S2E2: Every Texan Talks Special Session

And we’re back again….Texas Governor Greg Abbott calls a fourth special session. Vouchers are back on the agenda as well as immigration bills, school finance and safety are potentially finally up for debate, procedural rules and processes are being thrown out the window. Marisa, Luis, and Jaime take a break at the Capitol to discuss what this all means for Texans.

Marisa and Luis discuss vouchers and immigration bills more than halfway through the third special session.

The Every Texan team talks about developments on vouchers and border security during the first two days of the special. Hold on to your hats.

We're baaaaccckkk.....The special session starts next week and the Governor's proclamation setting the agenda for session came out today. Marisa and Luis review the topics and talk about what to expect at the Capitol next week.

Texas is re-checking eligibility for all 5.9 million Texans with Medicaid through May 2024 following a 3-year nationwide pause on disenrollments during the pandemic (sometimes called Medicaid “unwinding”). This is an enormous undertaking, unprecedented in scale for Texas Medicaid’s eligibility and enrollment system. Millions of Texans, mostly children in low-income families and postpartum mothers, risk losing their health insurance. Over half a million Texans were removed from Medicaid health coverage in June alone, according to new data released by Texas HHSC. Joined by analysts from the Every Texan team, Marisa discusses the unwinding's harmful impact on Texans already struggling to make ends meet and get the care they need. Host: Marisa Bono, Every Texan CEO Guests: Luis Figueroa, Every Texan Chief of Legislative Affairs Karla Martinez, Every Texan Policy Analyst Stacey Pogue, Every Texan Senior Policy Analyst Go deeper: Read: First Data Shows Alarming Impact of Medicaid Unwinding in Texas Read: ‘Should Texas’ Health Insurance Marketplace be state-run or federally-run?’ is not the right question Watch: Every Texan Community Conversations: The Unwinding

On Thursday, June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in public and private college admissions, reversing a policy that schools and universities have used to increase diversity for decades. Joined by analysts and experts from the Every Texan team, Marisa discusses the ruling's harmful implications on policy and people both in Texan and nationwide. Host: Marisa Bono, Every Texan CEO Guests: Kimberly Clarida, Every Texan Higher Education Policy Analyst Jonathan Malagon, Every Texan Director of Equity and Learning Jaime Puente, Every Texan Director of Economic Opportunity Highlights: Marisa – "It undermines the integrity of our highest court when you’re overturning decades-long precedent in a way that’s not faithful to the Court’s historical interpretations." Kimberly – "If we’re going to address racial issues that have come about because of racism and race, we’re going to have to develop race-based policies to address them. Race-neutral policies won’t fix them." Jonathan – "This ruling really ignores the enduring impact and effects of systemic racism. Deeming race irrelevant in law vis a vis college admissions does not make it so in life. The Court is living in an illusion that racial inequality is only a problem of the past." Jaime – "The Court has brought back to the forefront this false idea that we can live in a colorblind society after hundreds of years of living in a society that is based on racial categorization; this artificial system of distributing power based on someone’s identity, whether it’s their ethnic identity or the color of their skin." 

The 88th Legislative Session ended...and the first Special Session began the next morning! Luis and Marisa chat about developments in the final days of session, including what happened with HB5, how the tax break negotiations between the Senate and the House broke down, and more. They also explain what a Special Session is, and what Texans can expect in coming days (spoiler alert: it's mostly about tax cuts). For a good explainer on tax compression and the impact of tax cuts on Texas families, check out "Who Doesn't Pay Taxes" by Dick Lavine and "Property Tax Compression: Growing the State Share Without Improving School Funding" by Chandra Villanueva.

All eyes are focused on impeachment this weekend, but we can't lose sight of the fact that the countdown to Sine Die can now be done in hours rather than days. Sunday is the last day for the House and Senate to adopt conference committee reports or adopt the other chamber’s amendments. Like the end of a school year, some members are starting to say their goodbyes to their deskmates and their bills that didn’t pass while others make last-minute changes to legislation through informal conference committees. From preemption to vouchers to food security to immigration and more, Luis and Marisa chat about where our priority bills stand as of May 26, including some rare bi-partisan wins and some major lost opportunities for all Texans. 

With less than 28 days left in the Texas legislative session, Luis and Marisa talk about which bills are moving, which ones are dead, and which ones are... living dead. From healthcare to education to immigration, find out where you can make a difference on the issues that affect all Texans.

No matter what we look like, where we come from, or what we do for a living, we can all agree that working people should have the pay and benefits they need to work in dignity to support their families. 74% of Texas workers do not have access to any form of paid medical leave and 64% do not have access to unpaid family medical leave. This reality leaves both families and employers vulnerable during times when employees may need to care for a newborn baby or recently adopted child. But for some reason, elected state leaders want to give more corporate tax breaks to wealthy companies and take away the power of local government to support workers. This session, Texans of all backgrounds are fighting back with proactive bills to ensure freedom and fairness for all Texans. Guest: Amanda Posson, Every Texan Senior Policy Analyst Host: Marisa Bono, Every Texan CEO Resources: The Texas Family Act: Paid Parental Leave Strengthens Families and Small Businesses in Texas Attacks on local democracy: Testimony to the House Committee on State Affairs on HB 2127 and SB 814 Wealthy corporations should pay what they owe: HB 5 Is Like Chapter 313 But Worse