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Leading Through Seasons of Pressure

By
Lee Allen Miller
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On sustained performance without the quiet destruction of the person doing it

Anyone who has lived in this part of Texas for a full year knows that the seasons do not apologize. The summer heat presses from both sides. The storms arrive on their own schedule. Drought settles in and stays longer than it should. You do not negotiate with any of it. You plan for what you can, absorb what you cannot, and hope the well holds.

Leadership runs on the same clock. There are seasons when the work exceeds the week, when the strategy shifts, when the team is short, when the market is unforgiving, when the board is impatient, or when all of that is happening simultaneously. These seasons are not signs of bad planning. They are native to the work. The question is never whether they will arrive. The question is only whether you will still be standing on the other side of them, and whether you will still be recognizably yourself when you are.

“The measure of a pressured season is not what got produced during it. The measure is who you were on the far side of it, and what you still had left to give the people who depended on you.”

The two kinds of pressure that look alike and are not

Not all pressure is the same, and much of what breaks leaders is their inability to tell one kind from another. There is honest pressure, which is the natural weight of consequential work done by a finite person. A hard decision, a tight deadline, a difficult quarter — these produce pressure that is real, and sometimes considerable, but that also produces growth, depth, and often the best work of a leader’s career. The pressure is a companion to the work. You do not want to get rid of it. You want to carry it well.

And then there is the other kind, which I would call manufactured pressure. It is the pressure that comes not from the work itself, but from our response to the work. The relentless checking of the phone, the inability to put the laptop down at dinner, the interior running commentary that refuses to stop, the conviction that if we just work one more hour everything will finally feel handled. This pressure is not produced by the task. It is produced by a leader who has not yet learned to distinguish between the demands of the role and the demands of the anxieties that have attached themselves to the role.

The trouble is that both kinds feel the same in the body. The chest tightens. The sleep thins. The shoulders sit a little higher than they should. Without discipline, we address them the same way too — by working harder. But harder work is the right response to honest pressure and the wrong response to manufactured pressure, and leaders who confuse the two end up grinding hardest against the pressures their own work would not have required of them.

Scripture is sharper about this than most leadership books. Jesus says to Martha, in a verse I have returned to many times, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful” (Luke 10:41-42, KJV). Careful and troubled. The words are not describing the legitimate work of serving. They are describing the interior state of a person who has let the work become larger than the work itself actually is. One thing is needful. Not many things. Most of what is pressing on the average leader on a Tuesday afternoon is not one thing. It is a thousand things that have not been sorted.

What the well tells you about the rain

Out here, old farmers can tell you a great deal about the state of a well by looking at the land around it. If the pasture is brown and the cattle are restless, you do not start by worrying about the cattle. You start by walking out to the well. The condition of the well tells you what the pasture is going to look like next month, regardless of what the weather does.

A leader’s interior life is the well the organization draws from. In pressured seasons, most leaders focus on the pasture — the output, the deliverables, the visible signs of effort. The wiser leader keeps one eye on the well. If the well is clouding, no amount of attention to the pasture will save what is happening below the surface. And the well, in this metaphor, is usually clouded by things that look invisible — a sleep pattern that has been off for three weeks, a marriage that has been thin on conversation for two months, a practice of prayer or quiet that was the first thing sacrificed when the pressure rose and has not been restored. The well is cloudy before anyone can see it. And the pasture follows, eventually, without fail.

“You cannot give, in any sustained way, what is not being replenished somewhere. The well is not a metaphor. It is the most literal description of leadership I know.”

Three disciplines for the long pressured season

Protect the few things that compound

Under pressure, most leaders do more of everything. The disciplined ones do less of more things. There are two or three activities, in any given leader’s life, that compound — that make every other hour of work more effective, every other decision clearer, every other relationship more intact. For most people they include sleep, the weekly conversation with the spouse, the one-on-one with the key person whose drift would cost the organization more than anyone else’s, and some form of quiet reflection at the start or end of the day.

In pressured seasons, these are almost always the first things sacrificed, because they are the things that do not scream for attention. The email screams. The meeting screams. The sleep, the marriage, the reflection — they whisper. Until one day they do not whisper anymore, and by then the damage has been done. Identify the compounding few in your life. Protect them first. Cut almost anything else before you cut them. A leader who sustains the compounding activities through a hard season will come out of it stronger. A leader who sacrifices them will come out of it with output that cannot make up for what was lost.

Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, KJV). He is speaking theologically, but the pastoral implication for leaders is plain. The body, the soul, the interior life of the person doing the leading — these are not expendable resources. They are the place God has chosen to dwell. Treating them as consumables, to be spent down in service of a pressured quarter, is a theological mistake as well as a practical one.

Distinguish urgency from panic, in yourself first

Urgency is an external condition. Something must move quickly. The situation is real, the stakes are real, the need for speed is not imagined. Panic is an internal condition. Something in your own nervous system has concluded that the situation is unsurvivable, and has begun to transmit that conclusion to your body, your tone, and, almost certainly, your team.

The two feel identical until you have learned to notice the difference, and most leaders have not. They operate from panic while believing they are simply responding to urgency, and they transmit the panic downstream in every meeting, every email, every tight-jawed conversation with the person who was already trying hard. The team picks up the panic, mirrors it, and begins making panicked decisions of their own — poor ones, because panic narrows thinking rather than sharpening it.

When you feel the pressure rise in yourself, before you send the next message or convene the next meeting, do a simple check. Is there something that must move in the next thirty minutes — actually must — or is my interior state telling me there is? If the answer is the second, the most productive next move is almost never another email. It is a walk. A phone call to a steady person. A few minutes of quiet. A pause long enough for the urgency to reassert itself without the panic underneath it. David, in the Psalms, models this repeatedly. He describes his interior state honestly, then re-centers. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God” (Psalm 42:5, KJV). He does not deny the disquiet. He speaks to it. He reminds his soul of what is actually true. Then he returns to the work. That is the pattern.

Set a visible end point, even an artificial one

What actually breaks people is not hard work. It is not long hours, or difficult quarters, or demanding seasons. People can carry enormous load, for long periods, if they can see the end of the road. What breaks them is open-ended pressure — the absence of any visible horizon, the sense that this is simply the new normal, that it might never ease.

Give the season a shape, even if the shape is artificial. “We are running this intensity through the end of the quarter, and then we are stopping to reset.” Or, “We are in this mode through the launch, and after the launch we are taking a real breath.” The end point may shift — it usually does, at least a little — and the team can absorb a shifted end point far better than they can absorb an endless one. You can too. Name the horizon, publicly and privately, and keep naming it as the season unfolds. Even an approximate horizon is enough to carry a person through terrain that would otherwise feel unsurvivable.

Leadership Reflection

•  What are the two or three compounding activities in your life that, if they hold, make everything else possible? Are you currently protecting them, or have they been the first things sacrificed in this season?

•  When the pressure rose this week, were you operating from urgency or from panic? What would the next hour look like if you could reliably tell the difference?

•  What is the visible end point of the current pressured season, and have you said it out loud, to your team, to your family, to yourself?

•  What is the current state of the well below your leadership? What would have to change in the next thirty days for it to begin refilling?

The season that will pass, and the leader who will remain

Every pressured season ends. That is the first thing to remember. Not when we want it to, not as cleanly as we hope, but it ends. The storms pass. The quarter closes. The launch happens. The new hire starts. The conditions that felt unsurvivable resolve, usually in ways that, in hindsight, were always going to resolve if we could have seen a few weeks further than we could see at the time.

What matters, on the other side, is who is standing there. Did you keep your judgment? Did you keep your marriage? Did you keep the small practices that make you a person your team can follow and your family can recognize? Did you come through the season stronger, or did you come through as a version of yourself that you would not have chosen if anyone had asked you at the start of it what kind of leader you wanted to become?

The work will keep asking for more. It always does. It is, in some sense, its job to ask. What the work cannot ever give you, not in any quarter, is a legitimate reason to trade the person you are for the output a pressured season seems to require. That trade is always on the table. It is always bad, and the best leaders I have known refuse it, especially in the seasons when the math seems to make it look reasonable. Those are the seasons when refusing it matters most.

Walk out to the well. See what is happening below the surface. Restore what can be restored, starting this week. The pasture can wait a little longer than you think. The well cannot.

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A note from Lee: If any of this lands where you are right now, and you would value an unhurried conversation with someone whose job is to help you see clearly, the door is open. connect.msgresources.com/leadership-advisory

Jasper Master Gardener’s Symposium (Jasper County)

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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June 27 @ 8:30 am – 2:30 pm

RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW! Great Speakers, Great Information, Great Fun, Great Lunch and snacks, Great Silent Auction, Great Vendors and overall a Great Way to Spend a Saturday When it is Too Hot to Work in our Garden.

Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce

(409) 384-2762

View Organizer Website

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Selby Fun Day Music Festival (Shelby County)

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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June 28 @ 12:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Join us for a fantastic FREE day of live music, brought to you by Selby Town Council!

With a brilliant line-up and great atmosphere, head down to the field, soak up the sounds, and enjoy a full afternoon of music, fun, and good vibes.

Bring your friends, bring the family—this is one party you won’t want to miss!

Shelby County Chamber of Commerce

936-598-3682

View Organizer Website

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Signs Your East Texas Lawn Is Stressed — and What to Do About It

By
Billy Forrest
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Lawn stress in East Texas often shows up in subtle ways long before it becomes severe. A stressed lawn rarely looks dramatically bad right away. More commonly, it shows small warning signs — shifts in color, changes in texture, uneven growth, or gradual thinning — that point to something being wrong beneath the surface. Catching those signals early is usually the difference between a quick correction and a full lawn recovery effort.

Lawn stress typically has more than one possible cause. Heat and drought, improper watering, mowing too short, dull blades, compacted soil, nutrient imbalances, disease or insect pressure, and heavy foot traffic can all contribute. The challenge is that many of these produce similar-looking symptoms, which is why accurately identifying stress often takes attention and experience.

Color changes are often the earliest indicator. Grass shifting from bright green to a bluish-gray cast usually means it’s starting to lose moisture — a signal to water more deeply. Yellowing can point to nutrient deficiency, overwatering, or disease. Straw-colored patches may indicate heat damage, dormancy in specific spots, or fungal issues. The color pattern and how it spreads often provide helpful clues about the underlying cause.

Footprints that linger in the grass are another reliable sign of water stress. Healthy turf springs back quickly when walked on. When footprints remain visible, the lawn is telling its owner that deeper watering is needed. Similarly, thinning turf — where soil starts to become visible between grass blades — often signals compaction, disease, or ongoing watering issues. Thin areas also become the most likely entry points for weeds.

Irregular brown patches with defined edges, such as circles or arcs, often point to fungus or disease rather than simple drought. These patterns can worsen quickly if left untreated. Mushrooms or slimy areas generally indicate excess moisture. Sudden weed growth almost always signals that the lawn has weakened somewhere, since weeds move in where grass struggles to hold its ground. Grass that pulls up easily from the soil may indicate insect damage, especially from grubs — one of the more serious signs and typically one that benefits from professional diagnosis.

Responding to stress requires accuracy, not just reaction. A common instinct is to increase watering at the first sign of trouble, but overwatering is just as often the cause of stress as underwatering. Checking mowing height, blade sharpness, soil moisture, and soil compaction is usually a better first step. Probing the soil with a screwdriver can quickly reveal whether water is actually reaching the root zone or whether compaction is blocking it.

Fungus, chinch bugs, grubs, and other pests each have distinctive signatures that a trained eye can identify quickly. Correctly diagnosing the problem is essential, because treating the wrong issue can sometimes make things worse. When symptoms don’t clearly point to a single cause, a professional evaluation can save weeks of trial and error.

Paying attention to a lawn’s early signals is one of the most useful habits an East Texas homeowner can build. A stressed lawn is always telling its owner something — and responding at the right time, with the right action, often prevents much larger problems later in the season.

Lufkin Warbird Rides Day- KLFK – June 27

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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For one day only, two noteworthy vintage aircraft are pulling out of the museum and into the air! Visit two WWII warbirds from the Commemorative Air Force in Lufkin, Texas. Admission to the event is free, or you can reserve a flight on a historic bomber or transport!

On June 27th, two well-known WWII aircraft will be flying together. Experience the powerful B-25 Mitchell bomber, famous for its participation in the Raid Over Tokyo. Or bring the whole family on board the Navy JRB transport, and fly like a flag officer in WWII. Make the day a once-in-a-lifetime experience when you fly on a genuine WWII aircraft.

• Navy JRB Expeditor: The whole family can fly together in this VIP transport, and children as young as five years old can fly when accompanied by an adult. Seats start at $150. Book your flight on the JRB Expeditor by clicking the red box below or call 855-359-2217 for more information.

B-25 Mitchell bomber: painted in Marine Corps blue with the famous Devil Dog on its nose, there’s no other experience like taking off behind the thunderous radial engines! Flights booked in advance start at $425. Click here to book your flight on the WWII bomber: https://devildogsquadron.com/living_history_flight_experience

For the ultimate warbird experience, book a flight on one of the classic planes – prices start as low as $150

Flights are available from 9:00 M to 3:00 PM by reservation only, so join us at Angelina County Airport, 800 Airport Blvd, in Lufkin, TX.

Reserve your flight below or call 855-359-2217 to book a flight and join us.

The Simple Marketing Framework Helping East Texas Businesses Grow Smarter

By
Lee Allen Miller
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Most business owners I talk to in this region don’t have a marketing plan.

They have a collection of activities. A Facebook page they try to keep active. A website they built a few years ago. An ad they run when things slow down. A flyer for the next Chamber event.

None of that is bad. All of it is disconnected.

And disconnected marketing is why so many businesses feel like they’re spending money, investing time, and not seeing results. Not because the individual pieces are wrong, but because the pieces aren’t connected to each other — or to any clear destination.

A marketing plan doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler it is, the more likely you are to follow it.

Here’s a framework that works.

Define what success looks like — specifically

“More customers” isn’t a goal. It’s a wish.

A goal sounds like this: 15 new client inquiries per month by September. A 25% increase in repeat customers by year-end. Three media placements in regional publications this quarter. Enough booked work to hire an additional crew by Q4.

When the destination is specific, every marketing decision becomes easier. You can ask “does this move us closer to the goal?” and get a clear answer. When the destination is vague, every marketing decision feels like a guess.

Know exactly who you’re talking to

This is where most business owners rush past, and it’s the step that matters most.

Who is your ideal customer? Not “anyone who needs what we do.” The specific person. What kind of business do they run? How big is their team? What problems keep them up at night? Where do they spend time online? What would make them choose you over the two other options they’re considering?

In East Texas, this often means thinking about the specific communities you serve, the industries that drive the local economy, and the relationship dynamics that influence buying decisions. A marketing message that resonates in Lufkin might need to sound different in Nacogdoches or Jasper or Huntsville. Not dramatically different, but tuned to the audience.

When you know who you’re talking to, you know what to say. And you know where to say it.

Pick three channels and commit

The fastest way to waste a marketing budget is to spread it across seven platforms and do a mediocre job on all of them.

Pick three. For most local businesses in East Texas, the highest-impact combination is a well-maintained website, one primary social media platform, and either email marketing or Google advertising.

Master those three before adding a fourth. A business with a strong website, an active Facebook presence, and a monthly email to past customers is in better shape than a business with accounts on six platforms and no consistent activity on any of them.

Plan 90 days at a time

Don’t try to plan a full year of marketing content. The world moves too fast and your business changes too much. Plan in 90-day cycles.

Each quarter, define your theme. What’s the message? What’s the focus? What are the key dates, events, or promotions you want to build around?

Then build a weekly content plan for your three channels. This doesn’t need to be elaborate. A simple spreadsheet or even a notebook works. Monday is a value post. Wednesday is a story post. Friday is a promotion or engagement post. Your email goes out the first Tuesday of each month. Your Google ad runs during your historically slowest weeks.

The plan won’t survive the quarter unchanged. Things happen. Opportunities appear. But having a baseline means you’re adjusting intentionally instead of improvising constantly.

Review honestly every 90 days

At the end of each quarter, ask yourself three questions.

Did we execute the plan? If not, what got in the way?

What worked? Not what felt good — what produced measurable results? More website traffic. More phone calls. More inquiries. More booked work.

What didn’t work? This is the uncomfortable question. But it’s the one that saves you from spending another quarter doing something that isn’t producing returns.

Then adjust. Double down on what’s working. Cut what isn’t. Refine the plan for the next 90 days.

Where discipline meets reality

Here’s what I’ve observed in 30-plus years of working with businesses in this region.

The plan is never the problem. The follow-through is.

Business owners build the plan with good intentions. Then April arrives and the crew is shorthanded. May brings an unexpected opportunity that demands all their attention. June is the busy season and there’s no time for social media. July is slow but they’re exhausted from June. And by August, the marketing plan from January is a distant memory.

This isn’t a failure of discipline. It’s a failure of capacity. Running a business takes everything you have. Marketing consistently, on top of everything else, takes something extra — time, creative energy, strategic attention — that most business owners simply don’t have in reserve.

The ones who grow aren’t always the ones who try harder. They’re the ones who recognize when they need a partner to carry what they can’t carry alone.

Lee Allen Miller is the founder of MSGPR Ltd Co, a full-service creative agency in Lufkin, Texas, and author of Entrepreneurship God’s Way. For more insights on marketing and business growth, visit msgpr.com.

Vacation Bible School (Shelby County)

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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0

June 25 @ 5:30 pm – June 27 @ 10:00 am

Thursday, June 25, 2026
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Friday, June 26, 2026
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Saturday, June 27, 2026
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

A light meal will be served each day.

CLASSES:
Pre-Primary: Ages 5-6
Primary: Ages 6-9
Junior: Ages 9-12
Teen: 13+

LESSON FOCUS:
In a world filled with worry and confusion, kids need to know there is a God who cares for them. At Emerald Crossing VBS, they’ll journey through Ireland’s lush landscapes, exploring the powerful words of Psalm 23. They’ll discover the life of the shepherd-king David and will learn how to cross from worry to peace, from fear to faith, and from uncertainty to a firm foundation in God’s Word through a relationship with the Good Shepherd.

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/BZ6bopDExvAAiCtC9

Shelby County Chamber of Commerce

936-598-3682

View Organizer Website

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Headshots and Handshakes (San Augustine County)

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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0

June 23 @ 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

 Are you needing a professional headshot for your business?

Stop by Hillcrest Assisted Living on June 23 from 12:30 PM–2:00 PM to meet our staff, tour our community, and receive a professional headshot courtesy of The Wise Image!

We invite business professionals from all across our community—bank employees, realtors, small business owners, entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, and local organizations—to come network, make connections, and see what we have going on here at Hillcrest.

We’d love the opportunity to meet you and introduce you to our residents and team!

 Hillcrest Assisted Living

 June 23, 2026

 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM

Come for the headshot, stay for the handshake!

San Augustine County Chamber of Commerce

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What Do You Think Makes God the Best Father of All?

By
Carey Kinsolving
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“If God is the best Father, does that mean He tells the best dad jokes too?” asks Ethan, 8. That’s a fair question. If you think about it, God probably invented humor, too!

When we say God is the best Father, we’re not talking about how funny He is (though He did make penguins). We’re talking about His perfect love, faithfulness, and care for His children. Jesus taught His followers to pray, “Our Father in heaven,” showing us that God wants a personal, loving relationship with us.

“I think God is the best Father because He always listens,” says Ava, 7. “My dad sometimes falls asleep when I talk too long.”

Even the best earthly dads get tired or distracted, but God never does. Psalm 121:4 says God “shall neither slumber nor sleep.” He’s always awake, always aware, and always ready to hear us. Whether we whisper a prayer or cry out in pain, our Father listens.

“I think God’s the best Father because He forgives us when we mess up,” says Caleb, 9.

Earthly fathers can lose patience, but God’s love never quits. He’s the perfect example of patience and grace. The Bible says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8).

When we sin, He doesn’t give up on us. Instead, He disciplines us to bring us back, like a loving father guiding his child (Hebrews 12:6).

Some kids don’t have a father at home, and that can be hard. But the Bible reminds us that “God sets the solitary in families” (Psalm 68:6). For those who trust Him, God becomes the ultimate Father. He is always present, always caring, always faithful.

“I think God is the best Father because He gave us Jesus,” says Lily, 10. “That’s like the biggest gift ever.”

Exactly. Earthly fathers give their children what they can. God gave His only Son so that we could become His children forever. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Author Charles Ryrie wrote that believers in Jesus are “adopted into God’s family by grace.” When we believe in Jesus, we become God’s children, not because we earned it, but because He chose to love us. That’s what makes Him the best Father of all.

Even the Apostle Paul wrote that we can call God “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). “Abba” was a warm, family word, something like “Daddy.” It shows closeness. God isn’t just a king in heaven; He’s a loving Father who invites us to sit with Him and share our hearts.

Sometimes God says “no” or “wait,” not because He doesn’t love us, but because He does. He knows what we need even better than we do. Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to those who love God.”

So, what makes God the best Father of all? He listens, forgives, provides, protects, and loves without end. He’s the only Father who can never fail or forget you. He’s the Father who gave His Son so that you could be His child forever.

Think About This: God’s love never runs out, His patience never ends, and His wisdom never fails. That’s what makes Him the best Father of all.

Memorize This Truth: “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:13).

Ask These Questions: What do you think makes God the best Father of all? How can you thank God today for being your Father?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kids Talk About God is designed for families to study the Bible together. Research shows that parents who study the Bible with their children give their character, faith and spiritual life a powerful boost. To receive Kids Talk About God twice a week in a free, email subscription, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org/email. 

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAREY KINSOLVING 

Capitol Update: Strengthening State Resilience

By
Rep. Trent Ashby
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As we move further into hurricane season, I encourage everyone to take a few moments now to review your emergency plans, monitor local forecasts, and make sure you have essential supplies on hand. Our region is all too familiar with the impacts of tropical weather, and being prepared before a storm develops can make all the difference.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) is urging Texans to stay informed, heed local officials’ warnings, and have a plan in place should severe weather impact our communities. The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) also recommends keeping non-perishable food, water, medications, and other essential supplies readily available. You can find DSHS’s Disaster Supply Checklist at texasready.gov to help ensure you and your family are prepared for whatever hurricane season may bring.

With that, we’ll dive back into our examination of House interim charges. . .

Capitol Update

The House Committee on State Affairs has jurisdiction over a broad range of issues, including electric utilities, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and emergency management. The Committee also oversees several important state agencies, including the Public Utility Commission, the Texas Ethics Commission, and the Department of Information Resources.

During the interim, the Committee has been charged with monitoring the implementation of several bills passed during the 2025 Legislative Session, including HB 14, HB 4211, and SB 6.

HB 14 created the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office to coordinate and promote the development of nuclear energy in Texas. The legislation also established programs to support nuclear energy projects and workforce development opportunities to help prepare Texans for careers in the growing nuclear industry.

HB 4211 established new consumer protections for Texans who participate in certain residential property ownership and rental arrangements. The legislation promotes transparency, prohibits unfair restrictions and fees, and strengthens protections for property owners and consumers.

SB 6 made important changes to how large electrical users connect to and operate on the Texas grid. The legislation strengthens grid reliability, improves transparency in forecasting future demand, and helps ensure costs associated with major new electrical loads are allocated fairly while protecting residential customers.

In addition to monitoring legislation, the Committee will examine several issues related to disaster preparedness, emergency communications, and broadband deployment.

Following last year’s devastating flooding in Central Texas, the Committee will review opportunities to improve disaster-response coordination and communication among local, state, and federal entities. Lawmakers will identify best practices, evaluate potential barriers to response and recovery efforts, and examine ways to strengthen emergency preparedness across the state.

The Committee will also consider establishing a formal Interoperability Council to coordinate a statewide emergency communications strategy, improve information sharing, support regional systems, and ensure first responders have reliable access to communications during emergencies.

Additionally, lawmakers will study the impact of pole attachments and other potential impediments to broadband deployment, while evaluating policies to expand access without compromising the safety and reliability of the electric grid.

Many of the issues before the State Affairs Committee share a common goal: ensuring Texas has the infrastructure, technology, and emergency preparedness capabilities necessary to support a growing state while protecting public safety.

As interim work continues, I look forward to keeping you updated on these and other issues that will help shape the next legislative session.

The mobile office is taking a break from the road in July, and our District Director looks forward to seeing you again in August. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762, and my Capitol office at (512) 463-0508.

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