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Keep Public Funds in Public Schools! Say NO to ESAs!

The Texas Senate recently passed SB 2, which establishes Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) for 100,000 students at $10,000 each to pay for private school tuition. ESAs are welfare for the wealthy. Texas already has school choice and needs to protect and fully fund its public schools. Contact your State Representative to urge them to say NO to ESAs!

Tell Your Members of Congress to Oppose the SAVE Act!

Congress has introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require citizenship documentation to register to vote even though voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering. Americans do not need MORE obstacles to vote. Tell your representatives to say NO to the SAVE Act!

Voting Rights and Election Law

This year, more than 20 states and Congress are considering legislation requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration. In Texas, the bill we are following is SB 309, along with a companion bill in the House. SB 309 calls for the Secretary of State to make new rules that would require people to show official documents proving they're citizens before they can register to vote. The League opposed a similar bill in 2023 that passed the Senate and stalled in the House.

SB 309 raises several concerns:

• NVRA compliance issue: To require proof of citizenship in line with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the state would need to create two separate voter registration lists - one for federal elections and another for state elections.
• Vague language: The language of the bill is so vague that it can be interpreted in any way needed to get it passed.
• Impact on voter registration efforts: If passed, the requirement could make it impossible for groups like the League of Women Voters to register voters.

On a happier note, we will be watching HB 2082, which creates a Texas Voting Rights Act allowing online voter registration, automatic voter registration, and same day registration along with other expansions of access.

Financing Public Education

As expected, the Governor has prioritized educational savings accounts (ESAs, also known as school vouchers). The bill that passed the Senate this week, SB 2 is very much like the bill introduced in the 2023 session. SB 2 carries a $1 billion price tag, allowing 100,000 students to apply for vouchers of $10,000 to pay for private school tuition. The fiscal note for the bill estimates that 95% of the students opting into the program will already be attending private school. This has been the experience in other states with similar programs. Ten thousand dollars a year is not enough to cover tuition in many private schools. Furthermore, there are many parts of the state with no private school options.

Women's Healthcare and Reproductive Rights

Many good bills have been filed to repeal or remedy the harm caused by the Heartbeat Bill. It remains to be seen whether any of these bills will get a hearing in either chamber. In the meantime, maintaining and increasing funding for providers of critical health care services in Texas is important. Texas underfunds its healthcare safety net to the point that providers exhaust their funding for mandated services before the end of their fiscal year.

Water Infrastructure

Ensuring that Texas has water resources to support its growing population and economy is a priority in this session, and the League recognizes the need for additional funding to meet Texas’ long-term water needs. Texas established a Water Fund with $1 billion, and the Governor is now asking for the Legislature to create a dedicated funding source for the fund, similar to that of TXDOT, and for an additional $1 billion.

We are concerned about SB 1145/HB 2584, regarding the re-use of produced water.

Some positive bills:

• HB 2269 would help conserve local water resources by prohibiting property owners’ associations from requiring homeowners to plant, install, or maintain grass or turf as part of their landscaping.
• SB 480 would grant authority to local governments to enter into interlocal contracts with another local government, the state, or the federal government to participate in research or planning activities related to water resources.
• HB 1400 would create a groundwater science, research, and innovation fund to be administered by the Texas Water Development Board.
• SB 768 would authorize a study regarding the effects of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS) on public health.

Gun Safety

Court rulings continue to limit legislative options as Second Amendment rights are expanded at the expense of public safety. This session, we will again be ready to oppose any effort to arm Election Judges at polling locations.

Children's Issues

The League is following legislation that establishes enhanced services for foster children aging out of care and ensures that former foster youth can access key benefits, like those related to continuing education. SB 364/HB 1083, SB 165/HB 277, and SB 166/HB 1211 are all bills that would help guarantee that more foster children are able to access the benefits related to continuing education to which they are entitled, including tuition and fee exemptions. Moreover, these bills would also provide support for enhanced outreach services, ensuring that older youth in care are informed and aware of the benefits available to them after they age out of the system.