![]() Republican leadership decided to focus on legislation that armed them with political rhetoric for the next election cycle rather than addressing actual issues like maternal mortality and morbidity. Sadly, women’s health was dealt with more harm than good yet again. While it, unfortunately, failed to move through the legislative process in time, I’m confident it can pass next session. With significant support, I made great strides on this landmark bill. I also worked with Republicans to prioritize funding for the state’s waiting lists, the longest in the nation for home and community-based services for individuals with developmental disabilities.įinally, I filed HB 1146 to protect healthcare professionals by requiring employer-run workplace violence prevention programs. I passed HB 961, which gives school nurses the ability to remove concussed students from athletic activities as well as serve on their school district’s concussion oversight teams. Nevertheless, I fought for both simple and intensive healthcare legislation. I’m hopeful this legislation will improve the lives of some of our most vulnerable Texans.Ī perennial problem for our state is Republican leadership’s inability to pass common-sense legislation, such as Medicaid Expansion, that would increase healthcare access and lower costs. These youth - basically children having children - can benefit from parenting training and support, and break the cycle of abuse and neglect. HB 475 provides additional training for our foster youth who are pregnant or parenting. This legislation increases their chances of success. Although these students qualify for a tuition waiver, only three percent currently graduate with a bachelor’s degree. HB 1702 directs resources to liaison officers at public higher education institutions to support students who are former foster youth. To tackle some of the problems facing our foster youth, I was able to pass two pieces of legislation. Chuy Hinojosa, clarifies the disciplinary process for forensic scientists when misconduct is alleged. It ensures allegations are taken seriously, and makes prevention and education a vital component. HB 1735 is a comprehensive “Texas Title IX” that puts into place fair and accountable processes for university investigations into sexual assault, harassment, stalking and dating violence. This task force will conduct a biennial survey of survivor services across Texas, and develop a gaps analysis that can show the public and policymakers what needs to be done to bring the state up to those standards. HB 1590 creates a Sexual Assault Survivors’ Task Force in the Governor’s office, pulling together a multi-disciplinary, interagency task force to establish survivor-centered best practices, and coordinate how these standards can complement each other. I’m proud to have played a key role in those efforts, having passed two bills that have been hailed for their significant policy approaches to sexual assault. This session was notable for the comprehensive approach the legislature took to address sexual violence. ![]() HB 314 allows public schools to use a dedicated stream of state revenue to pay for childcare and other services critical to the success of students with children of their own. I successfully amended a bill that I’ve filed for the past five sessions onto HB 3. You can read my assessment of it in the Austin American Statesman op-ed here. This bill certainly does that, although the cost for this improvement will escalate dramatically after two years. For years, I’ve been calling for the state to increase its share of school funding. The state passed a landmark school finance overhaul (HB 3) that injects an additional $7.5 billion into our schools. You can find more information about these topics on my website, but here is a summary: I was also able to pass valuable policy on a number of other issues such as higher education affordability, responsible gun storage, our local environment, and women’s criminal justice reform. I’m happy to report back that those efforts on your behalf were successful enough so that I was honored to make Texas Monthly’s Best Legislators list. Maximizing the effectiveness of taxpayer dollars Greater access to healthcare - particularly for women, and the well-being of pregnant mothers Improving services and outcomes for the state’s foster youth In January, I sent you an email outlining priorities for my office, and that included:īetter policies to address sexual assault It can be a whirlwind keeping track of all the legislation in flux during the frantic 140-day session, but your support made it possible to focus on real policy. With another Texas Legislative Session behind us, I wanted to again thank you for the privilege of representing House District 48 and the responsibility you’ve entrusted in me as your State Representative.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |