Round Rock Chamber Attends 2023 Capitol Advocacy Day

On March 1, members of the Business Climate Council brought the Round Rock Chamber’s State Legislative Priorities to the Texas Capitol to ensure elected officials are well informed of the perspectives of business in Round Rock and Williamson County. The day included roundtables, speakers, meetings and networking events.

The Chamber conducted meetings with the elected officials and staff of:

• Senate Chairman Charles Schwertner
• House Representative John Bucy III
• House Representative Caroline Harris
• House Committee on International Relations and Economic Development

The Round Rock Chamber participated in elected official roundtables in conjunction with the chambers of Cedar Park, Florence, Georgetown, Hutto, Leander and North Lake Travis to discuss priorities, challenges and opportunities for Williamson County.

As leaders in the region, the Round Rock Chamber and the Austin Chamber partnered to demonstrate collaboration while impressing mutually beneficial public policies that are critical to our region’s continued growth, success and prosperity.

The timing of the Business Climate Council’s day at the Capitol was fortuitous as Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan announced the Texas House Priorities for Workforce Development and Economic Development just the day prior. These critical priorities include:

• House Bill 5 by Representative Todd Hunter, also known as the Texas Jobs & Security Act, which would provide communities with critical economic development tools to create additional jobs, investments and tax revenue while keeping the state competitive in attracting businesses to relocate or expand in Texas. Under House Bill 5, the incentives would be targeted and temporary in attracting large-scale, capital-intensive projects related to the manufacturing, national security and energy infrastructure industries. Texas taxpayers would also have transparency into how those state incentive dollars are used, the number of jobs created and the full economic impact of such projects on communities.
• House Bill 8 by Representative Gary VanDeaver which would establish a new funding model for community colleges in Texas that recognizes and rewards such institutions for the important role they play with associate degrees, non-credit workforce education programs and other credentials of value that will be required in more than 60% of jobs in the state over the next decade. House Bill 8 would also create a new scholarship program, increasing the opportunity for economically disadvantaged high school students to enroll in dual credit courses, and expand access to higher education opportunities across the state by creating new shared services for institutions through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, enabling colleges to expand their range of offered academic and workforce programs.

We encourage all Chamber Members, Round Rock businesses and citizens to contact their state elected officials to express their support for Texas House Bill 5 and House Bill 8.

For more information on the Round Rock Chamber’s business advocacy efforts, view our Agenda for Economic Vitality and 88th Legislative Session Priorities.

All Round Rock Chamber Members are welcome to join the Business Climate Council as we work together to exhibit a strong pro-business posture, strengthen our economy, create jobs, support businesses and ensure a light regulatory environment in the City of Round Rock.