Infrastructure. It's What's for Session.

I love how in vogue the 90s are right now. Makes me feel like I have finally arrived at my cultural moment. Like all of my 90s kid anecdotes are so interesting and relevant.

So if we wanted to make the 89th Legislature in vogue, to bring some of that 90s cultural mystique, we'd run some commercials in the style of "Beef. It's What's for Dinner."

You can hear it now.

Aaron Copland’s classic “Hoe Down” symphony number plays as scenes of legislators from across Texas pack up and make their way to Austin during the cold, blistery days of early January. They shuffle into their offices and then out again, excitedly walking and talking with staff and lobbyists, greeting tourists, and taking their places in their respective chambers. On their desks are a stack of infrastructure bills. Water pipelines and transmission lines. Nuclear plants. Roads and airports. The green voting lights start lighting up and a Paul Harvey-sounding narrator chronicles this journey.?

“No matter who they are, or what party they’re in,?or where their district is located,?chances are their favorite bills?have at least one thing in common: Infrastructure. It’s What’s for Session.”

Okay, I’ve got two things + a pitch for fractional legal services:

• Why the 89th Legislature is shaping up to be the Infrastructure Session. ?
• The City of Fort Worth updates its housing tax credit policy.?
• Have you not tried fractional legal services?

Why the 89th Legislature is shaping up to be the Infrastructure Session.?

Start with this: Texas has a lot of money. Like, a lot. Our current two-year budget is $321 billion. Of that, $144 billion comes from state tax revenues. This session, lawmakers will also have an extra $18.29 billion surplus to play with. That’s in addition to a Rainy Day Fund that will soon hit $30 billion, its constitutional cap. Not to mention that state leaders have expressed a willingness to reducing expenditures on border security efforts with the belief the federal government will now assume more of that responsibility.

And while education and healthcare will still comprise upwards of 70% of the state budget, it's clear that legislators will have tens of billions of extra dollars to appropriate.

None of this is really news. Texas is usually pretty flush with cash. The difference this time is that both sides of the aisle are eager to deploy these funds. I think everyone agrees that we've saved enough money. The time for spending is now. We're a growing state, and unless we start taking care of some things, that growth could backfire.

Enter infrastructure.?

Here is a quick list of some likely proposals. Don’t take this as gospel because things will evolve. But I think we're seeing a rough outline taking shape.

• Creating a dedicated, permanent source of funding for the Texas Water Fund as opposed to continued one-time expenditures from General Revenue. Kind of like we have with transportation and motor vehicle taxes.
• Increased funding for the Texas Energy Fund.?
• Creating and funding a Texas Nuclear Energy Fund to spur nuclear generation development. As Rep. Cody Harris told a crowd this week: “Other states have nuclear funds, but those are gonna be cute to what the Texas House is planning.”?
• Continued record spending on transportation.?
• Potentially putting more funds toward the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund meant to acquire more land for conservation and parks.
• Continued funding to expand healthcare infrastructure like mental health hospital beds.
• Utility infrastructure spending aimed at wildfire prevention and response.?
• And lastly, even though I don't have any link to provide, I'd venture a guess on some space exploration spending. Between Elon's recent rocket launches in South Texas and the creation of the Texas Space Commission, I'd expect legislators to allocate some funds here.

The spending will be dictated primarily by what happens on education + property taxes, which is now more interesting that President Trump has vowed to eliminate the Department of Education. If that happens, it could mean some federal funding is sent back to Texas. Who knows. But just like last session, these two things will determine the outcomes of everything else.

The City of Fort Worth updates housing tax credit policy to boost development

Lemme just say: Fort Worth is the place to be in Texas. The secret is out. Even today, Michelle Pfieffer and Patrick J. Adams are on set outside my office building filming for the next Taylor Sheridan show.

City Council recognizes this growth, which is why it wants to help developers build more affordable housing.

Last week, the City Council unanimously approved updates and tweaks to its housing tax credit policy. Housing tax credits are federal money managed by the state and available to local developers.

Updates include the introduction of a hold harmless zoning letter, improved community notification protocols, and a streamlined process for hosting information sessions.

In terms of community engagement, developers are now required to notify not just homeowners and neighborhood associations, but also neighborhood alliances about upcoming projects. The Community Engagement Office is stepping up its efforts as well, promising to facilitate communication between developers and community groups within one week—cutting the previous two-week wait time in half.

Maybe the biggest shift for developers comes with the introduction of rolling applications for the 4% Housing Tax Credit (HTC) projects. The City of Fort Worth has done away with the strict quarterly deadlines, opting instead for a more flexible, year-round submission process. This should streamline things and result in quicker turnaround times, making it easier for developers to access the tax credits they need for housing projects. For this new process, developers must submit their applications by January 3, 2025.

Better hop to it!

Did someone say Fractional Policy Counsel?

I could have sworn I heard that.

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