Call Now, Vote Is Today to Defund Planned Parenthood! Live Blogging

 

Statement on passage of SB 7 and other efforts to cut funding to Planned Parenthood. LibertyInstituteStatmentSB7

Update:  SB 7 passes Texas House 96-48.  Now Senate needs to adopt the bill.  Now Tx Senate has to vote on this today.  Vote coming any minute.  Follow quick updates at our FB page.  http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Liberty-Institute-Texas/188607107843102

Update: 11:15 a.m.  SB 7 is being discussed/debated on House Floor, expected that votes are there for SB 7 to pass.

SB 7 contains pro-life provisions under which Planned Parenthood stands to lose at least $17 million per year in taxpayer funds and SB 7 prevents use of county taxpayer funds for abortions.  SB 7 contains improved pro-life language that is agreed to by SB 7 authors  — Rep. Zerwas and Sen. Nelson – and Rep. Bryan Hughes, Rep. Sid Miller and other pro-life members of the Texas House and Senate. SB 7 is expected to come to a vote TODAY in the House and Senate!  The Texas House starts working at 10 a.m. today.

The day to defund Planned Parenthood in Texas is TODAY. Please call your House member and Senator NOW to ask them to support SB 7!

Check back on the blog later today for updates.

Attacks on Texas State Board of Education Crushed by Texas Senate

Democrat Senator Rodney Ellis surprised his fellow Senators when he offered a floor amendment yesterday to “sunset” the State Board of Education, trying to attach this amendment to a bill that had nothing to do with the State Board of Education.  Thankfully, leaders in the Senate, particularly Republican Senators Florence Shapiro and Jane Nelson, vigorously fought off the sneak attack, and the Senate emphatically rejected this effort and voted it down.  Please call Sen. Nelson and Sen. Shapiro and thank them and remind your Senator that you support the SBOE and you want Gail Lowe to be confirmed as SBOE Chairman, by the Senate!

This week, we also fought against an effort to give unelected education elites influence for our K-12 curriculum standards, like social studies, a role currently left to our elected SBOE.  HB 862, by Rep. Diane Patrick also seeks to “sunset” the SBOE but it has found no support thus far in the House and we are strongly opposed to its passage.

Finally, the Sonogram bill (HB 15) has now passed the Senate committee and is scheduled for a full Senate vote next week!