District 68 State Rep. David Spiller (R-Jacksboro) made his first stop in Lampasas County since the opening of the 89th Texas Legislature. He spoke Tuesday at the Lampasas County Office Building at a gathering hosted by Texas First Conservative Alliance.
Spiller provided the latest updates from the House floor and legislative priorities for the session. Much of the discussion afterward focused on a school choice bill that is pending in the Texas House.
HOUSE LEADERSHIP
The state representative’s first topic was the decision by Texas House members to choose Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) as its new speaker.
Originally, Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield) was the candidate endorsed by the House Republican Caucus for the speaker position. Burrows garnered support from Democrat legislators and a handful of Republicans to win the role.
“He [Cook] was our nominee. I stuck with him; I voted for him on the House floor,” Spiller said. “I came up a little bit short on that, and Speaker Burrows is our speaker. That being said, I’m working with Speaker Burrows. We are moving forward, and everyone is moving forward to do the job we are elected to do.”
Spiller told the Tuesday night attendees he learned of his committee assignments last week, which include the House committees on Insurance, Redistricting, and Intergovernmental Affairs, where he is the subcommittee chair on County and Regional Government.
Spiller also addressed the concern many Republican voters have expressed about Democrats serving as vice chairs on committees.
“Contrary to what some folks have said, they don’t have more powers,” Spiller said. “They have certain rights, but they can’t stop any Republican legislation, promote their own legislation and pass it, and they can't block a vote on anything we want to do.
“The committees are controlled by the chair and not the vice chair,” he said. “The chair controls what gets voted on and what gets done.”
BORDER SECURITY
In 2023, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 4, which gives Texas police the authority to arrest individuals who enter the county illegally. Implementation of SB 4 has been stalled by a series of court rulings. With new leadership in Washington, D.C under President Donald Trump, Spiller said he is hopeful the legal battles will come to an end.
“We are waiting on a ruling from the 5th Circuit in New Orleans,” he said. “I was down there for that hearing a few months ago when they had that. The trial on the merits of that case will take place starting July 8. I’ve been in contact with the Attorney General’s Office where I’m coordinating and offering assistance for that.”
Spiller said of all the executive orders signed by Trump, the most impactful is one that labels Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The state representative said that increases the authority of federal prosecutors to pursue cartel members and their associates.
With the Trump administration putting a focus on border security, Spiller believes it is possible that Texas could be reimbursed by the federal government for its dedication to funding border security over the last four years.
“I honestly think that’s going to happen -- I think it's going to happen in the next two or three months,” Spiller said. “That is $11 billion we had to spend to do the federal government’s job that they should have been doing themselves that we get to be reimbursed.”
He also said the state is going to continue fighting illegal entry into the U.S. Spiller is working on what he calls the “Section 287 (g) bill” — legislation that would require local law enforcement to take part in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that gives immigration enforcement powers to local officers.
Section 287(g) is part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. Under its provisions, local law enforcement agencies can sign up for the Jail Enforcement Model (JEM) or the Warrant Service Officer (WSO). The JEM allows local officers to screen inmates for their immigration status and issue detainers, while the WSO model limits officers to executing ICE administrative warrants on those previously identified.
“My bill says not just that they can do it, it says you shall do that,” Spiller said. “They shall apply and enter into a memorandum of understanding with ICE to do that, and you can do that under either program at no cost.”
Consequences for municipalities and counties that don't follow suit would be a loss of grant funding, something Spiller said the federal government might copy. He noted the bill has the approval of Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan and could be replicated by other states.
EDUCATION
Spiller also addressed Senate Bill 2, which would establish Education Savings Accounts – publicly funded, government-authorized savings accounts that parents may use to pay for school tuition, online education, homeschool programs and special needs assistance.
The bill would give homeschool students and their families $2,000 per year, with an extra $500 per year available for those with disabilities. Private school students would be eligible for $10,000 per year, or $11,500 if the child has a disability.
Approximately $1 billion from the state's general revenue fund has been set aside for ESAs.
“I’m concerned about ESAs,” the state representative said. “I’m concerned about the long-term cost, I’m concerned about the potential increase in property tax, concerned about transparency, accountability. I’m concerned with all those things. But I want parents to have the opportunity to make the best decisions for their kids.”
State Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado) is chairman of the House Public Education Committee again this session. Spiller said the version of SB 2 passed in the Senate likely will be changed and will include protections for rural school districts like those in Lampasas County. Spiller said his priority is an increase in the allotment for small and mid-sized schools.
“[Buckley] has some very good ideas to put some guardrails and a lot of things in that bill and a lot of public education bills,” Spiller said. “I think you are going to see a level of funding for public education that you have never seen before.”
Also, Spiller has filed a bill to allow school districts to vote on whether to allow a time of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts. In addition, he said he has authored a bill to include the 10 Commandments in each classroom across Texas.
OTHER TOPICS
Already this session, the Senate has passed a bill that would raise the state’s homestead exemption to $140,000. Spiller said the House will be looking to address property tax relief this session, too.
He noted other important items on the House’s agenda include water quality and quantity, plus support for the state’s energy grid.
“Our capacity is about 85,000 megawatts,” Spiller said. “By 2030, ERCOT says the number we will need to be -- because everyone is coming to Texas, and they are not bringing any power with them, and because we have other demands in our economy -- we would need to be at 150,000.”
Spiller also said he is working with State Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton) to address the 100% disabled veterans tax exemption that is disproportionally impacting Lampasas County. The bill that would have provided relief to Lampasas County failed to pass in 2023.
“I’m optimistic we can get that done,” Spiller said.
COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
After Spiller’s comments, multiple audience members voiced objections to the Education Savings Account legislation. Many attendees had concerns regarding tax dollars going to private education and how the ESA program would be regulated.
Some teachers in the audience expressed their annoyance with the focus on ESAs rather than on teacher pay and raising the allotment per child. Kline Whitis Elementary School special education teacher Tammy Burks was one of those.
“We teach 72 children on my one campus with two teachers because we have let go of other people because we can’t afford to pay their salary because if our attendance isn’t up at some point, we lose money,” Burks said. “Those people who can afford fairness, they are going to get it. Those children who are not able to afford it are not going to get it.”
Spiller said the House members will work to include safeguards in SB 2 that protect rural school districts. He added that unlike the special session two years ago, the issues of ESAs, teacher pay, and more funding for Career and Technical Education programs will be handled in separate bills.
Spiller said he expects SB 2 will undergo a complete makeover under Buckley’s leadership in the House Public Education Committee.
“He understands about rural Texas,” Spiller said of his colleague from Salado. “I will tell you it is probably no surprise; whatever was in SB 2 will be completely replaced with what [Buckley] is going to put in there.”
