Supplemental for the End of the Week of April 26, 2021

Things are moving quickly, and your calls are helping to move legislation along. Since we issued this week’s action alert, the House Calendars Committee has set three good criminal justice reform bills and a good voting rights bill on the House Calendar. Two more House bills need attention in the Senate. 

Call Your House Member

Call your Representative in the Texas House and ask them to support the following bill on the House floor on the General State Calendar on Wednesday. 

Support HB 1382 by Rep. Bucy

HB 1382 would establish an online tracking system for mail-in applications & ballots like those online retailers use, so a voter can know the status of their application and ballot

Call your Representative in the Texas House and ask them to support the following bills on the House floor on the General State Calendar on Thursday. 

Support HB 829 by Rep. Senfronia Thompson

HB 829 would establish a progressive disciplinary matrix for police officer misconduct in certain municipalities.

Support HB 830 by Rep. Senfronia Thompson

HB 830 would not permit an arrest for a fine only, class C misdemeanor.

Support HB 834 by Rep. Senfronia Thompson

HB 834 would require the corroboration of eyewitness testimony in drug cases.

Pass Two Good Healthcare Bills for Moms & Children

Support HB 133 by Rep. Rose

HB 133 would provide twelve months of health coverage after pregnancy.

HB 133 passed the House on 4/15. It was referred to the Senate Health & Human Services Committee on 4/19. Call the Senate Health & Human Services Committee and ask them to set a hearing for HB 133.

Support HB 290 by Rep. Cortez

HB 290 would provide twelve months of continuous health coverage for children as opposed to making parents reapply every six months.

HB 290 passed the House on 4/15, but has not been referred to a committee. Call the Lieutenant Governor and ask him to refer the bill to a committee so that it can have a hearing. 

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.

Find toll free numbers at https://texasimpact.org/texas-legislative-contact-information-2021/ 

Find your elected officials via the “Who Represents Me” page at http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx

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!

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.

For updated information, visit www.texasimpact.org, follow us on Facebook or Twitter or contact engagement@texasimpact.org To join the Texas Impact Rapid Response Team and receive updated Texas Impact Action Alerts or a Legislative Engagement Group to be connected with other members in your district, visit: https://texasimpact.org/action-center/

Texas Impact is a membership organization. Join Texas Impact and be part of Texas’ oldest and largest interfaith action network! For more information, visit: https://texasimpact.org/join