20210120-002c: City of Austin's 87th State Legislative Agenda — original pdf

Recommendation

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MOTION 20210120 002c Subject: City of Austin’s 87th State Legislative Agenda Motion by: Kevin Ramberg Seconded by: Linda Guerrero Date: January 20, 2021 RATIONALE: WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s greatest asset is its people who are passionate about their city, committed to its improvement, and determined to see its vision become a reality; and WHEREAS, the percent of registered voters who voted in the past 4 years of city elections exceeded 60 percent; WHEREAS, a majority of voters who live in Austin voted for the current Austin City Council representation; WHEREAS, over 700 Austinites participate and serve on over 60 Boards and Commissions to help shape, and continually improve upon the policies of the City and the lives of its residents; WHEREAS, the input provided to the Austin City Council through the City’s Boards and Commissions reflects the will of the community; WHEREAS, it is the intent of the City of Austin that the legislative agenda guide City staff, in coordination with the City’s strategic partners, in their efforts to advocate on behalf of the City of Austin and its residents; WHEREAS, in recent years, the Texas Legislature has attempted to pass legislation that negatively impacts the City through preemption or limiting the ability to advocate; WHEREAS, the 2019 Legislature strongly considered and almost passed S.B. 29 which would have limited the ability of the City to utilize community advocates to effectively advocate on behalf of the policies created and supported by its residents; WHEREAS, taxpayers and City residents benefit from and need community advocates as a tool that amplifies their voices before the Legislature, Congress, and regulatory bodies; and WHEREAS, a prohibition on community advocacy is detrimental to a representative democracy where all Austinites and Texans have equal opportunities to voice their opinions. 1 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE Environmental Commission OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN HEREBY ADOPTS THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION THAT: 1. The Environmental Commission endorses the City of Austin’s 2020 Legislative Agenda adopted by the Austin City Council on September 17th, 2020. 2. The Environmental Commission believes the general principals of the policy and position statements contained in the City of Austin’s state legislative agenda capture the positions of its membership and the community it represents. 3. The Environmental Commission urges all Austin delegation members of the Texas Legislature to protect the City’s right to effectively represent the taxpayers and continue to amplify their collective voices through advocacy at the Texas Legislature. 4. The Environmental Commission strongly supports the City of Austin’s engagement of and funding for a community advocacy team to assist the City in advocating for and protecting Austin’s vision and position at the Texas Legislature. VOTE 7-1-1 For: Thompson, Coyne, Maceo, Ramberg, Guerrero, Bedford, Barrett Bixler Against: Creel Abstain: Gordon Recuse: None Absent: None Approved By: Linda Guerrero, Environmental Commission Chair 2