This week, Texas Impact is celebrating the passage of SB 31, the Life of the Mother Act. Texas Impact members have worked hard on this bill all session, including collecting thousands of postcards and making thousands of phone calls urging legislators to clarify that doctors can terminate a pregnancy that threatens the mother’s life. It wasn’t an easy legislative project, and we are grateful for everyone who collaborated to get the bill over the finish line.
This is the time in the legislative session when deals become apparent. Bills that appeared hopelessly stuck in committee suddenly start moving, bills that were sailing through the process mysteriously stop moving, and bills that were “carefully crafted” and “extensively negotiated” are upended—temporarily or permanently—in real time on the floors of the chambers.
All of these phenomena and more often represent the manifestations of deals: legislators trade one priority for another, or make adjustments to avoid a total loss. Keen legislative observers will notice a committee chair announce a formal meeting to vote out bills in one chamber, and minutes later see the chair’s bill move in the opposite chamber.
It’s all fascinating! Unless it’s your issue. Then, it’s nerve-wracking.
The House passed SB 33. That bill would allow the attorney general to sue cities suspected of using taxpayer funds to pay for abortion travel, as well as an entity suspected of taking such funds for such a purpose. The bill specifically exempts the suits from normal religious, free speech, and frivolous lawsuit protections. SB 33 goes back to the Senate for final approval.
The House also passed SB 11, which would provide for a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text in public schools. Texas Impact opposes this bill.
WATCH: Rep. Money and Rep. Simmons discuss whether student mental health was better in the 1950s than it is now
WATCH: Rep. Bhojani speaks in opposition to SB 11
SB 10 would require every public school classroom in Texas to display a copy of the version of the Ten Commandments from the Cecil B DeMille film with Charleton Heston. That bill is on the House Calendar for May 24.
The Senate passed HB 2, the school finance bill. The version of the bill that passed the Senate differs significantly from both the House-passed version and the Senate’s original committee substitute. The bill provides $8 billion in state funding for public schools, about half of which are funds that were originally appropriated in 2023, but were withheld when the House failed to pass a voucher bill (#nosoupforyou.)
In Washington, this week the US House of Representatives passed a budget that includes the largest-ever cuts to the nation’s primary safety-net programs, Medicaid and SNAP. It’s bad, but it’s not over by any means.
Finally, this week Texas Impact welcomed two summer interns. Ava Burkhalter is working on climate policy with Becca, and she already wrote her first Substack post! Katie Houck is working with Bobby on violence prevention.
The Texas Legislature is working this holiday weekend, and so is Texas Impact. We hope you will be celebrating and relaxing—but if you find yourself at loose ends, the Texas House convenes at noon on Saturday and 2PM on Sunday!
Love,
