FOURTH DAY --- MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2023

The house met at 6 p.m. and was called to order by the speaker.

The roll of the house was called and a quorum was announced present (Record 4).

Present — Mr. Speaker(C); Allen; Allison; Anderson; Ashby; Bailes; Bell, C.; Bell, K.; Bernal; Bonnen; Bowers; Bryant; Buckley; Bucy; Bumgarner; Burns; Burrows; Button; Cain; Campos; Canales; Capriglione; Clardy; Cole; Collier; Cook; Cortez; Craddick; Cunningham; Darby; Davis; DeAyala; Dorazio; Dutton; Flores; Frank; Frazier; Gámez; Gates; Gerdes; Geren; Goldman; González, J.; González, M.; Goodwin; Guerra; Guillen; Harris, C.E.; Harris, C.J.; Harrison; Hayes; Hefner; Hernandez; Herrero; Hinojosa; Holland; Howard; Hull; Hunter; Isaac; Jetton; Johnson, A.; Johnson, J.E.; Jones, J.; Jones, V.; Kacal; King, K.; King, T.; Kitzman; Klick; Kuempel; Lambert; Landgraf; Leach; Leo-Wilson; Longoria; Lopez, J.; Lopez, R.; Lozano; Lujan; Manuel; Martinez; Martinez Fischer; Metcalf; Meyer; Meza; Moody; Morales, C.; Morales, E.; Morales Shaw; Morrison; Murr; Neave Criado; Noble; Oliverson; Ordaz; Orr; Ortega; Patterson; Paul; Perez; Plesa; Price; Ramos; Raney; Raymond; Reynolds; Rogers; Rose; Rosenthal; Schaefer; Schatzline; Schofield; Shaheen; Sherman; Shine; Slawson; Smith; Smithee; Spiller; Stucky; Swanson; Talarico; Tepper; Thimesch; Thompson, E.; Thompson, S.; Tinderholt; Toth; Troxclair; VanDeaver; Vasut; Vo; Walle; Wilson; Wu.

Absent, Excused — Anchía; Dean; Garcia; Gervin-Hawkins; Harless; Lalani; Romero; Zwiener.

Absent — Bhojani; Johnson, J.D.; Muñoz; Thierry; Turner.

The invocation was offered by the Very Reverend Daniel Liu, chaplain, as follows:

O God of life, God of love, God of our hearts, God of our minds, unite us today in a common purpose of working together to enact laws and policies that will serve the good that you desire for your people.

In light of this past Veterans Day weekend, we also offer particular prayers for all men and women who have served this country in the armed forces. We are grateful for their willingness to sacrifice to defend our freedoms, and we also give thanks for their families who have also shared in their sacrifice. We pray especially for those who still carry with them wounds from violence and combat, wounds both physical and emotional. Please grant them hope and healing in your loving arms and surround them with families, friends, and communities that will support them.

We remember the recent passing of the Honorable Julius Ottis Duncan Jr. and Julio Anchía Garechana. We pray for your consoling love to touch their families, and we pray for the eternal rest of their souls. We pray that your will be done in all things. Amen.

The chair recognized Representative Talarico who led the house in the pledges of allegiance to the United States and Texas flags.

The following members were granted leaves of absence for today because of important business in the district:

Dean on motion of Smithee.

Garcia on motion of Plesa.

Gervin-Hawkins on motion of Bowers.

Romero on motion of Neave Criado.

Zwiener on motion of Goodwin.

The following member was granted leave of absence for today, tomorrow, and Wednesday because of important business:

Harless on motion of Morrison.

The following member was granted leave of absence for today because of important business:

Lalani on motion of Perez.

The following member was granted leave of absence for today because of a death in the family:

Anchía on motion of Ramos.

REPRESENTATIVE GOODWIN: Today, we honor the life of Senior Police Officer Jorge Pastore. Senior Police Officer Jorge Pastore, 9097, began his career with the Austin Police Department on June 24, 2019, with the 141st Cadet Class and was commissioned as an Austin police officer on January 31, 2020. Officer Pastore passionately served the Austin community in a variety of different capacities, including patrol in Henry and George sectors while also an active team member of the Honor Guard, SWAT Gold Team, Counter Assaults Strike Team, and Special Response Team. Officer Pastore dedicated his life to the safety of his community. This is a painful reminder of the daily sacrifices and the profound impact these brave individuals make to keep our community safe. Though there are no words or tribute that can ease the pain our community is experiencing, today we come together to honor Officer Pastore's courage and express our state's sincere gratitude for his service to our Austin community. Officer Pastore is survived by his wife, Kim; stepsons, Connor and Trevor Balint; parents, Lourdes Mendez and Jorge Pastore Sr; and sisters, Tatiana Pastore and Nohely Pastore. We ask that you keep the entire Pastore family and our second SWAT officer that was seriously wounded and his family in your thoughts during this very challenging time for our community.

In the near future, a memorial on the Capitol lawn will bear his name—a lasting reflection of his dedication, service, and sacrifice. With a heavy heart, we extend our eternal gratitude for Senior Officer Jorge Pastore's dedication, service, and sacrifice. May his memory endure in our hearts and minds.

Compounding our community's grief and sorrow, we also learned this morning of two other fallen APD officers. Retired Officer Ray Shillito and Officer Kristy Astran, 4729, who we also tragically lost this weekend. Anyone who would like to assist the Pastore family during this difficult time can do so by donating to Austin Cops for Charities, C4C, at AustinC4C.com. Thank you.

Representative Moody moved to print remarks by Representative Goodwin.

The motion prevailed.

(Turner now present)

Representative Metcalf moved that the house recess until 10 a.m. tomorrow.

The motion prevailed.

The house accordingly, at 6:10 p.m., recessed until 10 a.m. tomorrow.