July 10, 202388th Legislation, Texas State Senate

State Senator Drew Springer’s Capitol Update
Hello Friends,

I hope that each of you had a wonderful 4th of July! I had a great time with my family, celebrating the liberty and freedom that makes America so great. On Wednesday, the Texas Legislature returned to work for the special session on property tax relief. The House began hearing legislation in committee and will be hearing the bills on the floor next week before they are sent to the Senate. I look forward to providing you all with an update on the property tax relief plan here soon.

North Texas Schools Recieve Grants
Yesterday $3,511,598 in Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grants, set aside by the Legislature, were awarded to six North Texas educational institutions to support career and technical education training. The grants will help the schools purchase and install equipment to train students for high-demand occupations such as farm equipment mechanics, nursing, electrical engineering, HVAC, and more. I am very excited about this huge investment in our North Texas schools!
  • Collin College received a $332,365 grant to train students in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) program.
  • Commerce Independent School District (ISD) received a $301,544 grant to train students in farm equipment mechanics in partnership with Collin County Community College District.
  • Farmersville ISD received $702,240 to train students as marketing managers, and $746,743 to train students in agricultural engineering in partnership with Collin College.
  • Grayson College received a $349,999 grant to train students in industrial machinery mechanics.
  • Lovejoy ISD received a $446,763 grant to train students as electronics engineers in partnership with Collin College.
  • North Central Texas College received $331,827 to train students in nursing, and $300,117 to train students in welding careers.

National EMS Memorial Service Moving Honors Ceremony
On Thursday the National EMS Memorial Service Moving Honors Ceremony made a stop in Lewisville to honor our fallen EMS workers. Since the memorial began there have been 770 fallen EMS workers added to the honoree directory, including 34 Texans. Yesterday we honored the 59 EMS heroes who will be added to the directory this year, including Gordon B. Baker Sr., who served with the Harris County Emergency Services, and Sarah E. Kaderli Junnell, who served with the City Ambulance Service in Houston.
As a volunteer firefighter, I have had the privilege of serving alongside EMTs and Paramedics who go above and beyond to help those in need and oftentimes provide life-saving procedures. They are truly the backbone of emergency medical services, delivering essential care when it matters most. The Moving Honors Ceremony will continue to travel in the Tree of Life ambulance to 14 more stops before arriving in Arlington, VA for its final stop at the Weekend of Honor.

Bittersweet News: Paul Slough Is Leaving
Paul Slough, who has served as my Area Manager in the district, is leaving Team Springer to pursue a new and exciting opportunity. Paul will be moving to Flordia to work with a non-profit that brings our fallen soldiers back home. As many of you know, Paul is a veteran who loves to serve, and this new role could not be more perfect for him. While this is undoubtedly a bittersweet moment, I am so proud of Paul and look forward to seeing what he accomplishes. I know many of you who have had the pleasure of getting to know Paul will miss him as well. Please join me in wishing Paul farewell and the best of luck!
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me and my office if there is ever anything that I can help you with.