Welcome to the Texas Legislative Round-up! We are here to break down the latest news from the Texas Legislative session in Austin. Every week, we’ll give you the honest take on the news that impacts you – without pretending it doesn’t.
Week in Review
This week, state Representative Victoria Neave Criado (Democrat- Dallas), Chairwoman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC), released the 2023 Latino State of the State Address highlighting MALC’s vision for Latinos. MALC is one of the largest caucuses in the Texas Legislature and its membership represents over seven million Texans.
The Latinos State of the State address focused on everything from education funding and school safety to fostering resources for our workforce and economic development.
After the Uvalde school shooting, MALC highlighted legislation that would increase the age to buy an assault weapon to 21. In other words, 21 for the 21 lives lost in Uvalde.
“In this critical time, when our schools and communities need more support than ever, we must leave partisanship aside and recognize that Texas is home to all of us. Keeping our state at the forefront of the global economy requires an investment that lightens the burdens of families,” said Chairwoman Victoria Neave Criado.
While Democratic lawmakers focused on real solutions to make our communities safer after Uvalde, Republicans bizarrely attempt to use the tragedy to make it harder for young people to vote. Representative Carrie Isaac (Republican) filed a bill to prohibit counties from putting a polling place at a college or university. Move Texas, a youth advocacy group, called it “one of the most insidious attempts to silence young voters in Texas.”
In response to the outrage, Isaac said the bill was out of concern for safety. We don’t buy it and neither should you.
What to Watch
A fight around LGBTQ rights seems imminent this session. The question is not if an anti-LGBTQ bill will pass, but how many.
