Houston's priorities in the 2023 state Legislature
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Before each session, Houston leaders finalize a wish list of topics and concerns they want lawmakers to address.
- Houston is paying the Dallas-based Locke Lord law firm upward of $750,000 to lobby its agenda in Austin for the next two years.
Behavioral health
The city wants more funding for behavioral health programs and supports expanding mental health crisis resources so it's not only a law enforcement issue, according to Bill Kelly, director of government relations under Mayor Sylvester Turner.
- The city also wants to see legislation that treats substance abuse, particularly opioids, as a public health issue rather than a criminal one.
Public safety
Catalytic converter thefts remain a problem, and Houston wants its ordinance to be a solution implemented statewide.
- The city's ordinance forces prospective sellers to prove ownership of a catalytic converter before it can be sold to a junkyard.
- Kelly says leaders hope the state will codify similar restrictions statewide.
Leaders also hope state lawmakers curb the proliferation of Glock switches — small devices that can turn semiautomatic pistols into automatic weapons — by considering them the same as a banned machine gun.
- Yes, but: Gun restrictions are likely a long shot in the conservative Legislature.
Bandit signs
The city wants the state to raise the fine for bandit signs, which litter light poles and public right of way.
- A bill passed the Senate in 2021 but failed to make it out of the House of Representatives.