January 2025 Commerce Club Luncheon: A ‘Fireside Chat’ with Jeffery Strickland, BGR | Group

The Port Bureau kicked off the first Commerce Club luncheon of 2025 by presenting a “fireside chat” discussion of current and future state/federal government policies, funding and rulemaking processes, and more that could impact Texas and port region industry.

Vincent DiCosimo, senior vice president-government affairs at Targa Resources as well as the Port Bureau’s chairman served as moderator, with Jerry Strickland, principal and Texas director at BGR | Group, discussing the outlook.

Highlights from the discussion included:

• Expectations that the new administration will move quickly with actions through Executive Orders, particularly in the areas of border security, energy (including red tape reduction), and a reduction in government spending.
• Tax cuts initiated in 2017 (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act or TCJA) will expire at the end of 2025 – and a new tax package will need to be developed.
• Potential for reductions to Medicaid spending at the state and federal levels.
• In the Texas legislature, the focus will most likely be on school choice, property taxes, and ensuring sufficient water (including repair and upgrades to aging water infrastructure) for electricity generation.
• Potential for Texas lawmakers to limit rises in property insurance premiums.

Stickland particularly noted his appreciation for the role Port Bureau and its members represent in forwarding progress for the port region in Austin and in Washington DC.

“I have seen the success of this region because of the people in this room. I've seen the work that the Port Bureau has done firsthand, both in Washington, DC and in Austin. It is no secret that when you guys come into the door, you guys come with heft. You guys come with sophistication; you guys come ready to go - and people listen! The Greater Houston Port Bureau is an organization that gets things done.”

As principal and Texas Director at BGR, Strickland practices at the federal, state, and local levels. Prior to joining BGR, he served as Governor Greg Abbott’s appointee to lead the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations, where he ran Texas’s federal affairs office and was lead advisor to the governor on federal issues.

Thank you to our Commerce Club sponsors! 

Annual Table sponsors: 

Callan Marine • Chevron/Kirby • Enterprise Products Partners • Kinder Morgan • Houston Pilots • Intercontinental Terminals Company • Moran Shipping Agencies, Inc. • Pemex  • Targa Resources • TGS Ceder Port Industrial Park  • WGMA 

January Table sponsors: 

Houston Mooring Company  • Port Houston  • Schröder Marine Services, Inc.