Happy 4/20! I’ve filed legislation to legalize cannabis, expunge past marijuana convictions, and use the new tax revenue to fund early childhood education. #txlege Image
This is a popular bipartisan idea.

According to the @TexasTribune’s latest polling, 60% of Texans support the full legalization of marijuana.

Only 13% said it should be completely illegal.
Marijuana is not a “gateway drug.” Most people who use marijuana do not go on to use harder substances.

In fact, medical research suggests alcohol and tobacco are far more dangerous to our health than cannabis.
Marijuana has health *benefits* and can be used to treat ailments like chronic pain, depression, and addiction.

That’s why human beings have been using cannabis for more than 3,000 years.
Marijuana legalization is part of ending the racist war on drugs that continues to target Black and Brown communities.

Black Americans are 4x more likely than White Americans to be arrested for marijuana possession even though both groups consume marijuana at the same rate.
...@RepDominguez, @BucyForTexas, @jessicafortexas, @James_E_White, @RepLyleLarson

But if you really want to understand cannabis policy in Texas, follow the person who has championed this cause for many sessions: @moodyforelpaso.
Last thing: since my bill taxes weed to fund education, my staff wanted me to call it a “baked sale.”

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More from @jamestalarico

22 Apr
Our planet’s survival depends on young people.

I’m authoring legislation to teach climate change as part of the core curriculum in our public schools. #EarthDay Image
The time to stop climate denialism is before it even starts.

House Bill 4157 will ensure every public school student in Texas has a strong science-based understanding of human-caused climate change and its consequences.
This bill would also ensure students learn about the unique ecosystems in their own local bioregion.

Too many of us are disconnected from the land and water on which our communities depend.

You can’t protect what you can’t name.
Read 4 tweets
6 Apr
3 years ago I almost slipped into a coma and died. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

I paid $684 for my first 30-day supply of insulin. Some pay $1000+ a month. Many die without it.

Today I introduced legislation to cap the price of insulin at $50 a month. #txlege
I haven’t shared this story publicly before.

In May 2018, I was a healthy 28-year-old running for the Texas House. I decided to walk the entire length of my district and hold town halls along the way.

I hike Big Bend every year, so I wasn’t concerned about a 25 mile walk...
But halfway through the walk, I began feeling nauseous and fatigued.

Before the town hall in Hutto, I vomited in the bathroom.

This article quotes me telling the crowd “I am going to sit down because I am a little tired." bit.ly/39IzF4n
Read 21 tweets
29 Mar
I’m sorry my prayer offended you, Rep. Stickland.

Love feels blasphemous when you’ve been taught a religion of hate.
Equality feels blasphemous when you’ve been taught a religion of supremacy.

Freedom feels blasphemous when you’ve been taught a religion of control.

Peace feels blasphemous when you’ve been taught a religion of violence.
The true blasphemy is using the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth to exclude others.

Christianity is a way of living in radical fellowship; it’s not a members-only club.

Christ taught love not rules.
Read 4 tweets
17 Mar
Texas Republicans hearing about a 15% COVID hospitalization rate.

Texas Republicans hearing about a 0.0001% voter fraud rate.
Republican leaders thought mandating masks and winterizing power plants were overreactions to rare occurrences, but now they’ll risk disenfranchising millions of Texans to address voter fraud that’s virtually nonexistent.
According to the House Chronicle, indicted Texas AG @KenPaxtonTX spent 22,000 hours looking for voter fraud and only found 16 cases of false addresses on registration forms.

Out of 17M registered voters in Texas.
Read 5 tweets
11 Mar
When I was a public school teacher, I struggled to make ends meet.

My coworkers drove Ubers at night and sold their blood plasma for extra money.

Today I filed a bill mandating a minimum salary of $70,000 for every teacher in Texas. #txlege
Our teachers have endured a global pandemic, an economic collapse, and a deadly winter storm.

They held our communities together through these historic crises.

Teachers had our backs. Now we must have theirs.
Last session, my colleagues and I passed House Bill 3, which gave almost every Texas teacher a long overdue raise. Unfortunately it was only a $3k bump on average.

This bill, HB 3580, can finish the job.
Read 9 tweets
22 Feb
“Limited government” sounds great until you’re shivering in the dark and flushing your toilet with snow. #txlege
This disaster is rooted in one big lie.

A lie first uttered by Ronald Reagan in 1981: “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem."
Session after session, we see a pattern.

When the economy is good, the #txlege cuts taxes for wealthy people.

When the economy is bad, the #txlege cuts services for working people.

When the economy recovers, the #txlege doesn’t replace the lost revenue or the lost services.
Read 6 tweets

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