House Democrats called Gov. Abbott 's goals too short-sighted given the unprecedented funds available this legislative session.
PUBLISHED 2:32 PM CST Feb. 17, 2023AUSTIN, Texas — Texas has a combined $59 billion available in its checking and savings accounts this session. Still, Gov. Greg Abbott has yet to prioritize that money into any investments the House Democrats see as valuable: increased investment on public education; the expansion of Medicaid in a state with the most uninsured residents in the nation; and the will to pass gun controls that might avoid another massacre like Uvalde.Gov.
“If you look back of the last 30 years, you will notice that we have ignored a lot of things,” said Fischer, D-San Antonio, in a Friday news conference. “I say all the time that manana is the busiest day of the week here at the Texas Capitol because we just kick the can down the road. We never address these problems, but we can certainly talk about them.”
Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have focused their commitment to cut property taxes for homeowners and certain inventory taxes for businesses. Democrats also want to leverage the budget to make sure money is spent equitably, looking to decisions that will benefit all Texans in all circumstances. “I am disappointed and concerned that there was no recommended action to address our unacceptably high rate of maternal deaths in a state where one out of four women of childbearing age has no insurance and where more than 50% of the births are Medicaid births,” said Howard, chair of the bipartisan House Women’s Health Caucus. “Last session, this legislature passed, and the governor signed, a bill increasing postpartum Medicaid coverage from two months to six months.
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