KOLKHORST AUTHORS TWO BILLS SIGNED BY GOVERNOR IN SPECIAL SESSION

  

Two bills authored and sponsored by State Senator Lois Kolkhorst were signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, before the special session ended, Tuesday.

Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 17 and House Bill 7, which represents twenty percent of the items passed during the special session.

To address the rising number of pregnancy-related deaths in Texas, Kolkhorst authored and passed Senate Bill 17. The legislation will extend the state's Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force and implement other policies to improve maternal health across Texas.

Kolkhorst says, "Texas must remain vigilant in our effort to protect the health and safety of women.  Texas will now be able to directly address the top causes of pregnancy-related deaths and improve maternal health outcomes in our state."

To address a growing trend in land-use restrictions, Senator Kolkhorst sponsored House Bill 7 which significantly curtails a city's ability to impose fees for the removal of trees on private property.

Kolkhorst says, "Some property owners who wish to remove a tree on their own land are compelled to pay a city a fee, implying that the city owns the tree.  This bill reigns in aggressive local ordinances that restrict the right to own trees on private property."