More than 150 business and community advocates traveled to Austin, Texas, for Tarrant County Days at the Capitol during the 89th Legislative Session, a joint event led by the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. The two-day delegation, Feb. 10 and 11, included visits from all Senators and Representatives with Tarrant County in their district along with a breakfast keynote address from newly elected Speaker of the Texas House of Representative Dustin Burrows.
During presentations from elected officials, it became evident the focus of this year’s session will be water, infrastructure and education, aligning closely with the Governor’s State of the State priorities outlined a week prior (Feb 2). They aim to reinforce Texas’ position as a leader in economic growth, job creation and innovation.
President and CEO of the Greater Arlington Chamber Michael Jacobson addressed the breakfast with The Voice of Business.
“Texas has become the place for economic growth, and we must keep it that way,” he said.
With 66 people joining the Tarrant County population each day, investing in infrastructure and education/workforce development are vital to our state’s and county’s success.
Speaker Burrows continued on this front hammering the state’s need to support small business growth and development with less taxation and regulation.
“Small business is the business of Texas; they’re the economic engine of Texas,” he said.
The Texas Senate took a moment on Tuesday morning, February 11, to recognize the Tarrant County Days delegation with Senate Resolution 45 highlighting some of the County’s educational institutions, attractions and major employers.
Thank you to all the legislators and appointees who took time away from the active session to speak to the delegation!
Senators: Kelly Hancock, Royce West, Brian Birdwell, Phil King, Tan Parker
Representatives: Chris Turner, Nicole Collier, Tony Tinderholt, David Cook, Ramon Romero, Nate Schatzline, David Lowe, John McQueeney, Salman Bhojani, Gio Capriglione, and Charlie Geren.
Secretary of State Jane Nelson, Deputy Executive Director of Texas Economic Development & Tourism Terry Zrubek, Senior Industry Relations Specialist for the Texas Film Commission Michelle Habecker, and Deputy Comptroller Lisa Craven.
A special thank you to all the Chambers that joined us in Austin: Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, H.E.B. Chamber of Commerce, Greater Keller Chamber of Commerce, Mansfield Chamber of Commerce and the North East Tarrant Chamber of Commerce.
Legislators reminded attendees that the bill deadline for the session is March 14. If anyone has concerns or issues they’d like to see addressed in legislation, please contact their offices to meet and discuss.