support fully funding public education, preserving high impact programs, and efforts to ensure all school systems receiving taxpayer dollars are responsible stewards and subject to the same accountability and transparency laws and regulations.

Higher Education

It is increasingly clear that higher education is beneficial for many promising career paths. Higher education institutions not only help prepare the workforce but drive innovative ecosystems across the state. The Greater Chamber supports increased investments in general academic and health-related higher education institutions to include:

• Adoption and full funding for all recommendations of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s formula advisory committees for the 2026-2027 biennium and support for rate enhancements needed to adequately fund the actual per capita cost of educating students.
• sustaining non-formula funding for remaining special/exceptional items within the institutional bill pattern at 2024-2025 funding levels into 2026-2027 to continue supporting leading-edge and innovative programs not otherwise supported by formula funding;
• the Texas Research Incentive Program (TRIP);
• Hazelwood program supporting military-affiliated students and their dependents;
• Texas Grant program for low- income and first-generation students; and
• Debt service funding to support the Capital Construction Assistance Program (CCAP), if enacted, which is critically important to all public universities that have aging buildings and significant deferred maintenance and require modernization and supplemental research space.

The Greater Chamber applauds the passage of the performance-based funding system for community colleges in the 88^th Session, and supports implementation enhancements including:

• full formula funding for the biennium and a FY 25 supplemental request;
• outcome counts for students transferring to a private institution of higher education; and
• industry-led short-term workforce training programs and attention to employment outcomes as part of the funding formula.

ENERGY

To protect our community’s economic potential, ensure power supply stability, and maintain reasonable electricity rates, the Greater Chamber supports transmission improvements to deliver the electricity our community needs and wants and the reduction of barriers to constructing the necessary electric infrastructure to support the growing demand and changes in technology. We encourage the expansion of efforts from the 88^th Legislative Session in creating the Texas Energy Fund to support growth in our state’s transmission capacity and grid-enhancing technologies. The Chamber also supports the continued protection of the Municipally Owned Utility (MOU) business model and the ability of CPS Energy to directly serve the needs of the San Antonio community.

HEALTHCARE & BIOSCIENCE

The health care and bioscience industries have an over $44 billion impact on the San Antonio economy and are major employer across our region. There are several areas of focused attention by our community including:

• Health Care Workforce - Workforce continues to be a primary concern of the health care industry with tremendous consequences for our regional economy. The demand for nurses, emergency medical technicians, and behavioral health professionals is not lessening and communities across our state see qualified applicants being turned away due to lack of resources. The Greater Chamber supports measures to grow capacity at our nursing schools and allied health programs including possible incentives for faculty recruitment. Further, we encourage the continuation of funding from the 88^th Legislature for education and training of EMS personnel in order to expand pre-hospital workforce.
• Community Health Workers - Expanding the role of Community Health Workers is a cost-effective means of addressing healthcare disparities. By leveraging trusted local voices, we can significantly improve health literacy, preventive care uptake, and chronic disease management among underserved populations. This approach not only enhances individual health outcomes but also reduces the burden on emergency services and lowers overall healthcare costs for the region. The Greater Chamber encourages further development of the role of Community Health Workers in our region to improve healthcare access.
• Trauma Research & Care - Trauma care and research remain critical components of our region’s healthcare infrastructure and serve to protect our military missions. The need for advanced trauma care capabilities continues to grow, and healthcare facilities across our state struggle to keep pace with evolving medical technologies and techniques. The Greater Chamber supports continued state investment in Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative (TRC4) that provides groundbreaking trauma research, product development, and preventative measures, ultimately leading to improved outcomes.
• Support SBIR & STTR - SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) programs support a diverse portfolio of small businesses and organizations across technology areas and markets to stimulate innovation, meet R&D needs, increase commercial transitions, and grow our military missions. The Greater Chamber supports measures that can grow the impact of these research and innovation programs in our region, including providing grant matching funds.
• Mental Health - The Greater Chamber supports efforts to increase access to care for inpatient and outpatient services to ensure that those in need of mental health services receive timely and appropriate care.  Prioritizing mental health resources is an investment in our community's quality of life. Improved access to mental health services can lead to reduced healthcare costs, lessen the strain on our healthcare systems, and improve public safety. These services also play an important role in addressing interconnected issues such as substance use, homelessness, and family stability, and allow for diversion from criminal justice involvement. As the Bexar County region emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and its population continues to grow, the number of adults seeking outpatient treatment is steadily increasing over time, presenting challenges for the community’s behavioral health system. The Greater Chamber supports opportunities to improve mental health options for those in need.  Specifically, the Greater Chamber advocates for increasing state reimbursement for private psychiatric beds (PPB)per diem rates, expanding the allocation of PPB beds in Bexar County, an increase in outpatient funding, and securing a 1:1 state funding match to support local city, county, and philanthropic contributions for the development of a regional psychiatric center in Bexar County.

TRANSPORTATION

Strong transportation infrastructure is key to advancing our region’s economy. The Greater Chamber supports policies, bills, appropriations, and riders that increase dedicated transportation revenue, including support for:

• Continued full funding of both Proposition 1 and Proposition 7 oil and gas severance, sales tax, and vehicle sales tax revenue that now comprises over 45 percent of TxDOT’s annual budget.
• Continued policy of non-diversion of revenue from the State Highway Fund to non-transportation programs
• The continued use of liquid fuels for transportation
• All vehicles contributing to creation and maintenance of roads and highways

WATER

Balanced water management practices and assured access to clean water are essential to the continued economic growth and job creation in our community. The Greater Chamber appreciates the nationally recognized efforts of our local utility, San Antonio Water System (SAWS), to ensure a sustainable supply of water for our community that protects our future economic potential. The Chamber supports programs that safeguard our community’s water infrastructure and policies that improve the region’s water resiliency including:

• Continuing the efforts of the 88^th Legislature with respect to increased infrastructure funding.
• Legislation to require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to update water availability models (WAMs) for the Guadalupe-San Antonio river basins and provide funding for such update.