Pro-life legislation progressing
As we reported last week, the TCCB has joined with other major pro-life organizations and Texas legislators to support a group of pro-life bills which have support of the Governor, the House and the Senate. The bills protect women and girls from forced abortions, stop state and local governments from contracting with abortion providers, improve the reporting of abortion complications, change the category of ectopic pregnancies and enforce the humane treatment of the bodies of unborn babies. More information follows.
Senate Bill 4, the sanctuary cities bill, has been set for the House intent calendar for Wednesday, April 26. This is one of the last steps before SB 4 will be passed and sent to the Governor to be signed into law.
Call to Action: Encourage your Representative to vote against SB 4. You can find your legislator on Who Represents Me?
Foster care conscience protection progressing
We’re working hard to provide conscience protections through HB 3859 (Rep. James Frank (Wichita Falls)) and SB 892 (Sen. Charles Perry (Lubbock)). Both bills are moving.
Call to Action: Thank Rep. James Frank and Sen. Charles Perry for giving us the freedom to serve foster care children.
Call to Action: Call your House Representative between today, April 24, and Thursday, April 27. Encourage them to vote for HB 3859. Watch for TCCB action alerts.
Criminal Justice
On April 20, the House passed HB 122, the Raise the Age bill, which changes the age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18. Now it goes to the Senate.
TCCB has testified on several criminal justice bills:
- HB 64 by Rep. Dutton (Houston) would abolish the death penalty in Texas. We testified in support in a committee hearing on April 17.
- HB 316 by Rep. Canales (Edinburg) and HB 147 by Rep. Dutton (Houston) would eliminate the law of parties. We testified in support of both.
- HB 3080 by Rep. Toni Rose (Dallas) would prohibit a person with severe mental illness from being executed. We testified in support.
Call to Action: Thank the legislators linked above for opposing the death penalty.
Pro-life bills
Call to Action: Thank the following legislators for their leadership in this important area.
Ban partial-birth abortion (SB 8/HB 200) - Authors Sen. Charles Schwertner and Rep. Cindy Burkett.
Effect: Bans partial-birth abortion. This is identical to the federal ban upheld by SCOTUS in Gonzales v. Carhart, 2007). This is not a ban on dismemberment abortion.
Prohibit sale/donation of abortion victims (HB 200, HB 35/SB 8) - Authors Rep. Cindy Burkett, Rep. Byron Cook, Sen. Charles Schwertner
Effect 1: Bans the sale or donation of tissue and organs from abortion victims.
Effect 2: Bans research using tissue and organs of abortion victims.
Effect 3: Requires the burial or cremation of abortion victims.
Improved abortion complications reporting (HB 2962/SB 1602) - Authors Rep. Giovanni Capriglione and Sen. Donna Campbell
Effect: Increases accuracy of abortion complication reports.
Ban wrongful birth lawsuits (HB 434/SB 25) - Authors Rep. Ron Simmons and Sen. Brandon Creighton
Effect: Ban wrongful birth lawsuits, which target disabled individuals.
Address forced abortions and sex trafficking (HB 2858/SB 1377) - Authors Rep. DeWayne Burns and Sen. Dawn Buckingham
Effect: Protect women and girls from forced abortions, especially during human sex trafficking.
Eliminate government contracts with abortion providers (HB 1936/SB 855) - Authors Rep. Drew Springer and Sen. Donna Campbell
Effect: Prohibits state and local governments from entering contracts with abortion providers or affiliates.
Accurately define abortion (HB 3771) - Author Rep. Byron Cook
Effect: Ensures treatment for ectopic pregnancies is not reported as abortion.
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This week:
The TCCB's website hosts our public positions on bills. All bill positions are under the “Master List” tab as well as by our legislative agenda categories.
Testimony & bill positions made last week:
- HB 928, educational assistance for aging out of foster care, registered in support.
- SB 11, community based foster care and prevention services, registered in support.
- HB 3292, extension of benefits to patients with disabilities, registered in support.
- HB 2629, required display of hotline signs for human trafficking, registered in support.
- HB 64, repeals the use of the death penalty, testified in support.
- HB 147, prohibits the death penalty through the law of parties, testified in support
- HB 316, prohibits the death penalty through the law of parties, testified in support.
- HB 1537, repeals the use of the death penalty, testified in support.
- HB 3411, reduces standards for attorneys representing indigent capital defendants, registered in opposition.
- SB 12, grant program for bullet-proof vests to law enforcement officers, registered support.
- HB 810, allows for patients to access adult stem cell treatments, registered in support.
- HB 1979, incentives to reduce emissions on governmental fleets, including school buses, registered in support.
- HB 3717, establishes a registry of programs that provide incentives for water conservation, registered in support.
- SB 892, conscience protections for Catholic Charities foster care, testified in support.
- HB 4, monetary assistance for foster caregivers, registered in support.
- HB 5, moves the Department of Family Services out of the Health and Human Services Commission to function as a stand-alone state agency, registered in support.
- SB 1881, allows foster parents and other qualified persons to serve as educational decision-makers, registered in support.
- HB 316, prohibits imposition of capital punishment on defendants who did not commit a capital felony, testified in support.
- HB 2960, addresses human trafficking, registered in support.
- SB 666, posting of anti-trafficking hotline number, registered in support.
- SB 2144, commission to review school finance system, testified in support.
- HB 1760, establishes new fee on money transfers for undocument persons, registered in opposition.
- HB 2552, increases enforcment of human trafficking laws in massage parlors, registered in support.
- HB 439, changes application of advance directives to pregnant women, registered in opposition.
- HB 826, requires financial analysis of undocumented immigrants on state's economy, registered in support.
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