Background:
The North Texas Commission formed the Regional Chamber Coalition (RCC) in 2018. Consisting of more than 100 chambers of commerce in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the RCC creates a unified regional advocacy effort supporting pro-business legislation. The RCC has advocated for broad regional priorities developed with our chamber partners for the past three state legislative sessions.
Explanation:
The Accountability Index records the votes of 41 House and 9 Senate members within the North Texas State Delegation. The bills included in the 2023 Accountability Index were each supported by the RCC, and we are proud to report the overwhelming support our priorities received from North Texas Delegation members.
Priority Development:
In preparation for the 88th Session, the RCC developed broad policy categories to support our positions regarding education and workforce development, the use of economic development incentives, access to health care, local decision-making authority, and infrastructure investment. Fifteen Coalition members, including the NTC, implemented these priorities through day-to-day advocacy efforts at the Capitol. The Accountability Index serves as a summary of our collective action. In addition to the RCC priorities, each chamber may have their own legislative priorities. The North Texas Commission’s legislative priorities can be found here.
Index process/bill selection & criteria/communication:
The Coalition selected the legislation on the RCC’s Accountability Index based on our regional legislative priorities. For bills to appear on the Accountability Index, they were required to receive third and final reading votes in each chamber to provide symmetry for vote counts in the House and Senate.
The RCC provided North Texas State Delegation members with our regional priorities before the 88th Session convened and informed legislators of the chosen priority bills throughout the legislative process. In addition to ongoing communication, legislative offices received vote alerts before floor votes to remind them of our regional priorities, the RCC’s position on specific legislation, and their connection to the Accountability Index. This Index was sent to legislative offices prior to publication.
