Howdy John,

We wouldn't pull your leg — April at the Capitol has been a doozy.

After more than 30 years of successful community pushback from folks like us who want public dollars to stay with public schools, the far right finally had the votes to pass the governor's doggone private school voucher scheme, Senate Bill 2. And that wasn’t the only bad news. They kept the attacks on LGBTQIA+ Texans, religious freedom, public education, reproductive rights, voting, and our freedom to read comin'.

But we’re not out of hope — not even close. We’ll make sure there’s hell to pay at the ballot box and beyond for lawmakers who chose to steal funds from kiddos in our public schools, and we'll keep showin' up, testifying, and holding the line for our communities.

We've got the good, the bad, and the plain ugly lined up for you in The Lege Lowdown, a monthly newsletter from Texas Freedom Network. It’s a wild ride, but you oughta know!

We hope you'll check out the full Lege Lowdown (and pass it along to your progressive pals!), but here's the skinny on a few of the important bills:

• Public Education: Y'all already know about the bad news, so we'll focus on a good bill we're watchin'. HB 178, which is pending in committee, would allow students to use an ethnic studies course for their social studies credits, instead of just taking it as an elective. If formally voted out of committee, it will next be heard on the House floor.
• LGBTQIA+ Equality: Lawmakers debated bills in April ranging from eliminating Pride flags in public places (House Bill 3990) to changing the family code to allow discrimination against LGBTQIA+ children (House Bill 1106).
• Religious Freedom: Senate Bill 10, the Ten Commandments Bill, had a House hearing yesterday, and Texans stayed up until the wee hours of the next morning to monitor the hearing and testify. It's pending in committee. Tell your lawmakers you OPPOSE the Ten Commandments Bill!

There's lots more on bills around our issue areas in the full Lege Lowdown!

Lord willing and if the creek don’t rise, we’ll make it to Sine Die on June 2! 😤 We’ll be back next month with more, but until then, make sure you’re followin’ us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to stay informed on how you can take action for your fellow Texans.

Your lil’ lege darlin’,

Emily Witt (she/her)
TFN Senior Communications & Media Strategist

TFN is a statewide non-partisan, grassroots organization that is building an informed and effective movement working toward equality and social justice.

Texas Freedom Network
P.O. Box 1624
Austin, TX 78767
United States 
Phone: (512) 322-0545

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