84TH LEGISLATURE REVIEW

Transcription

1 84TH LEGISLATURE REVIEW THE GOOD It s no coincidence that the champions who support access to reproductive health care also support measures that improve the lives of Texas families. Here are a few of the great measures that passed this session. Rep. Armando Walle passed HB 786, a pro-family bill supporting the right of public employees to pump breastmilk in the workplace, which means nourishment for healthy babies. Rep. Sarah Davis passed HB 2131, which designates centers for excellence in fetal care and identifies hospitals that provide comprehensive maternal, fetal, and neonatal health care for pregnant Texans with high-risk medical complications and for fetuses with congenital anomalies and genetic conditions as centers of excellence for fetal care and healthy outcomes. Rep. Celia Israel passed HB 1140, a bill that requires prisons to report on their policies regarding pregnant inmates. This bill is a great start toward promoting the rights of pregnant inmates in Texas and assuring their access to quality healthcare. Rep. Israel also co-authored HB 1670, which allows anyone who has recently given birth to take their placenta home if they choose, a bipartisan measure that supports birth options and bodily autonomy.

2 THE DISAPPOINTING It s also not a coincidence the the lawmakers who want to restrict our reproductive freedoms consistently vote against working families. Here are some prime examples. Anti-choice representatives voted against HJR 26, which would have allowed Texans to vote to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. These same anti-choice lawmakers also refused to support working mothers when they rejected an equal pay amendment. Anti-choice, anti-family representatives voted against HB 1485, a bill that would have helped low-income families afford healthy food through a grocery access investment fund program. Anti-choice members of the Senate refused to bring HB 1143 to the floor for a vote. This bill, authored by Rep. Dawnna Dukes, would have provided parenting resources for pregnant minors and minor parents in the foster care system. THE TERRIBLE The same lawmakers who refuse to raise the minimum wage and put food in children s mouths also fought for harmful measures that hurt the most vulnerable people in our state. Here is the Hall of Shame for reproductive health in Texas. HB The Legislature passed Rep. Geanie Morrison s omnibus anti-abortion bill that dismantles the judicial safety net for abused and neglected teenagers who need abortion care and requires Texans to show an ID to get an abortion. During floor debate, Rep. Morrison refused to answer questions. SB The Texas Senate passed a bill that would have made abortion even less accessible by banning coverage from insurance plans. This bill failed to become law when it narrowly missed a House deadline. Oh you want me to talk about my bill that I haven t read? That s OK I m just gonna go over here. Bye. (not an actual quote)

3 THE CHAMPIONS FOR TEXAS FAMILIES Although the Texas Legislature put more barriers between Texans and abortion care this session, our pro-choice champions introduced measures that improved the health and wellbeing of Texas families. While there are many champions we could highlight, here are some that deserve all the THE REPRESENTATIVES The men who were standing here before with Representative Schaefer will not support my breastfeeding bill. Can you imagine that? They re pro-life, but at the same time will not support a simple breastfeeding bill that is already a woman s right today and has been. So I say to you that the hypocrisy must stop. Rep. Farrar calls out the misogyny in the Legislature while surrounded by colleagues. From calling out her sexist and hypocritical colleagues on the House floor to pushing for legislation that expands Texans access to health care, Rep. Jessica Farrar was a true champion for Texans reproductive health this session. Rep. Farrar also authored legislation that would have stopped abortion providers from being forced to give their patients state-mandated lies about abortion and pregnancy and a bill that would have strengthened existing laws regarding the right to breastfeed in public. Rep. Donna Howard authored legislation that would have restored trust in doctors using their best medical judgment. Rep. Howard introduced an amendment to HB 3994 that would have created an exception for minors who are victims of rape or incest, and championed a measure that requires the Texas Women s Health Program to clean up their provider list. In addition to being an all-around champion for Texans reproductive rights, Rep. Mary Gonzalez fought for teenagers access to accurate information about sex and access to contraception. Rep. Mary Gonzalez authored several bills that would have improved sex education and expanded teenage parents access to contraception. Rep. Mary Gonzalez also had teenagers best interests at heart when she fought against HB 3994 and offered an amendment that would have protected abused teenagers confidentiality.

4 Rep. Eddie Rodriguez fought for abused and neglected teenagers access to abortion care. He introduced an amendment to HB 3994 that would have allowed student IDs to be an acceptable form of ID to get an abortion. Rep. Eddie Rodriguez also challenged the ID requirement overall, calling out Rep. Geanie Morrison for not taking victims of human trafficking into consideration. In addition to authoring a bill that lays the groundwork to add further protection for pregnant inmates, Rep. Celia Israel introduced multiple measures that would have improved our ability to vote. She also spoke up for teenagers who live with close family members instead of parents with an with an amendment to HB Fighting for the health and safety of abused and neglected teenagers, Rep. Chris Turner introduced an amendment to HB 3994 that would have required judges to make a decision on judicial bypass cases within two business days instead of five. The master of the Point of Order, Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer is also a champion for Texas families.- by authoring a resolution to increase the minimum wage and co-authored a bill that supports public employees right to breastfeed. Rep. Martinez Fischer is responsible for killing Rep. Matt Schaefer s cruel amendment that would have forced pregnant people to carry nonviable fetuses to term. A champion for Texas families, Rep. Justin Rodriguez authored a measure that would have ensured equal pay for equal work for Texans and fought valiantly against HB Rep. Nicole Collier fought to protect the anonymity of minors seeking judicial bypass for an abortion. Rep. Collier also worked hard to keep SB 575, the ban on insurance coverage for abortion, from passing.

5 THE SENATORS Sen. Sylvia Garcia, our champion in the Texas Senate, fought against HB 3994 in committee and on the Senate floor, and she didn t hold back. She called out the ridiculousness of the harmful ID provision in the bill, arguing that it is nonsensical and insulting to assume that everyone walking into an abortion clinic is a teenager. She also spoke up against SB 575, which would have taken away private insurance coverage for abortion. Sen. Kirk Watson used his expert oratory prowess to fight HB 3994 and HB 575. One of his amendments to HB 3994 would have created an exception for a minor who was the victim of rape or incest, but his self-identified prolife colleagues in the Senate voted it down. THE NEW CHAMPIONS Sen. José Rodriguez fought to expand Texans access to abortion care when he authored a bill that would have repealed some of the most harmful provisions in HB 2 an omnibus anti-abortion bill passed in 2013 that has caused the widespread closure of abortion clinics. Sen. Rodriguez continued to fight for abortion access by pushing back against HB 3994 on the Senate floor and in Senate committee hearings, where he was greatly outnumbered by anti-choice lawmakers. Rep. Ina Minjarez, who was elected to fill the vacant seat in the House when Sen. Jose Menendez moved to the Senate, may have come into the House late in the session, but she jumped right in and was a vocal proponent for Texas families in fighting against HB Sen. Jose Menéndez also stepped up to the plate and supported teen survivors of abuse and neglect as he fought to keep HB 3994 from passing the Senate. Rep. Cesar Blanco not only fought against HB 3994, but he sought to improve the lives of working parents when he introduced a bill to provide paid parental leave for state employees.

6 OTHER CHAMPIONS We d love to list all the wonderful things our champions have done. Despite being heavily outnumbered, these legislators won t give up when it comes to improving the lives of Texas families and pushing back on harmful restrictions and funding cuts. Along with the champions listed above the following members voted NO on HB 3994: SENATORS Sen. Carlos Uresti Sen. John Whitmire Sen. Juan Chuy Hinojosa Sen. Judith Zaffirini Sen. Rodney Ellis Sen. Royce West REPRESENTATIVES Rep. Alma Allen Rep. Ana Hernandez Rep. Borris Miles Rep. Carol Alvorado Rep. Dawnna Dukes Rep. Diego Bernal Rep. Eddie Lucio III Rep. Elliott Naishtat Rep. Eric Johnson Rep. Garnet Coleman Rep. Gene Wu Rep. Robert Guerra Rep. Harold Dutton Rep. Helen Giddings Rep. Hubert Vo Rep. Joe Deshotel Rep. Joe Farias Rep. Joseph Moody Rep. Marisa Márquez Rep. Poncho Nevarez Rep. Rafael Anchia Rep. Ramon Romero Rep. Rene Olivera Rep. Richard Raymond Rep. Roberto Alonzo Rep. Roland Gutierrez Rep. Ron Reynolds Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon Rep. Sarah Davis Rep. Senfronia Thompson Rep. Sergio Munoz Rep. Sylvester Turner Rep. Terry Canales Rep. Toni Rose Rep. Yvonne Davis

7 WORST OF THE WORST Unfortunately, the Texas Legislature is full of lawmakers who claim to be pro-life but do little to improve Texans lives. These are just some of the lawmakers who deserve a big for putting politics before Texas families health and safety. NOT EXACTLY PRO-LIFE After a controversial debut where she came to blows with the formidable Rep. Dawnna Dukes at Trib Fest, Rep. Molly White s fumbling attempts at restricting access to abortion care fell flat. Her so-called coerced abortion bill was such that even anti-choice lawmakers didn t want to touch it. Rep. Matt Schaefer had stiff competition for the most-heartless legislator award, but he wins it for his amendment that would have forced Texans to carry nonviable pregnancies to term. How did Rep. Schaefer justify the pain his callous measure would inflict on families in heartbreaking circumstances? By arguing that suffering is part of the human condition, since sin entered the world. Rep. Geanie Morrison authored cruel legislation that cuts abused and neglected teenagers off from accessing the courts and safe abortion care. When it came time to answer questions about her bill during floor debate, Rep. Morrison was just like Because he always errs on the side of life, Rep. Matt Krause co-authored HB 3994 and made it even worse by tacking on his amendment that makes almost every provision of the bill more extreme. Not understanding that taxpayer dollars don t fund abortions, Sen. Larry Taylor authored a bill that would have banned abortion coverage from insurance plans on health exchanges. BIGGEST Rep. Johnathan Stickland wins the most tantrums thrown in public award. Rep. Johnathan Stickland threw fits to try to get anti-abortion legislation prioritized over other measures and, unfortunately, his colleagues indulged him. His antics failed when neither of the anti-abortion measures that he pushed for made it to the House floor. DISHONORABLE MENTIONS Senators Donna Campbell, Lois Kolkhorst and Konni Burton claim to be so pro-life, yet they blocked Sen. Sylvia Garcia s breastfeeding bill from coming to the floor. How can they care so much about saving babies and then not support measures to help babies once they re born?