🚨 HAPPENING NOW🚨

The TX House is beginning debate over voter suppression bill #SB7 — an attack on the state’s most vulnerable voting communities, and companion to #HB6. Watch live now: tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.ph…

Need a refresher on #SB7 and #HB6? We got you covered👇
Listening to @jessicafortexas force @BriscoeCain to admit that he simply doesn't believe voters of color, voters with disabilities, and young voters when they say that #SB7 would suppress their votes.

We're experiencing secondhand embarrassment for Rep. Cain as he defends SB7.
Now Chairman Cain is telling @RafaelAnchia that he apparently has no knowledge of the history or details of discrimination against Black Texans by the Texas legislature with regards to voting rights. There's been litigation over this throughout the past decade. #SB7
Chairman Cain says that he is not aware of any disparate impact his bill would have. But we already gave him the data, and that was after he silenced the #txlege Black Caucus from asking questions about the bill's disparate impact.
Debate is paused as @TMFtx moves to get an extension on time for members to ask Chairman Cain questions about the bill. A very reasonable request give the broad impact of #SB7...
Extension of time to ask questions is granted! @RafaelAnchia now asking Chairman Cain if he's aware of how #SB7 will affect non-English speaking Texans. Cain claims no one testified on that. Which is a lie.
Chairman Cain is wrong. His bill would vastly expand the powers of partisan poll watchers by preventing them from being removed under most circumstances. And history teaches that those expanded powers will lead to racial discrimination. Here's proof: txcivilrights.org/wp-content/upl…
We're thrilled to see Legislative Black Caucus Chair @NicoleCollier95 actually getting to speak and ask questions about #SB7, a welcome change after Chairman Cain shut her down in the hearing on this bill's companion.
We've moved on to amendments to the bill. First one is by @jessicafortexas- it basically stops #SB7 from ever going into effect, which we would deeply appreciate!
"I'm going to trust that you know election law since you're the chair of the Elections Committee."

Pretty big assumption there, Rep. Johnson. 👀
Representative Ann Johnson just walked through how Cain's bill can be interpreted, and he just dismisses it as "that would never happen."
That'll be cold comfort to the people wrongly prosecuted and imprisoned under his bill. #SB7
Now @ChrisGTurner is connecting the dots between #SB7, Texas' long history of racist voter suppression, and The Big Lie spreading throughout the nation about voter fraud. This bill is part of the wave of anti-voter bills being introduced in places like Georgia.
Rep. Turner has moved on to the partisan poll watchers piece of #SB7, speaking to the history of political parties sending white poll watchers to traditionally Black or Latine polling places, where they could intimidate them.
The amendment to avoid enacting #SB7 into law has failed. Now @ChrisGTurner has called a point of order on the bill in an effort to take it down (a point of order says that a bill has broken a legislative rule and needs to stop being considered).

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More from @TXCivilRights

7 May
UPDATE: just before 4:00am this morning, the Texas House voted 81-64 to advance a version of #SB7. Here's a great rundown of where things stand from the @TexasTribune (1/4)
texastribune.org/2021/05/07/tex…
The final bill appears to be quite different than what we started the night with. It is still NOT available to the public and likely won't be until this afternoon after another procedural vote. It will then head to the Senate, presumably to a conference committee. (2/4) #txlege
This conference committee is worthy of concern. Behind closed doors, lawmakers will be able to pick & choose provisions from both versions of voter omnibus bills: the mystery version the House passed this morning, & the mega voter suppression package the Senate passed last month
Read 4 tweets
21 Apr
The supporters of #HB6 and #SB7 challenged people to “read the bills and point to voter suppression.”

Today, 63 civil rights orgs have gladly accepted that challenge & are releasing two joint statements outlining some of the sections that would harm voters the most #txlege
We come from all walks of life in Texas: rural & urban, young and elderly, people of color, voters w/ disabilities, working Texans & those experiencing poverty, and people of faith & those who are secular. We stand united against the voter suppression that these bills represent.
Grassroots organizations, businesses, and others are calling #SB7 and #HB6 voter suppression bills because that’s exactly what they are: bills that would make it harder and scarier to vote. #txlege
Read 6 tweets
14 Apr
SB 23 is not alone. There's a slate of bills at the #txlege that would punish cities for ANY REDUCTION in police budgets, or any reallocation of funds from law enforcement to other community programs/budget areas. See bills here: txcivilrights.org/bills-that-pun…

statesman.com/story/news/202…
Some of these bills since their initial filing have been replaced in committee with versions that include
exceptions for cities making across-the-board cuts or reductions following disaster declarations, but....
...these attempts to mitigate the draconian consequences of these bills do not go nearly far enough to protect reasonable and necessary local decision-making: txcivilrights.org/bills-that-pun…
Read 4 tweets
13 Apr
This morning in Texas, the @JoeBiden Administration seized the property of the Cavazos family for #borderwall construction, after being granted possession via court order. We are outraged. This outcome was avoidable had the administration simply dismissed the case outright. (1/4)
TCRP represents the Cavazos family in this litigation and we hope to have a full statement on this horrible decision soon. DOJ must immediately reverse course and return all seized lands to the communities from where they came. (2/4) #NotAnotherFoot
This decision by the administration will not in any way “build back better” and breaks @POTUS's promise to dismiss all border wall cases. Stay tuned as we work with the Cavazos family to share their story and this devastating outcome that must be immediately reversed. (3/4)
Read 5 tweets
2 Apr
Our own @jcslattery is about to testify against the anti-voter #HB6 (after many, many hours)! We'll cover his testimony here, but feel free to watch with us too: tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.ph…
“Texas in 2020 was the hardest place to vote in the entire country: we have no online voter registration, only a few discrete groups of Texans can vote by mail, and 750 polling places were closed between 2013 and 2019, predominantly in communities of color.” @jcslattery #TXlege
#HB6 would mean that “statements by public officials about the mere existence of vote-by-mail, or explanations about how to apply for and cast a mail ballot, could be interpreted as efforts to encourage (and therefore solicit) people to vote by mail.” @jcslattery #txlege
Read 15 tweets
1 Apr
Happening now: the House Elections Hearing in which #HB6 has been rescheduled is starting. HB 6 is an omnibus anti-voter bill, like SB 7. Watch with us: tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.ph… #TXDeservesBetter
Here's what #HB6 does and why we're adamantly against it:
Fact check: The Voting Rights Act specifically protects assistance, because it is used by people with disabilities and those with limited English.
Read 10 tweets

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