Ultrasound Bill Passes Senate, Second Pro-Life Victory of Day!!

Vote was 20-9.  Details coming shortly.  See details of debate below.  Shapleigh amendment to remove informed consent regarding abortion/breast cancer link (which has been in law since 2003) fails 11-19.

Now we need a big push in the House where we already have the written, demonstrated support of almost 70 House Members.  Call your State Rep. and make sure he/she supports the Ultrasound Bill.  Click here to find your Represenative http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/

Breaking!! Senate Debating Ultrasound Bill Now! Live Blogging

5:30 Vote coming- 20-9, Passes

5:15: Sen. Davis-”The woman has to sign a statement about the most difficult decision in her life.”  Why is the decision so difficult, though?

5:10 Sen. Patrick-It will be a great day in Texas if 31 Senators can vote in favor of this bill, and if so, i will not allow any changes in the House.”"

5:00 p.m.  Sen Watson-are ultrasounds available in all 254 counties?  Patrick-No.  Patrick-there is no place in Texas where you can get a “free” abortion. 

4:55 p.m.  Sen Shapleigh speaking, saying Sen. Patrick has made change in bill for benefit of women’s health.

Sen. Deuell speaking-We want informed consent, we don’t really know what goes on in abortion clinics because their records are not open.

Sen. Lucio and Sen Patrick talking about bill, slight change in language.

Sen. Lucio explaining he is pro-life from conception until natural death.  His district is pro-family, pro-life, pro-education.

Sen. Patrick and Sen. Van de Putte debating now.

Choose Life License Plate Passes Senate, 22-9!! Statement of Free Market Foundation

FMF at Gov. Perry Press Conference Supporting Choose Life License Plate before beginning of 2009 Legislative Session.

Today, following the Texas Senate’s vote to pass SB 1098, by a vote of 22-9, the Choose Life license plate bill, Free Market Foundation (FMF) Director of Legislative Affairs and Attorney Jonathan Saenz released the following statement:

“We applaud the leadership of our State Senators and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst for giving Texas citizens to proudly display the message ‘Choose Life’ and to support adoption as a loving alternative to abortion.  With 82 of 150 State House Members already pledging their support, this bill should have no problem clearing the full House and heading to Gov. Perry’s desk.”

FMF has presented testimony to the Senate and House Committees in favor of this bill.  FMF also worked with Alison Morales, a woman with personal connections to abortion and adoption who advocates for pro-life issues, to help her present testimony in the House and Senate in favor of this bill.  Rep. Larry Phillips is the author of the House version, HB 109, which is currently awaiting a hearing and vote in the House Transportation Committee.  In addition, Governor Rick Perry supported the Choose Life license plate legislation by hosting a news conference to bring awareness to the bills.

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Free Market Foundation stands for the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, religious liberties, and limited government, and frequently testifies in the Texas Legislature and works in the courts on these issues.

Choose Life License Plate Vote-Live Blogging

Official Vote coming  22-9, Choose Life Plate Passes!!!

Now we need a big push in the House where we already have support by a majority of House Members.  Call your State Rep. and make sure he/she supports the Choose Life License Plate bill.  Click here to find your Represenative http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/

Roll Call-2/3 rule suspended 

Averitt

Carona

Davis

Deuell

Duncan

 

12:52 p.m. Vote is happening now!!!

Once again, we will be in and out of the Senate Gallery today, anxiously awaiting the full Senate vote for SB 1098, by Sen Carona, the Choose Life License Plate bill.  We’ll report the vote when it happens.

While you wait, read about Alison Morales, who we have partnered with and have spoken on behalf of on this issue.  Read Alison’s story   http://freemarketblog.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/free-market-at-governor%e2%80%99s-press-conference-for-pro-life-bill/

Press Statement on Infanticide Bill

Free Market Foundation

See Texas Republic News story here www.texasrepublicnews.com

STATEMENT
April 30, 2009

AUSTIN, Texas – A bill that would reduce the crime of infanticide from capital murder to a state jail felony is nearing a vote by the full Texas House of Representatives.  HB 3318, filed by Jessica Farrar (D-Houston), is now eligible to be scheduled on the House calendar for a vote by all 150 Texas House members, since it was recently passed by the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.  The decision could come at any time.

“We already have incomplete protection for unborn children, and the assault, under this bill, will now extend to babies once they’re born by giving them less protection,” said Jonathan Saenz, director of legislative affairs at Free Market Foundation, who testified against the bill.  “We strongly oppose this bill and urge the Texas House leadership, both Republican and Democrat, to publicly condemn this outrageous legislation and stop it in its tracks.”

Current law states that if a child under the age of six is murdered, it is capital murder.  HB 3318 would reduce the crime of murder against a child the age of birth-12 months to only a state jail felony with a minimum punishment of 180 days to a maximum of 2 years, if the murder committed by the child’s mother is attributed to “impaired (judgment) as a result of the effects of giving birth or the effects of lactation following the birth.”

Texas would be the first state in the United States to have such a law.

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Update: Choose Life License Plate Vote Delayed

Just a quick update: the Senate’s vote on the Choose Life license plate has been delayed, to ensure passage. Check back with us for updates!  The vote should come tomorrow!

Breaking-’Choose Life’ To Be Voted on By Senate Today-Watch for Live Blog Updates on Vote

Infanticide Bill Passes House Committee-I’m Not Kidding, It Really Did

Unbelievable, yes, absolutely unbelievable.   HB 3318 has passed successfully out of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.  HB 3318, by Jessica Farrar (D-Houston), the Infanticide Bill, is a terrible assault on babies.  Currently, if you murder a child under the age of  six (6), it is Capital Murder, punishable by life in prison or the death penalty.  This bill, HB 3318, reduces the crime of murder against a child the age of 0-12 months, to only a state jail felony, with a maximum of 2 years and a minimum of 180 days.  So the mom that murdered her child could be set free with only six months time served.

Why? Because a woman proves that  her “judgment was impaired as a result of the effects of giving birth or the effects of lactation following the birth.”

Utterly outrageous.  We already have incomplete protection for unborn children, and the assault, under this bill, will extend to babies once they’re born and given them less protection.  Apparently to Rep. Jessica Farrar and some members of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, life outside of the womb is no longer worthy of the highest protection.

Texas would be the first state in the United States to have such a law.

HB 3318 is now in the Calendars Committee and could be voted on any day, one step away from full House approval.

Call the Calendars Committee today tell them to vote NO on HB 3318!!

Brian McCall-Chair: 512-463-0594
Eddie Lucio-Vice Chair:  512-463-0606
Norma Chavez:  512-463-0622
Garnett Coleman: 512-463-0524
Byron Cook: 512-463-0730
Brandon Creighton: 512-463-0726
Charlie Geren: 512-463-0610
Jim Keffer: 512-463-0656
Lois Kolkhorst: 512-463-0600
Edmund Kuempel: 512-463-0602
Jim McReynolds: 512-463-0490
Alan Ritter: 512-463-0706
Burt Solomons: 512-463-0478

Action Item! ‘Choose Life’ Plate Could Get Senate Vote This Week! Call your Senator!

The Texas Senate just cleared the way for the full Texas Senate to vote on the “Choose Life” license plate bill, SB 1098!  It could be voted on as early as Wednesday!  The “Choose Life” license plate bill would create a new specialty plate that would help will raise funds to promote adoption by equipping pregnancy resource centers and other pro-life organizations to offer this life-giving option to women as a compassionate alternative to abortion.  This bill also allows Texans to display the pro-life message “Choose Life” on their license plate!  We are still waiting for the bill to come out of the House Transportation Committee, but we hope that a quick vote by the Senate will encourage the House to speed up the process!

You can make a difference! Call your Senator now!

House Member Seeks to Conceal Critical Voting Information: Update from HB 420 Hearing

Update-we testified against this bill. After Rep. Donna Howard said that voters usually have little information about SBOE members, it made my main point easier — her bill will give voters less information not more, which will lead to less informed voters.  Rep. Heflin tried to use my appearance in front of the committee as an opportunity to trash our voters’ guide, claiming our VG painted him as a liberal even though he claims he is not, that he is a 100% pro-lifer.  With a straight face, I said, “We don’t do any painting, we simply produce your answers to questionnaire.”  He got the point.  I asked him why he didn’t just answer our questionnaire, or fill in the comments section if he could not answer the questions yes or no, like so many other candidates do.  So, if you live in Rep. Heflin’s district, I hope you will kindly encourage him to back up his stated pro-life position and co-author and vote for HB 36, the ultrasound bill.  To his credit, he is a co-author of the Choose Life license plate bill. 

Rep. Alma Allen (D-Houston) said in the hearing that she is against the bill.  Rep. Allen is a former SBOE member herself and her son, Lawrence Allen, is now a sitting SBOE member, so her opinion counts for a lot.

I’d say this bill has reached the end of the road.

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HB 420, by Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin), bans a State Board of Education Member from indicating their political party affiliation on a voting ballot.  This excludes and conceals vital information from voters, many who don’t often get to interact with their State Board of Education.

From the House Chronicle:

“Bill author Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, says she wants to take some of the partisan politics out of State Board of Education.  ‘We don’t use partisan politics in local school boards, and it seems that it would be helpful if we got rid of some of that with the State Board,’ she says.” 

We also don’t use party affiliation for city council/mayoral elections.  Maybe next, Rep. Donna Howard will next ask for party affiliation removal for all statewide elections.  I am sure this bill has nothing to do with the fact that she holds very extreme liberal views and most of Austin is represented by the conservative SBOE member, Cynthia Dunbar, whose district extends to Houston.

This bill is up for a hearing later today in the Elections Committee.  We are opposed to this bill.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Committees/MembershipCmte.aspx?LegSess=81R&CmteCode=C240