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3.8.21 Capitol Action Report

LWV Texas | Published on 3/8/2021


Capitol Action Report


March 8, 2021 - News, Updates & Action



Learn more about Texas Public Input Hearingshere.

Learn how to write testimonyhere. See videohere.
Expand Medicaid

Support League Action at the Texas Capitol. Click Here to Donate Now!

Empowering Voters.
Defending Democracy.
The League at the Capitol
Janet Imhoff, Vice President Advocacy

The Aftermath of the Big Freeze!

Hearings were held in the House and Senate on Feb. 25-26 for invited testimony only.LWVTX was able to submit written “comments” through the House email portal.We heard there were thousands of submissions.Here is the

An Op-Ed titled,“Why El Paso and Amarillo kept the lights on,”was written by the Presidents of those Leagues,Carol Wallace(LWV El Paso) andSonya Letson(LWV Amarillo), and was published by the Houston Chronicle!They did a terrific job explaining why El Paso and Amarillo avoided the blackouts.

Climate Change Issue ChairMike Imhoff(LWV Collin County) reports seeing a lot of new bills referencing being ready for extreme weather events and climate change. Climate Change is an Urgent Issue for LWVTX.See his Issue Update on the website:Climate Change Issue Update

Women’s Health - Urgent Issue

Issue ChairLouise Hytken(LWV Dallas) writes on her webpage aboutefforts to restrict abortion access.She says that most of the bills would curtail a women’s right to choose and would impose more restrictions on abortion clinics.Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s list of priority issues for the current legislative session include — a "heartbeat bill" that would ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, as well as an "abortion ban trigger" that would automatically ban the practice if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.Read herIssue Updatefor more details on the bills.


What You Can Do:
If you are concerned about the Governor’s removal of the mask order, or any other subject, write a personal email using ourTake Action!webpage.Click on thislink, go to the bottom of the home page, enter your address if necessary, and click GO.From there deselect those you don’t want to email, select a topic, and write your letter.Tell your own story and why you think it’s important. Personal emails often carry more weight than pre-written ones.
Motor-Voter Registration in Texas!
Cinde Weatherby, Voting & Elections Issue Chair

Didn’t think Texas had online voter registration?Thanks to a lawsuit, commonly called “the Stringer case,” the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) must offer everyone making a driver's license change online an opportunity to register to vote or to update their registration.

Approximately half a million Texas voters registered to vote online using the DPS portal since September 23, 2020!LWVTX was a party in the "Stringer" lawsuit and we are extremely excited to see the overwhelming success.


VisitVoting Rights & Election Lawsfor more updates!
Redistricting Hearings Reminder!
Stephanie Swanson, Redistricting Issue Chair

The Senate Redistricting Committee will be holding virtual public input hearings this week.They recently added a hearing for the Austin Area.Remember, you can provide testimony at any hearing, regardless of the regional focus of the hearing.To registerto provide testimonyclick here.

March 11, 9 AM CT - Austin Area
March 12, 10 AM MT - El Paso
March 13, 9 AM CT - Entire State

You only need to register for the hearings if you want to provide testimony.View the live-streamed hearings here.
On March 7, 1965, John Lewis and 600 civil rights marchers were tear-gassed and viciously beaten by Alabama state and local police. “Bloody Sunday” ignited the conscience of the nation and, after too many more sacrifices, the Voting Rights Act was passed 5 months later.

This conversation will look back at what it took to get the Voting Rights Act passed, how it expanded the vote, the ongoing attempts to subvert it, new forms of voter suppression, and how we must and we can pass voting rights legislation in 2021 to build a truly multi-racial democracy.

Join us! Voting should be a right, not a fight.Register here.
Redistricting: Its Effects on You, Your Community, and Our Democracy
Monday, March 15, 2021- 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Hosted by LWV San Antonio with outreach sponsors LULAC and Can We Talk?
ASL interpretation services will be provided during the forum.
Moderator: Charles Gonzalez,Former U.S. Congressman Charles A. Gonzalez represented Texas’s 20thCongressional District for 14 years.

Panelists:
Dr. Lloyd Potter,Texas State Demographer and Director of the UTSA Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research (IDSER)

State Senator José Menéndez, District 26,Vice-Chair, Local Government Committee, and member of the Senate Special Committee on Redistricting

Stephanie Swanson,LWV Texas Board Member and Redistricting Issue Chair

PleaseRSVPatRedistrictingForum.LWVSA@gmail.combySaturday, March 13, 2021.
Log-in information will be emailed to you when you have registered.
This is a rescheduled event.If you already registered for the Feb. 22 event, you do not need to RSVP for this event.
The League in the News on HR 1
“It would be a huge, huge deal for Texas voters,” saidGrace Chimene, president of the League of Women Voters of Texas, a group that supports the legislation. “It’s like having a new Voting Rights Act that would protect the rights of voters, make it fair and equal access to voting here in Texas.”Houston Chronicle, March 2, 2021

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