Saturday, August 29, 2009

Rep. Dan Branch

As a new school year begins, we are reminded that education beyond high school is increasingly necessary to achieve the American dream. A growing body of evidence tells us that better-educated populations are healthier, safer and more prosperous, which is why creating a world-class higher education environment in Texas is key to our future.

Education leaders have heralded the recently concluded legislative session as a historic one for higher education. We invested more than $260 million new dollars in financial aid to assist 50 percent more students than in 2008-2009. We injected more than a billion new dollars into our postsecondary institutions. We authorized the creation of three new universities, plus a law school in North Texas and a medical

August 29, 2009

Paul Stone

A host of new traffic and criminal laws go into effect Tuesday, with the most notable being one which makes it illegal to use many wireless communication devices in school zones.

House Bill 55 makes it illegal to use a wireless communication device in a school zone unless the vehicle is stopped or a hands-free device is used.

Cities or counties wanting to enforce this law, however, must place signage at the beginning of each school zone, informing drivers that using a wireless communications device is prohibited and the operator is subject to a fine.

A Monthly Review of the Texas Economy from the Office of Susan Combs, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, August 2009

August 31, 2009

Dan Branch, Texas House of Representatives

Students headed back to school this month with laptops, personal digital assistants and cell phones tucked between the books, spirals and pencils in their backpacks. As our family dispatches four kids to three separate campuses this year, I am impressed and chagrined that the traditional list of back-to-school "necessities" now includes a variety of digital devices.

Today's students have never lived in a world without keyboards. They connect with friends, listen to music, play games and share their worlds electronically. They don't think in terms of physical dictionaries, encyclopedias or telephone directories. When they want answers on almost any subject, they take to the screen and click on a search engine. While our workplaces are, for the most part, on the same page as

Posted on Thursday, August 18, 2009

College Briefs

The University of Texas at Dallas announced Tuesday that it has received 16 gifts, totaling more than $16.8 million — seven worth $1 million or more. The donations will help UT-Dallas get matching funds through the Texas Research Incentive Program. The state money could translate to a total of $31.7 million for the university, UT-Dallas President David E. Daniel said in a statement. The research incentive fund was created by this year's Tier One law, written by state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, to help create more top universities in Texas. Through this measure, the Legislature created a $50 million matching fund available to seven institutions dubbed "emerging research universities."

Representative Branch was recently nominated for a Dallas Business Journal Tech Titan Award. Due in large part to the successful Tier One initiative, House Bill 51, Branch was joined by family, friends, and colleagues at the annual awards ceremony where Representative Branch received the Tech Advocate Award.

Representative Branch provided an update on the implementation of the successful Tier One Initiative, House Bill 51. Joined by Dr. Gretchen Bataille (UNT), Dr. David Daniel (UT-Dallas) and Dr. James Spaniolo (UT-Arlington), Branch discussed the mechanism for elevating an emerging research university to the status of a nationally recognized "Tier One" institution before a key funding component, Proposition 4, appears on the November ballot.

Representative Branch spoke to business leaders about the recent legislative session. Branch highlighted the successes made in higher education and provided an outlook on the future of transportation for the Metroplex and the state.

Rep. Branch welcomed the Hotel Association of North Texas to Dallas for their annual Industry Trends luncheon. During the event, Branch visited with Hotel Association Executive Director Brooke Dieterlein and President Tim Sullivan.

Rep. Branch officiated the coin toss at the start of the 2nd annual Blondes vs. Brunettes Dallas Powder Puff football game to benefit the Alzheimer's Association of Dallas.