Texas legislative update as the finish line approaches
With less than two weeks left in the 88th Texas Legislative session, much remains up in the air. The recent passing of critical deadlines means several bills of concern are officially dead. Unfortunately, some good proposals died as well. In other cases bad bills have been resurrected as amendments to legislation not killed by calendar deadlines.
The following serves as a status update on several bills we’ve mentioned in previous updates or that are still under consideration. With so much undecided, your voice can still have an impact. Please contact your state senator and/or representative and urge them to vote for or against the following bills.
Public Education
Perhaps the biggest single issue yet undecided is private school vouchers. Senate Bill 8 passed the Senate weeks ago, but only received a hearing in the House on Monday of this week. It was left pending and has not yet been voted out of committee. Most advocates do not believe a comprehensive voucher bill can pass the House. However, there is still time for negotiation and arm-twisting. Powerful proponents will not easily let go of this priority. Governor Abbott has also recently made it clear that he is willing to call a special session to try and secure passage of vouchers in Texas. Should any proposal make it to the House floor, we’ll need every supporter of public schools to call their representative and ask them to vote no. Take a moment to watch this excellent video by our friends at Raise Your Hand Texas to understand the threat of vouchers.
Unfortunately, other bad bills have already passed or are moving. These new laws blur the separation of church and state in our public schools and endanger the religious liberty of students. SB 763 would allow public schools to hire chaplains in place of school counselors. The bill is quite vague regarding qualifications of such chaplains. Not only might they be unqualified to provide counseling to students, there is no expectation that the faith of all students will be represented by the chaplains selected. The bill passed the House with a vote of 89-58 and is awaiting the Governor’s signature.
Another bill promoting a particular faith in our public schools is SB 1515 which mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in every elementary and secondary school classroom. The version and exact wording of the commandments is included in the bill. The bill passed the Senate and passed the House Public Education Committee earlier this week.
According to the bill author, Sen. Phil King, “[The bill] will remind students all across Texas of the importance of the fundamental foundation of America.” Speaking about this bill and another bill setting aside time for prayer and Bible reading in schools, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said, “I believe that you cannot change the culture of the country until you change the culture of mankind,” and “Bringing the Ten Commandments and prayer back to our public schools will enable our students to become better Texans.”
While we certainly support the content of the Ten Commandments and defend the right of students to pray, we also believe those who don’t share our faith can be good Texans, and students who do not should not be made to feel inferior to their classmates. Our homes and houses of worship are where faith is promoted and our public schools should be a place where children of all faiths or none at all learn to get along and improve our world together.
Immigration
We’ve previously expressed our concerns about two immigration related bills HB7 and HB20. HB 20 died on the House floor after a procedural point of order was raised causing a delay that pushed it beyond the deadline to pass the House. Unfortunately, HB 7 was amended and the content of HB 20 was added to that bill which passed the House. The bill is being heard today (5/18) by the Senate Committee on Border Security.
You can read brief summaries of the bills from a previous update. There have only been minor amendments and improvements since they were initially introduced. HB 7 would establish the Border Protection Unit and further militarize the border. While security is important, a singular focus on enforcement often leads to inhumane treatment of migrants, is evidence of a fundamental misunderstanding of why folks flee their home countries, and only leads them to more risky and dangerous routes to the US. Please contact your senators and ask them to vote against HB 7.
Maternal Health
There is good news to report concerning maternal healthcare in Texas. HB 12 would extend Medicaid coverage for new mothers for a full year after giving birth which adds 10 months of coverage over current law. Studies show that 44% of maternal death cases occur within one year of giving birth and that 90% of those are preventable.
Fellowship Southwest is one of a number of faith-based organizations who have supported this bill. It passed the House and was heard this week in the Senate Heath and Human Services Committee. We’re hopeful that it will be voted out of committee soon, pass the Senate and be signed into law by the Governor. We encourage you to contact your Senator and urge their support.