Week of April 12, 2021
Focus Areas: Hunger, Payday Lending, and More Bullying LGBTQ Children & Families
This week, we await SB 7’s referral to a House committee and for the committee report for HB 6 to arrive in House Calendars. With around 50 days to go and various procedural deadlines approaching, use the opportunity to address other legislation while there’s still time on the legislative clock.
Bills Combating Hunger
Call the House Human Services Committee
| Chair | Rep. Frank, James | (877) 281-4702 |
| Vice Chair | Rep. Hinojosa, Gina | (877) 805-0853 |
| Rep. Hull, Lacey | (877) 508-6354 | |
| Rep. Klick, Stephanie | (877) 609-1595 | |
| Rep. Meza, Terry | (877) 411-8141 | |
| Rep. Neave, Victoria | (877) 759-8907 | |
| Rep. Noble, Candy | (877) 814-5045 | |
| Rep. Rose, Toni | (877) 831-7122 | |
| Rep. Shaheen, Matt | (877) 208-0117 |
Support HB 116 by Rep. Minjarez
HB 166 would reduce barriers to TANF assistance for kinship families (i.e. grandparents taking care of grandchildren).
Support HB 701 by Rep. Walle
HB 701 would improve access to SNAP for seniors.
Support HB 945 by Rep. Romero
HB 945 would extend SNAP certifications to 12 months for certain populations.
Support HB 1230 by Rep. Ortega
HB 1230 would raise the vehicle asset test to $25,000 per vehicle and index to inflation.
Support HB 1353 by Rep. Ortega
HB 1353 would eliminate the full family sanction in SNAP.
Support HB 1449 by Rep. Romero
HB 1449 would raise the liquid asset limit in TANF to $5,000 and eliminate the vehicle asset test in both SNAP and TANF.
Support HB 2126 by Rep. Walle
HB 2126 would provide SNAP eligibility for college kids, and expand employment and training services.
Oppose HB 3425 by Rep. Slawson
HB 3425 would require drug testing for TANF recipients.
House Human Services hearing Tuesday, April 13
Payday Lending Bills
Call the House Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services Committee
| Chair | Rep. Anchia, Rafael | (877) 317-1397 |
| Vice Chair | Rep. Parker, Tan | (877) 259-4221 |
| Rep. Capriglione, Giovanni | (877) 377-7807 | |
| Rep. Munoz, Sergio | (877) 516-0127 | |
| Rep. Perez, Mary Ann | (877) 314-2712 | |
| Rep. Rogers, Glenn | (877) 719-4112 | |
| Rep. Vo, Hubert | (877) 249-9219 | |
| Rep. Slawson, Shelby | (877) 237-5792 | |
| Rep. Stephenson, Phil | (877) 377-7806 |
Support HB 206 by Rep. Bernal
HB 206 would apply statewide the ordinances in place in 46 cities.
Support HB 417 by Rep. Walle
HB 417 would strengthen the legal prohibition against filing criminal charges against a borrower that defaults on a loan, which is sometimes ignored by credit access businesses.
Support HB 1937 by Rep. Pacheco
HB 1937 would cap the rate on payday loans at 36 percent.
Support HB 2624 by Rep. Ordaz Perez
HB 2624 would limit interest rates to 30 percent in a disaster.
Support HB 2813 by Rep. Chris Turner
HB 2813 would cap the rate on all products of credit access businesses at 36 percent.
Support HB 3391 by Rep. Chris Turner
HB3391 would close the CSO loophole that the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals created in the 2004 case Lovick v. Ritemoney.
Support HB 4116 by Rep. Chris Turner
HB 4116 would reverse a 2019 Attorney General Opinion that allows credit access businesses to create products other than payday and auto title loans.
Oppose HB 2432 by Rep. Murr
HB 3425 would allow finance companies regulated under chapter 342, Finance Code, to double the cost of a $2000 loan in Texas.
House Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services hearing Wednesday, April 14
Bills that Bully LGBTQ Children
Oppose SB 1646 by Sen. Perry
SB 1646 would empower the state to take a child away from affirming parents, and criminalize certain medical treatments provided to a child that identifies as transgender.
Senate State Affairs hearing Monday, April 12
Oppose SB 1311 by Sen. Hall
SB 1311 would prohibit the provision of, and professional liability insurance coverage for, gender transitioning or gender reassignment medical procedures and treatments.
Senate State Affairs hearing Monday, April 12
| Chair | Sen. Hughes, Bryan | (877) 207-1495 |
| Vice Chair | Sen. Birdwell, Brian | (877) 544-8074 |
| Sen. Campbell, Donna | (877) 649-0965 | |
| Sen. Hall, Bob | (877) 209-4797 | |
| Sen. Lucio, Eddie | (877) 649-1008 | |
| Sen. Nelson, Jane | (877) 396-5322 | |
| Sen. Powell, Beverly | (877) 314-4951 | |
| Sen. Schwertner, Charles | (877) 236-9098 | |
| Sen. Zaffirini, Judith | (877) 318-2371 |
Oppose HB 1399 by Rep. Krause
HB 1399 would prohibit the provision of, and professional liability insurance coverage for, gender transitioning or gender reassignment medical procedures and treatments.
House Public Health hearing Wednesday, April 14
| Chair | Rep. Klick, Stephanie | (877) 609-1595 |
| Vice Chair | Rep. Guerra, Bobby | (877) 341-1796 |
| Rep. Allison, Steve | (877) 219-5175 | |
| Rep. Campos, Elizabeth “Liz” | (877) 399-9589 | |
| Rep. Coleman, Garnet | (877) 421-0817 | |
| Rep. Collier, Nicole | (877) 428-4806 | |
| Rep. Jetton, Jacey | (877) 471-5783 | |
| Rep. Oliverson, Tom | (877) 847-4988 | |
| Rep. Price, Four | (877) 411-8914 | |
| Rep. Smith, Reggie | (877) 308-5195 | |
| Rep. Zwiener, Erin | (877) 832-2701 |
Other Bills
Support SB 1029 by Sen. Huffman & HB 3795 by Rep. Button
SB 1029 & HB 3795 would create a property tax exemption for the amount attributed to the installation of a solar or wind-powered energy device.
Senate Finance hearing Monday, April 12.
House Ways & Means hearing Monday, April 12.
Support SB 1544 by Sen. West
SB 1544, the “Breonna Taylor Safe Use of Force Act,” would place limitations and parameters on the use of “no-knock warrants”
Senate Criminal Justice hearing Tuesday, April 13.
Support HB 3015 by Rep. Hernandez
HB 3015 would create accountability for governmental entities that ignore Public Information Act requests, and create a process for enforcement that does not require the expense of litigation.
House State Affairs hearing Wednesday, April 14.
Support HB 2302 by Rep. White
HB 3015 would create a criminal offense for a false statement in an incident report by a police officer
House Homeland Security & Public Safety hearing Thursday, April 15.
Support HB 1938 by Rep. Jetton
HB 1938 would create a grant program for body camera data storage
House Homeland Security & Public Safety hearing Thursday, April 15.
Oppose HB 3920 by Rep. Dean
HB 3920 would overturn the Texas Supreme Court’s decision that a voter is entitled to decide if their personal medical histories constitute a disability making them eligible to vote by mail, and would create ambiguity by excluding “a sickness that does not otherwise prevent the voter from leaving the voter’s residence” from those who are “disabled.”
House Elections Committee hearing Thursday, April 15.
TAKE ACTION!
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Find toll free numbers at https://texasimpact.org/texas-legislative-contact-information-2021/
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Weekly Witness Action Alert Sample Script
See the list of toll free numbers (https://texasimpact.org/texas-legislative-contact-information-2021/) for each member of the Texas Legislature and save the number. Using the toll free number allows Texas Impact staff to track how many calls are going in to each office.
Sample Script
Hello, my name is _________________and I live in ___________. I am calling to thank Representative/Senator _____________________for his/her service this Legislative Session.
As a person of faith (or clergy) I want to be constructive in working with Representative/Senator _______________ and hope they will support/oppose Bill number.
Feel free to use any of the bullet points in the Action Alert above. If your congregation has a special connection to the issue area you are referencing, feel free to briefly reference that connection. Don’t forget to thank the staff member you are talking to at the end of the call, even if you disagree with their boss on the issue or bill—they are working hard and appreciate being appreciated!
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