Just like the famous movie quote that says, “there’s no crying in baseball,” there is no Spring Break in the Texas Legislature. In fact, Spring Break is often the week that committees accelerate to full speed since the bill filing period has come to an end and committee chairs have had time to examine the legislation referred to them.
Support Health Coverage
HB 12 by Rose would ensure 12 months of postpartum coverage
HB 617 by Darby would create a pilot program on providing emergency telemedicine in rural areas.
HB 1599 by Bucy would create “an express lane” by eliminating bureaucratic red tape in determining eligibility and enrolling individuals in the Medicaid or child health plan program.
Call the House Select Committee on Health Care Reform
Chair: Rep. Sam Harless – (855) 685-2930
Vice Chair: Rep. Donna Howard – (855) 685-2931
Rep. Greg Bonnen, M.D. – (855) 692-0017
Rep. John H. Bucy III – (855) 692-0019
Rep. James Frank – (855) 693-3927
Rep. Stephanie Klick – (855) 701-2295
Rep. Eddie Morales – (855) 701-2722
Rep. Tom Oliverson – (855) 702-6654
Rep. Four Price – (855) 704-0109
Rep. Toni Rose – (855) 704-0851
Rep. Armando Walle – (855) 704-2091
Support Contraception Coverage: HB 916 by Ordaz
HB 916 would help women — especially rural women that travel long distances — access contraception by requiring health insurance to provide a 12 month supply.
Call the House Insurance Committee
Chair: Rep. Tom Oliverson – (855) 702-6654
Vice Chair: Rep. Ann Johnson – (866) 721-0892
Rep. Briscoe Cain – (866) 721-0617
Rep. Philip Cortez – (866) 695-0546
Rep. Caroline Harris – (866) 498-9497
Rep. Lacey Hull – (866) 721-0897
Rep. Julie Johnson – (866) 631-6176
Rep. Dennis Paul – (866) 721-0618
Rep. Mary Ann Perez – (866) 730-0466
Support Criminal Justice Reform: HB 1743 by Leach
HB 1743 would require the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to coordinate with the Health & Human Service Commission to ensure a person formerly incarcerated would be enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) upon release.
Call the House Corrections Committee
Chair: Rep. Abel Herrero – (866) 432-9360
Vice Chair: Kyle Kacal – (855) 921-1370
Rep. Alma A. Allen – (866) 721-0714
Rep. Venton Jones – (866) 631-6167
Rep. Ray Lopez – (866) 695-0822
Rep. Andrew S. Murr – (866) 515-0377
Rep. Carl O. Sherman Sr. – (866) 631-6173
Rep. Valoree Swanson – (855) 918-1302
Rep. Steve Toth – (855) 921-1373
Support Religious Freedom
HB 1212 by Jetton would ensure that a religious holy day is an excused absence from school with a simple note from a parent.
HB 1883 by Bhojani would make sure standardized tests were not administered on religious holy days.
Call the House Public Education Committee
Chair: Rep. Brad Buckley – (866) 515-0459
Vice Chair: Rep. Alma A. Allen – (866) 721-0714
Rep. Steve Allison – (866) 695-0633
Rep. Charles Cunningham – (866) 700-9145
Rep. Harold V. Dutton, Jr. – (866) 721-0905
Rep. Cody Harris – (855) 921-1364
Rep. Brian Harrison – (855) 921-1368
Rep. Cole Hefner – (855) 706-0757
Rep. Gina Hinojosa – (855) 921-1351
Rep. Ken King – (866) 563-8736
Rep. Oscar Longoria – (855) 921-1344
Rep. Matt Schaefer – (855) 921-1361
Rep. James Talarico – (866) 491-0258
Oppose LGBTQ Discrimination: SB 14 by Campbell
SB 14 would prohibit gender affirming care for minors, including hormone therapies. The bill would exempt children born intersex, which would allow parents and doctors to impose a gender on an infant born intersex. The bill would also prohibit any public money from being used in the CHIP program, and contains a provision that would allow the Attorney General to bring a civil action against parents and providers.
Oppose LGBTQ Discrimination: SB 15 by Middleton
SB 15 would require an athlete that identified as trans to compete on the team of a public university that corresponded with their birth certificate rather than letting the university follow the regulations of the NCAA.
Support Election Workers: SB 1052 by Springer
SB 1052 would ensure an election worker gets paid for an extra hour if it requires more time to set up or close out a polling location.
Call the Senate State Affairs Committee on SB 14, SB 15 and SB 1052
Chair: Sen. Hughes – (866) 730-0869
Vice Chair: Sen. Paxton – (866) 730-1371
Sen. Schwertner – (866) 730-1359
Sen. Perry – (866) 821-0521
Sen. Menendez – (866) 772-1954
Sen. Parker – (866) 730-1397
Sen. Zaffirini – (866) 770-7383
Sen. LaMantia – (866) 821-0518
Sen. Bettencourt – (866) 730-1365
Sen. Birdwell – (866) 770-7384
Sen. Middleton – (866) 730-1396
TAKE ACTION!
NOTE: We have set up toll-free numbers for all members of the Texas House and Senate. We ask that you use those numbers and save them in your phones. Dialing this number allows us to track the volume of calls to each office. If the number stops working, please let us know so we can set up a new number.
If you do not have time to make all of the calls on the weekly Action Alert, unless stated otherwise, please prioritize them based on:
- Your representative if they are on any of the committees listed
- The Chair and Vice-Chair of the committees listed
- Any issues you have particular interest or expertise
Find your elected officials via the “Who Represents Me” page at http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx
Please email scott@texasimpact.org if you learn anything from your calls.
Rapid Response Action Alert Sample Script
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!
In the past, legislative offices occasionally have blocked our toll free number because of high call volume from people of faith. If you call twice and receive busy signals, email engagement@texasimpact.org and we will update the number.
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