AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) has introduced House Joint Resolution 47 and House Bill 188, collectively known as Texas STRONG, to be considered in the upcoming session of the Texas Legislature. This initiative proposes the creation of the Texas Severance Tax Revenue and Oil and Natural Gas (STRONG) Defense Fund, designed to modernize the distribution of severance tax revenues to address critical infrastructure, education, healthcare, and public safety needs in major energy-producing communities like those in the Permian Basin.

Since 2014, severance taxes have funneled over $35 billion to key state priorities, contributing $9 billion to public education, $13.3 billion to the state highway fund, and $13.3 billion to the rainy day fund. Of that total, nearly 80% of these funds—around $40 billion—originated from just 32 Texas counties, many located in the Permian Basin.

“The Permian Basin has fueled America for decades, powering homes and industries, generating billions in tax revenue, and driving Texas forward,” Landgraf said. “Our region deserves a reinvestment that reflects its contributions to our state.”

Under Texas STRONG, severance tax revenue that would typically flow into the state’s “rainy day fund”—which is projected to hit its constitutional cap in 2025—would be redirected to dedicated accounts benefiting energy-producing communities. These funds will support long-term investments in infrastructure, public services, and environmental cleanup efforts, such as orphaned well plugging and groundwater protection. Additionally, the initiative would contribute to statewide property tax relief, benefiting all Texans.

“The Permian Basin is the backbone of Texas’ energy sector, yet it faces ongoing infrastructure and public service demands,” Landgraf added. “Texas STRONG is the practical solution to ensure our community has the resources it needs to meet these demands and ultimately thrive.”

The Texas legislature will convene at the Capitol for the 89th Legislative Session on January 14, 2025. Representative Landgraf is set to work closely with lawmakers across the aisle to advance Texas STRONG, which enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support in the previous legislative session, passing the Texas House with a decisive 144-1 vote.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) has filed House Bill 219, known as the “Verified Citizen Voting Act,” to require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in Texas.  U.S.  citizenship has long been a requirement to vote in Texas, but voters have been on the honor system. Landgraf’s bill would simply make documented proof of citizenship part of the state’s voter-registration process on a go-forward basis.

“Voting is one of our most fundamental rights as Americans, and it must be protected,” Landgraf said. “The Verified Citizen Voting Act will give Texans peace of mind that their votes are not being diluted by ineligible voters, protecting our elections from potential abuse and preserving the integrity of every ballot cast.”

Under HB 219, individuals registering to vote would be required to present simple proof of citizenship as part of the application process. Landgraf's bill makes it easy for voters to prove citizenship by presenting  a Texas REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, a U.S. passport, a naturalization document or a birth certificate.

“Election integrity depends on the trust we place in our voting system, and ensuring only eligible voters can register is essential to that trust,” Landgraf said. “If U.S. citizenship is a requirement to vote, it makes perfect sense to require proof that they comply with the requirement.”

Landgraf and the other members of the Texas legislature will convene for the 89th Texas Legislative Session on January 14, 2025. Members of the Texas House and Texas Senate may file bills for the 2025 legislative session as early as November 12, 2024. The Texas legislature meets at the Texas Capitol building for a 140-day regular session beginning the second Tuesday in January every odd-numbered year to vote on proposed legislation and pass a balanced state budget.

U.S. Supreme Court will hear Biden administration’s request to overturn lower courts’ rulings to stop high-level radioactive waste from being sent to Texas, in violation of law passed by Landgraf

ODESSA — As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a case concerning the storage of high-level radioactive waste in Texas, State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) reaffirmed his commitment to keeping the state free from becoming a repository for the nation’s nuclear waste. In 2021, Landgraf authored House Bill 7, which was signed into law to outlaw high-level radioactive waste from being sent to Texas for storage, particularly Andrews County. 

“Texas is not the Biden administration’s dumping ground,” Landgraf said. “In 2021, I worked to pass House Bill 7 to protect our state from high-level radioactive waste. Despite that, the federal government is going to great lengths to disregard state law and force this high-level radioactive waste upon Texans.”

House Bill 7, which passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Abbott, effectively bans high-level radioactive waste storage across Texas, except for the handful of sites where such waste is actually generated. The legislation came, in part, in response to the Andrews County Commissioners Court’s unanimous opposition to plans for their county to become the site for the rest of America’s high-level radioactive waste. At the time Landgraf’s bill was passed into law, he was the state representative for Andrews County. 

Nevertheless, the Biden administration’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has continued pushing the plan forward in clear violation of state law. Last year, a Texas-led lawsuit blocked the NRC’s federal license for the storage site, with a federal court ruling the plan unlawful. That ruling was upheld by an appeals court earlier this year, but the NRC have urged the Supreme Court to reconsider.

“The people of Texas have made it clear they don’t want this high-level radioactive waste in their communities. This issue is about state sovereignty and respecting the consent of the governed. I’m confident the Supreme Court will recognize Texans’ rights and uphold the law we passed to protect our state from spent nuclear fuel rods and other forms of high-level radioactive waste,” Landgraf added. 

Although Andrews County is no longer part of Rep. Landgraf’s house district, the 2021 law he passed remains crucial for all of Texas. The Supreme Court’s decision will have significant and lasting implications, likely setting key precedents on federal intervention and state authority over environmental regulation.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) hosted a virtual meeting between Odessa city officials and leadership at the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) on Thursday to identify state funding assistance for city water infrastructure following the recent water outages in Odessa.

“During my time as state representative, I’ve voted to support multiple initiatives to provide funding for new water infrastructure projects and assist municipalities with the process of upgrading aging water infrastructure,” Landgraf said. “Today’s meeting was all about ensuring city officials are aware of the resources available to update Odessa’s aging water system and avoid future outages and boil notices. I’ll continue doing everything I can until Odessans can rest easy with confidence that they will have access to safe, clean water for generations to come.”

Joining Representative Landgraf for the meeting were the top brass from the Texas Water Development Board, Odessa City Councilman Steve Thompson, Odessa City Manager John Beckmeyer, and representatives from the City of Odessa utilities department, Odessa Development Corporation, and the office of State Senator Kevin Sparks (R-Midland). 

While water infrastructure is a local responsibility, TWDB staff noted that Odessa may be eligible for grant funding from the state and that TWDB staff will be available to answer any questions and provide assistance as the city works to identify its greatest needs and apply for state funding.

“TWDB staff were incredibly helpful and provided an excellent overview of the funding available and processes and deadlines the city must follow to access these resources as quickly as possible. I appreciate the important work they are doing to address this most basic of all human needs. The Rainy Day Fund, which is of course mostly funded by oil and gas production taxes, has been tapped on several occasions to fund these statewide water initiatives, and TWDB is an effective steward of those funds. I look forward to continuing to work with TWDB and the city to bring some of those production taxes back to Odessa in the form of grants for our water system.”

In 2023, Landgraf sponsored Proposition 6, a landmark initiative allocating $1 billion to the Texas Water Fund, a critical investment in addressing Texas water needs. This fund, administered by the TWDB provides financing for essential water projects. With this significant infusion of funding, communities like Odessa have access to the resources needed to modernize aging and dilapidated water systems, enhance conservation efforts, and bolster resilience against drought and other water-related challenges.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) and the members of the House Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG Exports held a hearing in Port Arthur on Thursday to discuss the potential impacts of the Biden administration’s temporary pause on pending approvals of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports to countries without a free trade agreement with the United States.

“President Biden has placed our nation’s economic and national security at significant risk for political gain,” Landgraf said. “The impacts of LNG exports have been studied extensively in the last two decades. Pausing pending approvals of LNG exports at this time based on the claim that additional research is necessary is absolutely incredulous. The Biden Administration is simply attempting to buy votes in November under the guise of environmental protection. The administration’s unilateral actions strike at the heart of our state’s prosperity, our country’s national security and threaten to undermine the very foundation of our energy industry”

In January, the Biden Administration announced a temporary pause on pending decisions on exports of LNG to non-FTA countries until the Department of Energy (DOE) can update the underlying analyses for authorizations. The administration claims that the pause is necessary because the economic and environmental analyses used by the DOE to underpin its LNG export authorizations are five years old and no longer adequate. In response, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) established the House Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG Exports.

“Texas is blessed to have a House Speaker that is serious about energy,” Landgraf continued. “Speaker Phelan is a champion for Texas energy, hailing from the downstream community of Beaumont. I’m thankful he is in the foxhole with me fighting to ensure that Texas continues to be an energy leader and, as such, a global force for good. If there is a drop in Texas LNG exports, countries like Qatar and Russia will fill in the gap, ignoring human rights and without any regard for the environment. Contrary to the Biden Administration’s claims, Texas LNG exports make the world a cleaner and safer place. I look forward to demonstrating these facts once again as a member of the Protecting Texas LNG Exports Select Committee.”

Speaker Phelan established the House Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG Exports and instructed the committee to analyze the applicable legal authorities under which the federal action was taken, including the Natural Gas Act of 1938, as amended (15 U.S.C. section 717 to 717z), and the Administrative Procedure Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. section 551-559); assess the potential economic, environmental, and social impacts of such federal action on the state; identify strategies to mitigate all adverse effects on the LNG industry. Texas's energy sector, and the state's economy as a whole; and formulate recommendations for legislative, policy, or other remedial actions to address the challenges posed by the federal suspension of LNG export permits.

AUSTIN — Legislation supported by State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) has resulted in significant grant funding for law enforcement agencies in the four counties he represents in the Texas House of Representatives. Landgraf voted for SB 22 during the 2023 legislative session to provide salary assistance for rural law enforcement, a need he is well aware of as the state representative for the West Texas counties of Ector, Loving, Ward, and Winkler.

“I’m proud to fight for the men and women who risk everything to keep us safe,” Landgraf said. “Supporting local law enforcement is always a top priority for me, and that is exactly what SB 22 is all about, law and order in the rural parts of our great state. If it wasn’t for all of the production taking place in the Permian Basin, the state of Texas wouldn’t be what it is today. I’m thankful to see some of these blessings come back our way in the form of funding for our dedicated sheriffs and district attorneys.”

Senate Bill 22 requires the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts to establish and administer grant programs to provide salary assistance for rural sheriffs’ offices, constables’ offices, and prosecutors’ offices in small and mid-sized counties, such as the ones in Landgraf’s district. Grant applications can be submitted annually and the funds can be used to provide salary increases, hire additional staff, or purchase vehicles, firearms, and safety equipment.

“Nobody exemplifies the West Texas work ethic like our law enforcement,” Landgraf continued. “I appreciate Comptroller Hegar for implementing SB 22 and rolling out the first round of grants so quickly. I’ll continue working with state leaders to do everything possible to support our law enforcement and keep Texans safe.”

In the first year of grants awarded, the Rural Law Enforcement Salary Assistance Grant Program will award a total of $1.725 million in grants to law enforcement agencies represented by Landgraf. The grant amounts and awardees are as follows: $500,000 to the Ector County Sheriff’s Office; $350,000 to the Ward County Sheriff’s Office; $250,000 to the Winkler County Sheriff’s Office; $275,000 to the Ector County District Attorney’s Office; $175,000 to District Attorney’s Office for the counties of Reeves, Ward, and Loving; and $175,000 to District Attorney’s Office for the counties of Winkler and Crane.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) was appointed to the House Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG Exports. The selection committee, created by House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), will conduct a comprehensive review of the impacts of the Biden Administration’s executive action imposing a temporary pause on pending decisions on export permits for the sale of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to non-free trade agreement countries.

“I’m thankful to Speaker Phelan for creating this important committee,” Landgraf said. “The significance of LNG exports to our state and nation cannot be overstated. It is a matter of concern for not just our economy, but our national security, that the Biden Administration is weaponizing the federal government against the energy industry.”

As part its review, the House Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG Exports has been charged by Speaker Phelan to analyze the legal authority under which the federal action was taken; assess economic, environmental, and social impacts; identify strategies to mitigate the adverse of effects on the LNG industry, Texas’ energy sector, and the state’s economy; and recommend legislative, policy, or other remedial actions to address the challenges posed by the federal suspension of LNG export permits.

“As a lifelong resident of the Permian Basin, the chairman of the House Environmental Regulation Committee, and attorney, I’m uniquely informed and motivated to get to work on this select committee. Whether it’s as a member of the Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG Exports, as the chairman of the Environmental Regulation Committee, or simply as a West Texan that is absolutely fed up, I will continue to take the fight to the Biden Administration and hold them accountable for their failed policies.”

The House Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG Exports will be chaired by Representative Jared Patterson (R-Frisco). In addition to Representative Landgraf, the committee also includes the following members: Representative Christian Manuel (D-Beaumont), Representative Mary Ann Perez (D-Houston), and Representative Cody Vasut (R-Angleton).

AUSTIN — An ornament commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) hangs in the State Capitol this Christmas season. Dustin Pando, a junior at UTPB majoring in Art with an emphasis on Graphic Design, painted the ornament.

“UTPB’s 50th anniversary is a big deal, so we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight this historic milestone with the district ornament this year,” State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) said. “We’ve brought some West Texas flair and a little Falcon spirit to the Texas Capitol this Christmas. Dustin did a great job, and I really appreciate Professor Chris Stanely’s collaboration on this project as well.”

Pando’s painting features the UTPB 50th anniversary “Time to Fly” logo and includes depictions of reindeer, stars, and other Christmas scenery silhouetted against a backdrop of Falcon orange, reminding one of a festive West Texas sunset.

“With its brilliant orange, the ornament is easy to spot, and will make any West Texan visiting the capitol proud,” State Representative Brooks Landgraf said. “I’ve taken every chance I’ve had this year at the Capitol to celebrate UTPB’s first 50 years in our community and to fight for the resources necessary to make its next 50 years even more successful.”

Representative Brooks Landgraf, joined by his wife, Shelby, and their daughter, Hollis Rose, hung the ornament on the Christmas tree that stands in the Texas House Chamber. Every year each state representative is invited to select an artist from his or her community to create an ornament to hang on the Capitol Christmas tree that showcases what makes their Texas House District special or unique. Thousands of visitors will see the ornament and tree at the Capitol this month.

“I’m beaming with Falcon pride and Christmas spirit,” Shelby Landgraf said. “Odessans have so much to be proud of and thankful for this holiday season, and having a bona fide university like UTPB in the city limits for the last half century is certainly one of them.”

In 1969, State Representative Ace Pickens (D-Odessa) authored and championed the legislation which created UTPB in Odessa. Thanks to Mr. Pickens’s vision and fortitude, UTPB first opened to serve students in 1973.

AUSTIN – Legislation co-authored by State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) and filed by State Representative Craig Goldman (R-Fort Worth) to combat the fentanyl crisis is already having a big local impact less than two months after becoming law. House Bill 6, which was passed by the legislature earlier this year and went into effect on September 1, 2023, increased penalties for the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl, allowing fentanyl dealers to be charged with murder in certain circumstances.

“Every lawmaker in the state of Texas has lost a constituent to fentanyl poisoning,” Landgraf said. “It is heartbreaking to open up the paper and see another young face that has passed away as a result of this deadly substance. No parent should have to bury their child.”

On Saturday, using the new law that went into effect on September 1, the Odessa Police Department arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of murder after officers discovered he sold fentanyl to a 16-year-old who died of a fentanyl overdose earlier this month.

“Fentanyl is being treated like a poison because that’s what it is,” Landgraf continued. “Like anthrax, fentanyl is lethal in incredibly small amounts, meaning it needs to be classified and prosecuted unlike any other drug. That is why fentanyl dealers, like the one arrested in Odessa, should be charged with murder if someone they’ve sold the drug to dies.”

HB 6 increased the penalty for manufacturing or delivering less than one gram of fentanyl to a third degree felony, raising the penalty to a murder if a death occurs. HB 6 also defines unlawful possession with intent to deliver such a substance as organized criminal activity to give law enforcement and prosecutors more tools to combat the crime.

“I’m grateful to the Odessa police officials who made this arrest, the prosecutors who filed the murder charge, and the medical examiners for their thankless work,” Landgraf concluded.

Fentanyl-related deaths reported in Texas increased 89% from 2020 to 2021. Since March 2021, as part of Operation Lone Star, the Texas Department of Public Safety has seized more than 434 million lethal doses of fentanyl across the state, enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman and child in the county. In addition to coauthoring HB 6, Landgraf has worked to increase funding for border security in each of the last two legislative sessions. These funds, which total $5.1 billion for 2024-2025, are being used to station Texas military and DPS Troopers on the border, build a wall, install floating buoys and razor wire, and operate thousands of cameras along with other border security measures.

AUSTIN – Several border security bills co-authored by State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) passed out of the Texas House of Representatives on Wednesday. The legislative package includes House Bill 4, House Bill 6 and Senate Bill 4, which passed out of the lower chamber by votes of 84-60, 84-61, and 92-54, respectively. HB 4 and HB 6 will now go to the Texas Senate for consideration while SB 4, having already received approval from both chambers, heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

“It is up to the Texas legislature to step up where the Biden administration has failed, and that is exactly what we’re doing here today,” Landgraf said. “The legislation we passed today will play a crucial role in our state’s on-going efforts to secure the border. The state must act when the lives and property of Texans are at stake, so I’m proud of the work we’ve done here today, but I’ve got to be honest, I’m sick and tired of Texas having to clean up Biden’s messes. Whether it’s the open border, weaponizing federal agencies to curb oil and gas production, or any number of other failures, the Biden administration continues to prioritize the whims of a few coastal elites over the rights, freedoms and safety of American citizens, especially Texans. Thankfully, leaders in Texas are taking a different approach, with Governor Abbott and Speaker Phelan continually stepping up to prioritize border security.”

HB 4 makes illegal entry into the US a state-level offense so Texas law enforcement can order those entering illegally to return to their country. HB 6 allocates $1.5 billion to build the border wall, which is in addition to the $5.1 billion included in the state budget passed earlier this year to secure the Texas-Mexico border, of which $650 million was set aside to continue construction of physical barriers. Finally, SB 4 raises the mandatory minimum sentences for human smuggling and the operation of a stash house. Landgraf is a co-author of HB 4 and HB 6, and a co-sponsor of SB 4. Landgraf also voted to support the increase in border security funding provided in the 2024-2025 state budget to station Texas military and DPS Troopers on the border, build a wall, install floating buoys and razor wire, and operate thousands of cameras along with other border security measures. Additionally, Landgraf supported successful legislation from the regular session that designated drug cartels as terrorist organizations and increased penalties on fentanyl smuggling that is coming across the border.

“Unlike President Biden, Governor Abbott and Speaker Phelan make routine trips to the border,” Landgraf continued. “I’ve also made a few trips to see things for myself, most recently doing so earlier this month in the midst of one of the biggest surges of illegal border crossings in history. I’ve seen how bad it is with my own eyes, and this most recent trip was the worst I’ve ever seen it. Until something changes in Washington, D.C., the state of Texas must keep doing everything we can to limit the damage of Biden’s border crisis. My commitment to secure the border remains steadfast and I’m proud to report that our state has never been better equipped to get the job done.”

Landgraf and the other members of the Texas legislature convened at the Texas Capitol building on October 9 for a special legislative session called by Governor Abbott. Special sessions of the Texas legislature can only be called by the governor and can last no longer than 30 days. Earlier this year, members of the Texas House and Senate met for a constitutionally required 140-day regular session to vote on legislation and pass a balanced state budget.