From Cape you news in Austin,
you're watching Texas this
week with Ashley Good Oh
Good Sunday morning there are
just two weeks left in the first
special session of the 87th Texas
Legislature and things remain at
a standstill with the majority of
House Democrats in Washington DC.
Let's get to the three things you
need to know in Texas politics.
The House Democratic Caucus acknowledged
the halfway mark of the special session
with a news conference doubling
down on their intent to stay in
Washington DC until the end of the
special session to stop the GOP backed
election reform bill from becoming law,
their time in DC has come with challenges.
At least six lawmakers tested positive for
COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated,
forcing much of their lobbying efforts
for the for the People Act and John
Lewis Voting Rights Act to happen
virtually and the White House maintains.
There are no plans as of now for the
President to meet with the Texas lawmakers.
State Representative Phillip
Cortez returned to Texas this week.
The San Antonio Democrat was in Washington
DC with his colleagues but says he
returned to Austin to open the lines
of communication with Republicans on
House Bill 3 the election Reform bill.
The author of the Bill,
Representative Andrew Murr,
says he and Cortez have had candid
conversations already but in
a statement said quote,
we will continue to have serious,
thoughtful conversations about House Bill.
Three Phil Cortez and I will likely
never see eye to eye on this.
Election legislation,
but he will have a seat at the table.
On the other side of the Capitol
Dueling news conferences show
growing tensions in the Senate.
The Senate Democratic Caucus held a
news conference to defend the House
Democrats in DC and highlight the
issues they have with Senate bill one,
the election reform bill,
the upper chamber passed earlier this
month and the longest serving member
in the Senate, Senator John Whitmire,
called out Governor Rick Abbott
for not meeting with any Democratic
senator to talk about election reform.
Minutes later,
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick
held his own news.
Conference saying the Democrats
are mischaracterizing the bill and
added the Republicans in the Senate,
are willing to hear their
concerns, while the Texas Democrats
are asking the US Senate to
take action on voting rights.
The Senators are battling along party
lines about an infrastructure bill
you've likely heard about the bipartisan
bill to improve roads
and transportation across
America, but U.S.
Senate Democrats want to pass a $3.5
trillion infrastructure bill that they
say invests in the American people.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
is spearheading that effort.
We talked about what he wants
to accomplish and how the
country would pay for it.
I know the Senate is
working to get several deals
passed before the August break,
but I have to first ask you
about the big news in Texas,
which is the State House Democrats
breaking quorum to try to
stop an election reform bill.
Traveling to DC to ask the Senate
to pass two voting rights bills.
Do you think the for the people Act or the
John Lewis Voting Rights Act will pass?
Uh, I think they have to pass
in a democratic society.
Actually, we can disagree on
issues disagree on health care,
taxation climate, but we cannot
disagree on whether or not ordinary
Americans have the right to vote and
participate in the political process.
And I have been really extremely disturbed
by states all over this country. Georgia,
Texas and elsewhere trying to deny people.
Often African Americans Latinos.
Young people, poor people,
people with disabilities,
the right to vote. I would draw.
It's the highest larger
voter turn out as possible,
not to deny people the right to vote.
So this is an issue.
I feel very strongly about.
So then tell us what's the
holdup with descended on
passing these bills.
Well, the answer is the Republicans
and you know you have many Republicans
who are still maintaining the myth
that the election was stolen,
that Donald Trump won the
presidency by a landslide.
That is a lie that is just not true.
But under that big lie you have states
all over the country saying we have
to deny people the right to vote.
They're using that as an excuse.
So that they are in a better position
to win future elections so it it
disturbs me very much that we are not
having Republicans support in saying
that in the United States of America
we gotta do everything that we can.
Make sure that all of our people,
no matter the color of their skin,
no matter how old they are,
no matter their disability.
If they're American citizen,
they have
the right to vote. It seems as
though those voting rights bills,
though maybe taking a backseat
to the infrastructure bills
that are before the Senate.
Right now I know you
guys are focused on those bills. There's
really two packages at play right now.
You have the the bipartisan
infrastructure package and then
the democratic package talk to us
about the differences between those
packages and which one you support.
Well, I'm chairman of the Budget
committee and I'm dealing with the.
With what we call the reconciliation package,
which will not have any Republican support.
And actually what we are trying to
do here is deal with the reality.
That many of the wealthiest people
in this country and many of the
largest corporations at a time of
massive income and wealth inequality.
These guys are not paying.
In some cases anything.
Not a nickel in federal income tax,
and that is totally absurd.
So what we are saying is we need to
change the tax system so that the
wealthy and large popular corporations
start paying their fair share of taxes.
And with that new revenue we have got
to address many of the longstanding.
Needs of working class people all
across this country needs that.
I've been ignored but decades
because it is no great secret.
Congress is worried about the
wealthy and large corporations.
They get all these tax breaks while half of
our people are working paycheck to paycheck.
Millions are working.
Pistol Dacian wages.
So what we're trying to do here is to
significantly transform our child care
system which today is dysfunctional.
And on affordable,
we're trying to make pre K.
That is for people three or four
kids three or four years old.
That's free. Part of public education.
What we're trying to do is expand
Medicare to cover dental hearing
aids and eyeglasses so that older
people will be able to chew.
Their food will be able to hear,
will be able to see we're going to end
the absurdity of the United States
of America richest country on Earth,
being the only major country.
Not to have paid family and medical leave.
There are women out there, have a baby.
They got to run back to work a week
after giving birth because we don't
have any paid family and medical
leave and we saw what it disaster
that was during the COVID pandemic.
We are going to address the crisis
of climate.
And begin to invest heavily in
transforming our energy system
and among other things,
we're going to create.
A civilian climate core to give
young people the opportunity to
do meaningful work at decent pay
with decent educational benefits.
To transform our energy system
so those are just some of the
proposals that are in there.
And by the way,
I should also say that we're going to
do our best to lower the outrageously
high cost of prescription drugs,
and I think many of the viewers
are already receiving the child
tax Credit 300 or 350 per child,
which we hope to extend over
a number of years.
That will make it easier to raise your kids.
It should lower childhood
poverty in America by 50%.
The reconciliation bill.
Where does it stand right now?
We hope to have it on the it's
a two part process number.
One you need a budget resolution to be
passed which deals with the bottom line.
Is that how much money is going to be spent?
The second part deals with the more
specific details of how it will be spent.
We expect to have the first part.
The budget resolution on the floor
of the United States Senate by early
August. Any concern
about passing a bill without having
some level of bipartisan support?
Under a president who has come in and said
he will get both sides to work together.
Well, that's a fair question and
the answer is there is bipartisan
support all across this country,
except not in the United States Senate.
So the real question,
I think that we should be asking,
is how does it happen that when
millions of Republicans understand
the need to expand Medicaid,
they understand the need to have
the rich and large corporations
pay their fair share of taxes.
They understand that they need to have
paid family and medical leave to improve.
Child care Tap Universal Pre K.
Uh, when ordinary
Republicans understand that,
but somehow their representatives
here in Congress do not.
There seems to be some kind of disconnect,
so I would argue that this all of the
provisions that I have talked about.
From child care to expanding Medicaid,
having the wealthy pay their fair
share of taxes are extremely popular.
They're popular with Republicans
more popular with independents,
more popular with Democrats.
But there is widespread support for
this entire package of proposals,
and that's why we've got to get him past.
We asked
US Senator John Cornyn,
who represents Texas,
about the infrastructure package
and reconciliation package.
He's in this statement that reads,
in part, quote.
I think it's imperative that we
actually pay for the bipartisan
infrastructure bill and that's what
I will be focusing on once we have
a chance to read it and get the
Congressional Budget Office to scort.
So while infrastructure
is a bipartisan subject,
we ought to responsibly pay for that bill.
And I don't think we should add
to the national debt and throw
gasoline on inflation concerns,
which are already rearing their ugly
head by another reckless spending bill.
And now the last word,
you know it's been a few months since I've
ended Texas this week with one of these.
Not because I don't want to share my
opinions about any and everything with you,
but because these past few
months have just felt heavy,
we're still living through a pandemic.
We had a contentious,
regular session of the legislature,
and now we're in a stalemate special.
But you know,
even in the heaviest of times,
we can still find joy.
So today I want to call to your attention
a politician who is seemingly finding.
A little joy in his situation.
Speaker of the House date
feeling for the past 12 days.
The House of Representatives has
been unable to take any action
because there isn't a quorum and
every single day the speaker has to
get up and say the exact same thing
members as a reminder under the
rules when the House is under recall,
any Member who wishes to leave the hall
must have written permission of the speaker,
but he has found a
way to add a little flavor
today's permission slip.
Or yellow Cherry Prairie sky blue
from deep in the heart of Texas.
Caprock, caliche harvest, grape.
Today's permission slips
are water, burger, orange.
Crawfish boil red. Prickly pear
blossom the House of Sanitys.
Perhaps the best part of the permission
slip color chronicles, is the speakers.
Tie often matches the slips.
Yes, this is a small trivial thing in the
midst of a significant political battle,
but it's fun and under the pink Dome.
Everyone needs 8 delightful anecdotes
to cut the otherwise unending tension,
so color coordinated ties
and permission slips. It is.
This has been Texas this week.