Legislative Priority Report April 2, 2021
Many of us have been at the Capitol Building in Austin this week to testify on our priorities. To continue the baseball analogy from a couple of weeks ago, we are in the fifth inning and have the bases loaded. However, we got a big strike yesterday, on the floor, and it was the fault of our own.
Rep. Bryan Slaton of HD 2 offered a very well-written, germane amendment to a Child Protective Bill that would have stopped the removal of a child from a parent if they refused to agree to gender modification. Speaker pro-tempore Joe Moody called a point of order, and action on the floor ceased for 40 minutes while the LGBT caucus surrounded Speaker Phelan, and the parliamentarians searched for ways to find the amendment out of order.
Our Children and Gender Modification priority is about protecting kids who are minors, not about restricting a decision a grown adult is perfectly free to make. That the progressive left wants to maim children is abhorrent enough, but that our own Republican leadership appears complicit is beyond the pale.
Rep. Tony Tinderholt questioned Rep. Slaton on his amendment to the Child Protective Bill, and Rep. Slaton movingly made the case that this issue is about saving children from medical abuse which cannot be reversed. You can watch his testimony here.
What is important to note is that there are very few of our Republican representatives who are fighting as hard as Rep. Slaton, who knows that a little boy in the Dallas area is about to be “gender modified” by an out-of-control mob consisting of his mother, judges, and deluded “healthcare providers,” unless this legislation is passed to prevent it. This case just represents the tip of the iceberg. There are already cases in other states where children have been removed by CPS because the parents did not consent to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgery to remove healthy body parts in an attempt to change sex.
This was an excellent opportunity to protect kids, and Speaker Phelan caved to LGBT activists, as we suspected he would when he was made speaker. Shamefully, there is little urgency outside of a small group. Our heroes on this priority include Rep. Slaton, Rep. Tinderholt, Rep. Toth, and Rep. Parker. A couple of others have filed bills but don’t seem to be working the issue very hard. Please thank these four men and urge the Speaker, Lt. Governor, Governor, and other legislators to get this priority passed.
The House Elections Committee heard testimony into the wee hours this morning from many citizens who have first-hand knowledge of cheating and fraud in local elections. Witnesses described cases of ballot harvesting and bribery. Will our legislators listen and pass meaningful Election Integrity bills? I fervently hope so. Real voter suppression is when the election process cannot be trusted. Thank you to Rep. Valoree Swanson, who asked excellent questions of the witnesses, allowing them to elaborate on their points.
Time is ticking and our bills can easily die at any point. We must keep them moving. We still need hearings on our Abolition of Abortion, ban Gender Modification, and Monuments bills.
A common way to kill legislation is to “slow walk” it. In other words, slow down the movement through the process so that time runs out. It can be done subtlety so that it appears no one person is responsible. Then everyone can go home to their districts and say that they did everything they could to support the Legislative Priorities, really made progress, and next session, if you will send them back, they will get it done. Do you believe that?
We need to complete the innings, bring in the runs, and win this! The progressive left is counting on us to back down, buckle under political pressure, or cower to their threats. We must say “No!” We must let our elected men and women in Austin know that we will support them as they get the work done, but make no mistake about it, we will not tolerate inaction. If this occurs, we will find others to send in their places. We all know that our liberties and freedoms are on the line, and we must get serious legislation passed to protect our state and our way of life for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.
Action items for the week:
1. Contact the committee chairs of Public Health and Culture, Recreation, and Tourism and ask them to schedule our Children and Gender Modification, Abolition of Abortion, and Monuments bills for hearings. See our bill list for committee assignment and see here for committee chairs and members. (link)
2. Contact the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, your own representative and senator, and ask them to get our Legislative Priorities bills heard and scheduled for a floor vote quickly.
3. Spread this information to other Republicans. Tell them all the information they need can be found here. You can also track all our priority bills under our bill list.
Thank you for all you are doing. It is making a difference and your voice is being heard. We just need to keep up the communication until the legislation is passed. Special thank you to those who came to Austin this week. Your enthusiasm and love for Texas are our hope for the future of our children and grandchildren.
For God and Texas,
Jill Glover
SREC, SD 12
Chair, SREC Legislative Priorities Committee
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