Dear ~~first_name~~,
This is the last full week of the 88th Legislative session and the fireworks have started. On Friday, the Speaker cancelled a meeting of the House set for Saturday, the last day that Senate Bills could pass the House. That left SB 8 stranded in the House Public Education Committee with no chance of passage this session.
The Senate Public Education Committee came to the Governor’s rescue and brought up a committee substitute for HB 100, the bill that adjusted the funding formula for public schools. The committee substitute made significant changes to the bill including tacking on the educational savings accounts from the Senate version of SB 8. The bill passed out of committee yesterday.
In the Senate, HB 12, which would extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months passed but only with a last-minute amendment tacking on anti-abortion language. We are hearing that this amendment is designed to kill the proposal. The Governor may veto the bill if the language of the amendment is removed. The House may not accept the amendment or the bill may pass and the Federal Government may reject the provision.
On the House side, the election bills on the calendar for Saturday remain in limbo. They have gone from the top of the Saturday calendar to the bottom of the Monday calendar. That could be good news if it means that SB 1070 (withdrawal from ERIC), SB 1750 (abolishing the EA position in Harris County), SB 1933 (state takeover of local elections), SB 1039 (state conservatorship of local elections), and SB 5180 (greater access to voted ballots by outside parties) do not reach the House Floor. But as Yogi Berra noted, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
There is still time in the Senate to amend House bills to add language from these bad election bills. As an example, HB 1243, which would have raised the penalty for ineligible voting from a misdemeanor to a felony as been amended to include the language from SB 2 (the Senate version) changing the intent necessary to be found guilty of the offense.
So a lot is going to conference, and the Legislature has still not agreed on a budget.
In League,
|
The League of Women Voters of Texas is working tirelessly to advocate for all Texans this legislative session. Donate today to support our mission of empowering voters and defending democracy!
Donate Today!
|
Women's Healthcare Update
Catherine Maxwell
HB 12, giving Medicaid patients twelve months of postpartum care, passed the Senate, but an amendment was tacked on Sunday that is sending the bill back to the House instead of to the Governor. The amendment states that the extension of postpartum benefits is only for “pregnancies that end in the delivery of the child or in the natural loss of the child. This does not include pregnancies that end through elective abortion.”
And what if the child is aborted because the pregnancy is not viable? Or if the mother’s life is in danger?
LWV’s position is that abortion is healthcare and that these decisions are between a patient and their medical advisors.
Please contact your House representative and ask them to vote against this poorly thought-out amendment. Fifty percent of the babies born in Texas are born on Medicaid. That is a huge number of women whose postpartum healthcare might be cut down to two months because of this amendment. We are so close to seeing HB 12 passed. Let’s not let Senate actions kick this one down the road another two years—again.
|
SB 1750 - Protect Local Control: Don't Abolish the Election Administrator Position
SB 1750 would abolish the position of Election Administrator in counties with more than 3.5 million residents. Those duties would revert to the county clerk and tax assessor. Use our Action Center to write a letter to your legislators and ask them to oppose SB 1750.
|
SB 1070 - Don't Withdraw From ERIC!
SB 1070 would withdraw Texas from a 34-state information sharing programs that allow states to obtain accurate information on voters who have died or moved out of state. Oppose SB 1070! Use our Action Center to write a letter to your legislators to oppose SB 1070.
|
SB 1039 - Say No to State Takeover of Local Elections
SB 1039 allows partisan actors to demand explanations of real or perceived irregularities in an election and requires county officials to respond with documentation. If the partisan actor is not satisfied with the explanation, they may require the SOS to review the request, which may result in the appointment of a conservator. Use our Action Center to write a letter to your legislators and ask them to oppose SB 1039.
|
SB 477 - Support Voters with Disabilities
SB 477 requires election workers to give voters with mobility issues priority in line at the polls and would require the election judge at every polling location to designate parking for voters needing curbside assistance. Use our Action Center to write a letter to your legislators to support SB 477.
|
SB 1933 - Stop State Takeover of Local Elections
SB 1933 would empower the Secretary of State to directly administer local elections in any county on a good cause belief alone. The bill would apply not just to counties with election administrators but also counties which rely on election tax assessors and county clerks. Use our Action Center to write a letter to your legislators to oppose SB 1933.
|
League of Women Voters of Texas
1212 Guadalupe St. #107
Austin Texas, 78701
(512) 472-1100
lwvtexas@lwvtexas.org
lwvtexas.org
|