the past weeks about how bills e
shaping up in the state legislae
that could severely harm Harris County.
And I wanted to talk to folks ty
because I want to make sure that people in
Harris County know what's happening and
that those around the state understand
how these bills are going to impact them,
because they will.
First, obviously for context,
the importance of Harris County.
Not just for the almost 5 millin
people who call Harris County h,
but also for all Texans.
Harris County has 4.7 million residents,
16% of the state's population.
We are larger than 25 states in population.
Our economy contains more
than 160,000 employers,
headquarters of 25 Fortune 500 companies,
close to 1/5 of Texans.
Rely on Harris County's economy
for jobs and energy, healthcare,
construction, other industries.
We've got an important port.
As you all know,
Harris County substantially contributed
to Harris count to Texas havinge
fastest GDP growth in the US last year.
Some in the Texas Legislature
are declaring war on this,
the most populous and the most generative.
County in the state.
And what they seem not to realie
is that it's not just a murder t
against residents in Harris Cou.
It's a murder suicide plot that conspires
against residents in all of Tex.
Dozens of bills have been fileds
legislative session specifically
seeking to harm Harris County,
the engine of growth and opporty
for Texas that Harris County represents.
Most specifically,
I want to highlight for election
bills that egregiously threaten
the voting rights of Harris Couy
constituents and ultimately of Texans.
Now, these are not the only one,
but I don't want to go too long.
Two of these bills were written
only for Harris County.
They're written to apply to Texs
counties over 2.7 million peopl,
over 3.5 million people, respectively,
of which there's only one,
and that is Harris County if the state
legislature gets a free pass in doing this.
They will only continue.
Some of those bills that don't
pass this session,
may pass at the next session,
can return in future sessions,
whether they're seeking
to overturn elections,
whether they're seeking to take
over lifesaving departments.
Where does it stop that any decisions
make in a county they don't like
need to go through the Republicn
controlled legislature that then
overturn elections in any countf
this is allowed to happen in Te?
The model is going to be copied
by other states as well.
I can't think of something
more antidemocratic. Now.
Let me talk about the first of e
four bills I'm going to cover.
It's SB1993.
This bill, it's right now,
it's in the House.
It would allow the Secretary of
State to order a new election if they have,
quote,
good cause to believe that at
least 2% of the total number of
polling places in the county
and that's the quote ran.
Out of usable ballots and did
not receive supplemental ballots
within the hour.
Now that sounds like a mouthful,
but in practice, a single individual,
the Secretary of State,
who is appointed by the governo,
would have the discretion to overturn
the results of elections in Hars
County over mere accusations.
Specifically,
if SB1993 had been in effect in 2022,
these past elections,
it could have been a disaster
for Harris County could have
had the elections overturned.
There were allegations these
past elections about delays in
the refill of ballot paper.
It's come to light in a Houston
Chronicle expose that the allegations
were severely exaggerated.
Every county has hiccups running elections,
especially a county with 5 million people.
And in our state,
which has made it harder to run elections,
this bill allows a single officl
appointed by the governor
to unilaterally decide.
Even based on false allegationst
are later disproven that he wano
overturn the elections in Harris County,
Senate Bill 1750 is another one.
That bill, for the first
time in recent memory,
would have the state legislature
abolish a statutorily created
office at the local level.
9 out of the 10 largest counties in Texas
have that office Elections administrator,
and research shows that having
an elections administrator.
Improves public trust in electis
and makes elections more effici.
Over the past legislative sessi,
couple legislative sessions laws
have been passed to make it harr
for us to conduct our elections
In the face of those challenges,
we've created the Elections
Administrator's Office,
which as I mentioned,
has helped us move through those hurdles
and conduct elections efficient.
The next one is Senate Bill 193.
It would take autonomy away from
local governments writ large.
Over how to run their own elects
and instead hand control over to again
the appointed Secretary of Staty
giving him or her this point hie
power not only to observe and rt
on the county's elections activities,
but also to approve all election
policies and procedures and even
direct the termination of the
county's elections administrato.
SB9SB1039 is the last one I'm going to cover.
It would allow certain individus
to jumpstart a very burdensome.
Administrative process in Harris County,
if they feel there were, quote,
election irregularities Now, obviously,
with the amount of false tales of election
irregularities peddled in recent years,
that bill would seek to burden
our local administrative office.
It would allow disgruntled folks
disgruntled by election results
to swarm our election offices ad
overburden our elections administrators.
So candidates.
Party chairs, presiding judges,
alternate judges,
of which there are hundreds,
would be able to challenge thisd
and and the Secretary of State could,
in their sole discretion and
without conducting an audit,
determine that a violation has
occurred and even appoint A
conservator to oversee election.
These bills are being considered as we speak.
Overall, they're a political maneuver.
There's something that all Harris County
residents and all Texans should know about.
They're designed to give one
party a leg up in our elections.
The bills will change.
Some will pass in the coming da.
But what I want is for everyone
to know the kinds of attacks,
the kinds of attacks on the rigs
of Texans and undemocratic ideas
that are being considered right.
This is not normal.
These are not the kinds of bill.
That legislature should be
considering to build a stronger
and more resilient democracy.
They do not represent our value.
They do not represent the
values of local control and the
strength of local government,
and they are not designed to ene
the integrity of the system.
In fact,
they undermine the integrity of the system
because they are an abuse of the system.
Whether individually or taken together,
these attempts to subvert the
authority of Harris County,
and with it attacks on all couns
and all cities in our state,
represents the disenfranchisemet
of millions of local voters
whose voices will be silenced.
I'm going to repeat my remarks in Spanish.
Second Avido Noticias Anibal Nacional.
Las ultimas semanas a circa Los
projectos de le ques es stand de
saroyan de nil condado Harris aa
en esta de saroyan a circa
El condado haris en la hes.
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milones de residentes es El El condado,
mas Grande del estado major en poblacion
que enti cinco estados americane
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mas descientos descenta mil en a
dores tiene benti cinco de Las quinianto.
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Harris parasus trabajos en en El
Gia en salud en construcion on s
tenemos UN Puerto norm country e
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has
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de asesinato suisidio que conspiricent.
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del condado que fresen ser vizis
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entrava jado para cer casin posi
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naci.
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como condados para regular por egemplo
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de quattro projectos delay as
circa Los de la celexiones
caminassan Los derechos de Los bot anise.
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appliques applique en condos des
de dos Punto cieta residentes ao
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elimina lo queso serido cer cono
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projecto la permeteria que
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dos mil ventidos El does.
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Uno ficina crea de por la anival
local ece
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al manehar como no sotros yamosa
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en estra propio fisina higg.
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Lad bosses, De mi Yonis de Will tantes
locales at Travis De total esta dejas.
I'll take any questions.
OK, so it sounds like most of te
bills may potentially become la.
How does the how does Harris Coy
plan on? We'll see what happens.
We'll see what happens.
Obviously, we're in communicatin
with the county attorney's offi.
But these are all very,
very challenging bills.
They threaten the integrity of our elections.
Right now.
We need to watch and see what
passes and what doesn't,
and it's my hope that these
legislators will realize that.
They're not only harming their
political aspirations because
elections around the country hae
shown us voters don't want to
see this kind of extreme policy,
but they're harming their own
constituents and they're harming
their own state in the process.
So my hope is that these won't e
it that that folks will realize
what what a problem this is.
And if they do,
we'll fight tooth and nail and
basically the only recourse we'l
have is probably the courts.
But.
I don't want to get into details without the
County Attorney here because I don't know.
I don't know certainly the details. OK
Yeah. Because I wanted to ask
about that House Bill 2127. Yes.
So that part of the problem with
that bill is how vague it is.
It could be read to basically eliminate the
ability of cities and counties to pass.
Any kind of local policies for urban areas,
you know, anything on regulating businesses,
how things basically maintainine
stability of a city of a countyr
rural areas, regulating agricul,
important decisions that need to be made.
But half of the problem is the s
not clear, the bills not clear.
And so at worst, that's what it could be.
At best, it's posturing.
But you know,
basically that it also allows pretty much
any individual to sue a city or a county.
And so one thing we do know is
it can create huge administratie
burdens for for localities.
Thank you so much. Thank you.