As the session heats up and bills are being heard in committees, this is a great time to check in on where things stand on several issues Texans greatly care about, including expanding health care access to uninsured people, local control of communities, rising property taxes and long-overdue criminal justice reforms to name a few….
Last week on Thursday, Texas House Democrats rolled out their ‘Texas Kids First Plan,” an ambitious agenda that tackles several key public education issues. The agenda has gained attention these last few days with several media outlets picking up the plan. Below are just a couple of the notable quotes: The Democrats’ plan is composed of…
On Friday, President Trump declared a “national emergency” to build a wall on the US – Mexico border. This lawless act undermines the will of the people and their elected representatives in Congress. For those of us in Texas, Trump’s rhetoric and actions are an insult – whether he is denigrating Texas’ border communities with false immigration and crime…
Last week, the Texas Senate Committee on Nominations heard testimony from David Whitley, Governor Abbott’s nominee for Secretary of State. During the hearing, Whitely claimed that the definition of voter suppression was “irrelevant” and admitted that the voter list his office released may in fact have contained flawed data. Democrats want to protect the integrity of our election system — and that means we call out voter intimidation…
Texas Republicans Lay Groundwork for Voter Purge w/o Evidence
Late last Friday, Sec. of State David Whitley and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced, without evidence, that tens of thousands of non-citizens in Texas — at some point after having requested a driver’s license — voted. In the statement, Whitley issued a request to county election officials to review these voters as “WEAK” matches [all-caps by…
Today we celebrate and remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose remarkable life changed the trajectory of America for the better. Dr. King devoted his life’s work to taking on the evils of racism and poverty, challenging us to build a better country in which every American has an equal opportunity. Today is a day…
Texas House Democrats are already making their presence known
With the start of the 86th Legislative Session last Tuesday, House Democrats have already begun to make their presence known at the Capitol: Wednesday, the Texas House voted for a bipartisan effort to strengthen sexual harassment policies. Reps. Donna Howard and Nicole Collier played a major role in crafting the policy, along with other…
Earlier today, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar released the state’s biennial revenue estimate. Based on projections for the state’s economy, Comptroller Hegar certified $119 billion in state funds available for the coming biennium and budget cycle. He noted that the number could shift some before the end of session. Today’s revenue estimate shows that the…
With 5 weeks until session, Texas House Democrats continue to file substantial bills
With only five weeks until session, the HDC wants to continue highlighting some of the important bills that Caucus members have filed: HB 56 by Rep. Armando Martinez – Cost-of-Living Increases for Retired Teachers Rep. Martinez’s legislation would require the Teacher Retirement System to meet the last week of October and increase benefit rates…
Texas House Democrats filed 2/3 of all bills as of Nov. 26th
Bill filing is well underway, and House Democrats are actively preparing legislation that will provide real solutions for Texas families. The HDC ran the numbers, and of the 436 House Bills and House Joint Resolutions filed as of today, 287 of them — nearly two-thirds — have been filed by House Democrats. We’re off and…
