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March 18, 2011 |
Weekly Legislative Update
Choose Life License Plate Bill Passes the Senate, Payday Bills to be Heard Next Week, Advocacy Day is Coming Soon!
 This week the Choose Life License Plate bill (SB 257)passed the Senate, and is now on to the House! This week TCC testified on HB 303 ( Fee on money transfers to Mexico or Central or South America - oppose) and Marie Seale, Director of the Office of Pro-Life Activities and Chaste Living for the Diocese of Austin, testified on HB 561 (Ban on hospital districts from using tax revenue to finance an abortion - support). Both bills were left pending in committee. Click on the bill name to view the testimony, or visit our Letters and Testimony page here.
The Catholic Faith in Action Advocacy Day is less than 20 days away. There are many ways to get involved. Most importantly, please PRAY for the success of the day! You can also participate by attending the day in Austin with your diocese or calling and emailing your legislators prior to our day to let them know that you support the Catholics who will be visiting them on April 6. Click here for more information on the Advocacy day and how to get involved with your diocesan delegation.
Payday Lending Hearing Next Week
The Texas Faith for Fair Lending press conference has been rescheduled for Monday, March 21. On Tuesday, March 22, there will be 8 payday and auto title regulation bills heard in the House Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services (PIFS) committee. At this time, we are only supporting four of these bills, HB 410, HB 656, HB 661, and HB 1323, because these are the only bills that effectively close the loophole which allows pay day and auto title lenders to loan with unlimited fees. While the other bills have some elements that we would support, overall, they do not close the loophole and they still allow unlimited fees. Should these bills be amended to satisfy these concerns, we would be happy to change our position on them. Therefore, at this time, we cannot support HB 2592, HB 2593, HB 2594, and HB 3021. When you make your calls to this committee, we recommend that you use the full sample message below to clarify this position to the members. See the committee members and their contact information below the sample message.
Sample Message: "Hello, my name is <<First Name>> and I am a Catholic in CITY, Texas. I am calling to ask you to support HB 410, HB 656, HB 661, and HB 1323, which will be in the PIFS committee on Tuesday, March 22. These are the only bills that that effectively close the loophole which allows pay day and auto title lenders to loan with unlimited fees. I ask you to oppose HB 2592, HB 2593, HB 2594, and HB 3021, because, while these bills have some elements that I would support, overall, they do not close the loophole and they still allow unlimited fees. For more information you can contact the Texas Catholic Conference at 512-339-9882. Thank you for your time."
Bills in Committee Next Week
The following bills are in committee next week, click here for a full action alert on these bills. Please check the web site for the most up-to-date listing, as some committee agendas have less than a week's notice.
- HB 387 - Allows parents of children in special ed. programs to have leave to meet with teachers (support)
- SB 423 - Increases access to health care (support)
- HB 643 - Increases access to summer nutrition program for children (support)
- HB 410, HB 656, HB 661, HB 1323 - Payday and Auto Title Lenders (support)
- HB 2592, HB 2593, HB 2594, HB 3021 - Payday and Auto Title Lenders (oppose)
- SB 420 - Decreases access to health care (oppose)
- HB 1121 - Human Trafficking (support)
- HJR 97 - Constitutional amendment on moratorium of the use of the death penalty (support)
- HB 419 - Automatic enrollment in family planning program (oppose)
- HB 2299 - Allows Women's Health Programs to refer and spend money on organizations that perform or promote abortions (oppose)
- SB 876 - Access to ID Documents for people who are homeless (support)
Bills Voted out of Committee This Week
- HB 7 - Human Trafficking (support)
- HB 12 - Immigration Law Enforcement (oppose)
- HB 27 - Indigent Defense (support)
- HB 197 - Immigration Enforcement (oppose)
- HB 275 - Use of the Rainy Day Fund (support)
- HB 289 - Human Trafficking (support)
- HB 350 - Juvenile Justice Reform (support)
- HB 824 - Promote fathers' involvement with children before birth (support)
- HB 1481 - Person-first, respectful language for people with disabilities (support)
- SB 24 - Human Trafficking (support)
- SB 963 - Access to parking placard for persons with disabilities (support)
Updating your profile to include your address allows us to determine your legislative district and provide you with your legislator's contact information so that you can easily act on action alerts. Legislators are most influenced by communication that comes from their own constituents. If you believe that your legislator information is incorrect, or would prefer to email us your address, please contact us.
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