Eye on Politics: Texas lawmakers still debating high-profile bills
NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Collin County parents are demanding state lawmakers pass gun reform bills after the deadly mass shooting in Allen. Gov. Greg Abbott warns he may call a special session if lawmakers don't pass a school choice bill to his liking. And the state's longest-serving governor hints he could run for president for a third time.
Political reporter Jack Fink covers these stories and more in this week's episode of Eye on Politics (original air date: May 18).
Every week, CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink breaks down some of the biggest political stories grabbing headlines in North Texas and beyond. Watch the latest episode of Eye on Politics in the video player above and stream new episodes live every Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. on CBS News Texas.
Gun reform efforts
With a little more than a week left in the regular legislative session at the Texas Capitol, members of the group Collin County Parents Against Gun Violence said they are hoping they can still make a difference and convince lawmakers to pass gun reform bills.
The parents are demanding the Texas legislature pass five bills that would raise the age to 21 to buy an AR-style firearm, create universal background checks, require safe storage of guns, establish a three-day state waiting period and implement red flag laws.
But because it's so late in the legislative session, the deadlines have already passed to approve these bills. For parents to get legislation they want approved, lawmakers will need to try to file amendments onto other bills, and that's a very challenging process.
One of the group's leaders, Ann Bacchus told CBS News Texas Monday, "If they don't support it, tell us why you don't support it and if you don't support it, tell us what you're going to do because our fears don't have deadlines, our concerns don't have deadlines. We're living this every single day."
Bacchus and nearly 50 other members of the group boarded a bus early Monday morning in Plano to head to the Capitol. She said many of the group's members have never been active in politics until now.
They vowed they're not giving up on this issue anytime soon and are in it for the long haul.
Watch Jack's full report about the group's trip to the Capitol below.
Democrats and Republicans approved a gun-related bill this week. Supporters say it will update the state's database and allow Texas to comply with a new federal law regarding gun buyers younger than 21.
School choice bill stalls in House committee
One of Governor Greg Abbott's top legislative priorities - school choice - remains in a House committee just days away from a key deadline and after he threatened to call lawmakers back for a special session.
The deadline for a House committee to send Senate bills to the full House for a vote is Saturday, and so far, there's no public indication the committee will meet to vote on the bill. But that could change at any time.
Republican State Senator Brandon Creighton of Conroe wrote the school choice bill, Senate Bill 8, which passed in the Senate early last month.
Creighton, Chair of the Senate Education committee, told CBS News Texas, "I certainly understand the governor has expectations."
Creighton said he's doing all he can to move the Senate's school choice bill across the legislative finish line. But the main hurdle remains the House, where rural Republican and Democratic lawmakers have historically opposed school choice and taxpayer-funded education savings accounts.
Watch Jack's full interview with Texas Sen. Creighton below.
State Rep. Rhetta Bowers of Garland told CBS News Texas that she and other Democrats continue to strongly oppose the measure.
"We're fighting vouchers in any way possible together and showing a united front," she said.
Learn more about the debate by watching the story below.
The CROWN Act passes both chambers
Democratic Texas Rep. Rhetta Bowers of Garland is celebrating a legislative victory. She's the author of The CROWN Act, which passed both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support. The anti-discrimination bill prohibits discrimination against Black Texans for how they wear their hair in schools, the workplace and in housing.
Watch Jack's interview with Rep. Bowers below.
Other political headlines
- The Texas House has passed a bill that would give homeowners even more of a break on their property tax bills than first planned. It's a compromise with the Senate plan. The bill raises the homestead exemption to $100,000 for most Texans and $110,000 for seniors, which are higher than the amounts in the original Senate bill. It also reduces the cap on property tax appraisals from ten to five percent. In all, it would provide $21 billion in property tax relief. The bill now goes back to the Senate for consideration.
- Both chambers have now passed House Bill 2127, a bill that limits municipal ordinances that go beyond state law and seeks to standardize rules across the state for businesses. There are minor differences between the bills passed by the Senate this week and by the House last month.
- This week, former Texas Governor and U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry told CNN he may run for president a third time. Jack asked Perry for an interview, but we haven't heard back.