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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” were 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. Here are a few of the bills that have been wracking our nerves this week:
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. |
