ACT BY TUESDAY, APRIL 20 ISSUE The Texas House will hear three sets of bills on Tuesday, April 20, each of which would create a new, non-partisan Texas Redistricting Commission. The three sets each include a bill that determines the rules for creating and governing the Commission’s work and a Joint Resolution to amend the […]
Calls to Action
Stop Anti-Abortion Bills in the House (HBs 1515, 3218, 3760, 2313, 2337)
ISSUE Five really bad bills are in the House Calendars Committee, which schedules when bills will be heard on the House floor. We want them to stay there and not come to floor for a vote. HB 1515 would ban all abortions after a “heartbeat” is detectable. This would be at about 6 weeks, before […]
Axe the Tampon Tax! (Approve HB 321)
COMMITTEE HEARING IS MONDAY, APRIL 19 AT 10 AM ISSUE Period poverty is when menstruators cannot afford or access menstrual hygiene products such as pads and tampons. Currently, these products are taxed as if they are luxury items, when in fact they are necessary healthcare products. The “tampon tax” unfairly burdens Texans in period poverty […]
Support a Statewide Trail Network for Biking and Walking! (HCR 65)
ISSUE H.C.R. 65, filed in the House by Representative Lynn Stucky (Dist 64), is a resolution supporting a statewide trail network for bicycling and walking. It has been reported favorably by the House Transportation Committee. The resolution encourages the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDoT) to develop and support multi-use pathway network projects and directs TxDoT […]
Address Students’ Mental Health Needs (HBs 2465 and 2954)
ISSUE Texas statistics tell us that more than 6 million people have been diagnosed with mental health issues across the state and at least 19% of children have suicidal ideations at some point during their formative years. The likelihood of a child facing these struggles or knowing someone who does increases every day. Currently, mental […]
Support Expanding Medicaid in Texas (HBs 1741 and 3871)
ACT FROM NOW THROUGH MAY ISSUE The Texas budget would get a boost by expanding Medicaid in Texas. Expanding Medicaid would save the Texas budget $100 million while providing comprehensive healthcare to 1.2 million adult Texans who earn less than $17,000 a year. Expanding Medicaid would also save county budgets the property tax dollars currently […]
More Attacks on Transgender Youth and Those Who Care for Them (SBs 1311/1646, HBs 1399/1424)
ISSUE Quick Take: There will be hearings this week (week of April 12) on several bills that would limit healthcare access for transgender children. Senate, Monday, April 12, 9 AM Senate State Affairs Committee hearing on SBs 1311 and 1646. SB 1311 would ban healthcare providers from providing gender-affirming care to transgender children. SB 1646 […]
Support Charter School Accountability (HB 97, 450, 1249)
ISSUE Traditional public schools lose millions of dollars each year to charter schools, which don’t have the same accountability and aren’t held to the same standards. Charter schools can selectively admit students, don’t have to notify residents of an area about a planned new school, and are not required to make their financial reports available […]
Show You Oppose Anti-Abortion Bills That Take Away Texan’s Rights!
Important: The hearing on these bills is Wednesday, April 7 ISSUE A group of highly restrictive anti-abortion bills, including the 6-week fetal heartbeat bill, have already passed the Texas Senate and are scheduled to sail through a hearing in the House Public Health Committee beginning at 8:00 AM on Wednesday, April 7th. If these bills […]
Support Community-Sponsored Bail Reform (Support HB 2077)
ACT BY TUESDAY, APRIL 6 ISSUE Being able to get released from jail after an arrest by paying a cash bond is great for those who have the money to do so, but those who cannot afford it could spend weeks or even years in jail waiting for their case to be heard. This puts […]
Stop Attacks on Transgender Children! (SB 29) (2)
ISSUE SB 29 passed out of committee last week and now heads to the full senate. Time to contact your state senator and urge them to oppose SB 29. SB 29 bans transgender children from participating in student athletics teams that match their gender identities, excluding them from the friendship, education, teamwork, and health benefits […]
Let Me Decide Who Represents Me
ACT BY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 ISSUE Quick Take: Testify at a Redistricting Hearing Every 10 years after the Census, states redraw maps that show who represents whom in Congress, the Legislature, and other government bodies. The U.S. Constitution requires this redistricting to create equal representation for all Americans as the population grows and shifts. But […]
Care About Homelessness? Oppose HB 1925! (2)
ISSUE Last week, we asked you to call the House State Affairs Committee to OPPOSE HB 1925. Unfortunately it passed out of committee. Now it goes to the Calendar Committee that schedules bills for floor debate. The Calendar Committee can hold off scheduling a bill as a delay tactic, so call them and push them […]
Improve Public Education Accountability. Ensure HB 1867 Gets a Hearing and Passes!
ACT THROUGH APRIL 30 ISSUE The public education accountability system grades students and schools based on standardized test scores–just one test on one day during a school year. Research has shown this is a flawed approach that not only doesn’t improve student learning but actually traumatizes many students. Teachers and schools are held accountable for […]
Care About Homelessness? Oppose HB 1925!
ACT BY APRIL 1 ISSUE House Bill 1925 makes it a Class C misdemeanor to be sheltered in a “tent, tarpaulin, lean-to, sleeping bag, bedroll, blankets, or any form of shelter, other than clothing, designed to protect a person from weather conditions” in a public place. In effect, HB 1925 would criminalize sleeping or camping […]