Check out what we've been up to at the Legislature!
Hi John,
This edition of the Bucy Bulletin begins with an important update around COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, in Williamson County and Texas. In addition to the information provided, there are links to learn more from state and local authorities as well as resources about preventing the spread of the disease.
This edition of our monthly newsletter will also cover community events, discuss legislative activity over the Interim, and highlight our Artist of the Month.
I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve you, House District 136, and the people of Texas. Please do not ever hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or comments or if there is anything my office can do for you.
All the best,
John Bucy III
State Representative
Texas House District 136
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
As we end another month in dealing with the public health and economic crisis stemming from COVID-19, we are attempting to navigate a new normal while the full ramifications of the Coronavirus have yet to be seen. Gov. Abbott and other state leaders have announced a path to begin re-opening Texas accompanied by minimum recommended health protocols. That schedule, in part, is below:
April 22nd: Temporary retail to go authorized for certain businesses
May 1st: Stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and malls allowed to open at 25% capacity
May 8th: Hair, cosmetology, and tanning salons allowed to re-open with restrictions
May 18th: Gyms, exercise facilities, and non-essential businesses or manufacturers located in an office building allowed to re-open with various restrictions
As Texas begins to re-open it is still imperative to taken caution and make informed decisions around what is best for your health and the safety of your family. If you have to leave your home, you should consider wearing a mask and practice good hygiene and social distancing such as washing your hands, not touching your face, and maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from others before, during, and after any trip. If residents are experiencing symptoms or believe they may be sick or have come in contact with someone who is sick they should stay home, self-isolate, and contact their health care provider.
You can use the Coronavirus Self-Checker if you believe you are sick or are caring for someone who is sick or who may be sick in order to help make decisions about seeking care. You can also call your doctor for guidance. If you need help finding a doctor or accessing medical care, call 2‑1‑1.
For a full list of state, county, and local resources or to view the latest updates and pertinent information, please reference our HD 136 Coronavirus Resources & Updates Guide.
TESTING AVAILABILITY
The Williamson County and Cities Health District is continuing to open more testing sites. These testing locations are free and open to the public, but an online screening is required in order to set an appointment so that residents in the most need can be prioritized. You can learn more and find the screening on the Austin Public Health website.
In addition to testing offered by WCCHD, private testing sites continue to become available. You can find a list of nearby locations here as well as contact information in order to find out availability and protocols.
WILCO FORWARD GRANT PROGRAM
Williamson County has announced a grant program for small and local businesses with 100 employees or less that are headquartered and located in Williamson County. Both for profit and not for profit businesses are eligible, with certain restrictions. Businesses can receive up to $30,000 as part of an allocation of $25 Million in funds received by Williamson County under the federal CARES Act.
Applications will be accepted beginning Wed., May 7th at 5:30 PM. Applications will be considered and funded in the order of receipt, until funds are exhausted.
The amount a business can receive will be based on the percentage of closure the business experienced during the COVID-19 Stay Home Stay Safe order.
Business operations completely closed can get 100% of eligible grant
Business operations partially closed can get 75% of eligible grant
Business operations that stayed open can get 50% of eligible grant
The Texas Workforce Commission is working to increase its capacity to address Texans' unemployment insurance claims by expanding current and bringing online additional TWC and third party call centers, upgrading servers and adding CPU capacity, and introducing a chat bot named Larry that can answer frequently asked questions. In addition, April saw the first automatic payouts under the CARES Act of the emergency $600 per week to recipients of unemployment insurance, which will continue through July.
If your employment has been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19), you can apply for benefits either online at any time using Unemployment Benefits Services or by calling the Texas Workforce Commission’s Tele-Center at 800-939-6631 from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Central Time, seven days a week, Sunday through Saturday. Due to high call volume, Texans are encouraged to use the TWC online claim portal to file or check on their claim.
If you are self-employed, a contract worker or previously worked in a position that did not report wages, you may qualify for unemployment benefits. You will not be penalized for a delay due to call or user volume. Claims for individuals affected by COVID-19 are eligible to be backdated to the date you lost your job or your hours were reduced. In addition, the one week waiting period and work search requirements have been waived.
The TWC recently advised unemployment insurance claimants with concerns about returning to work work due to COVID-19 that the following reasons would be accepted for continuing to receive benefits:
At High Risk – People 65 years or older are at a higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.
Household member at high risk – People 65 years or older are at a higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.
Diagnosed with COVID - the individual has tested positive for COVID-19 by a source authorized by the State of Texas and is not recovered.
Family member with COVID - anybody in the household has tested positive for COVID-19 by a source authorized by the State of Texas and is not recovered and 14 days have not yet passed.
Quarantined – individual is currently in 14-day quarantine due to close contact exposure to COVID-19.
Child care – Child’s school or daycare closed and no alternatives are available.
NOTE: Any other situation will be subject to a case by case review by the Texas Workforce Commission based on individual circumstances.
FOOD & WELLNESS PROGRAM
Working with our regional city leaders and Hill Country Community Ministries (HCCM), my office is coordinating an initiative to help senior citizens aged 60 and over and people with a disability of any age in House District 136 who are homebound or otherwise have urgent food access needs in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.
My office is also seeking volunteers to help package food, make deliveries, and complete outreach calls to seniors. Learn more and get involved at bit.ly/HD136FoodVols.
Thank you so much to all of the volunteers and to HCCM for everything they do for our community! We are now in our 6th week of food deliveries and have expanded to making deliveries three days per week. We are serving 120 households in our community, with over 11,650 meals delivered to date.
Census Day: My staff and I commemorated Census Day to encourage everyone to complete the 2020 Census. From ensuring fair maps to securing federal funding for our schools, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, this is one of the most important things you can do to help our community. If you haven't yet, take the census today: 2020census.gov.
Happy Easter: Happy Easter from the Bucy's! Molly, Bradley, and I wish a relaxing and rejuvenating Easter for those who celebrated. While how we observe our traditions may look a little different temporarily, their importance remains the same.
Thank You Frontline Workers: Bradley and I took to social media to say thank you to all the Frontline Workers keeping Texas running in the midst of the COVID-19 public health crisis as part of #1uThankYou. Thanks to the Texas AFL-CIO for spearheading this effort!
CapMetro Virtual Town Hall: I spoke with Capital Metro President & CEO Randy Clarke about our Food & Wellness Program, CapMetro's response to COVID-19, what riders need to know, updates on Project Connect, and more. Watch our virtual town hall here.
Bradley's Bookshelf: Join Bradley and me for story time! We will be posting a weekly edition of Bradley’s Bookshelf each weekend. We began with “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss, a New York Times best-seller and the last work published in his lifetime. Watch here.
Celebrating Sen. Watson: We celebrated my friend and colleague Sen. Kirk Watson's last day in the Texas Senate. I want to congratulate him on his service and look forward to the exciting things to come for him as the inaugural Dean of the Hobby School of Public Affairs!
HD 136 ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Each month at our Capitol and District Offices we are so proud to display and feature work from local artists, however, due to the Coronavirus, we will be celebrating our artists virtually only for this month. Our April Artist of the Month was Jeffrey Neel McDaniel, whose work celebrates the beauty of the Texas Hill Country. Check it out here.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
Texas Budget and Finding New Sources of Revenue
The Texas Legislature is required by law to pass just one bill ever legislative session, and that is the biennial budget. It's imperative that we not roll back the progress we made last session with respect to schools and that we do not inflict further strain on our community by cutting the services that Texans need now more than ever. We must find new sources of revenue and economic production.
Two measures I support are to expand Medicaid, which would bring $100 Billion into our state over a decade, and to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in a manner similar to how alcohol is treated. We are also looking to other states where their legislatures are currently in session to see what creative solutions they come up with to explore if and how we can apply them in Texas. At the end of the day, we will be working to make sure Texas taxpayers do not bare the brunt of this pandemic indefinitely.
COVID-19 Relief and Recovery
As we prepare for the next session, another item we must focus on is how we can provide support and relief to Texans as they recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are in discussions with state agencies, local jurisdictions, community and business leaders, and advocates on how to address immediate needs as well as plan for the future to try to prevent and mitigate the impacts of a future crisis.
Legislative Agenda Being Developed
As the Interim continues we are still working on developing our Legislative Agenda for the next session. If you have an idea or concern, we want to hear from you! You can email Allison Heinrich, Legislative Director, at [email protected] or reach out to our office at 512-463-0696. We value your input and participation in the legislative process.
Create your TLO account An excellent way for you to keep track of what's going on is by creating a free TLO account at https://capitol.texas.gov/. On this site you can learn more about legislation and set up alerts on the bills, committees, topics, and more that interest you. TLO is a great tool to use to stay involved with the legislative process.
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