2019 Legislative Report
September 17, 2019
The 2019 Legislative Session is well in our rearview mirror. This summer, as we take stock of our accomplishments, we’re considering the big picture of our advocacy work. Sometimes, we only move the needle a little bit on an issue, or our bills die in procedural crossfire. But real change takes many sessions, even decades. When we take a step back and look at the progress we’ve made on our issues over the years, we find some encouragement. We hope you will too, as you read our 2019 Legislative Report.
Progress Report: CTD at the 2019 Legislature: View PDF | Download text only
In some cases, massive change has occurred in the space of two or three sessions. Recall that in 2015, Governor Abbott declared he would never sign a bill loosening laws on marijuana; but here we are, just 4 years later, with broadening access to medical cannabis.
Even from one session to another, the make-up of the Legislature can vary so much that what was a hot button issue in one is a non-starter in the next. Remember Senate Bill 9, this year’s effort to curb voter fraud that would have impinged the rights of voters with disabilities at the polls? It took no small effort to stop it, but imagine how easily such a bill would have sailed through the brutal 2017 legislature.
Of course, taking a look at the larger context can be frustrating, when over many years, very little has actually changed. Our core issue of raising community attendant wages is one such example that has seen frustratingly little movement.
Read on for a Progress Report on our issues from the 2019 Legislature, including some broader context of how far we’ve really come, how much backsliding we’ve prevented, and how far we have yet to go in our work toward a barrier-free Texas.
Progress Report: CTD at the 2019 Legislature: View PDF | Download text only
Thank you to AbbVie and UnitedHealthCare for their support in the production of our Legislative Report.
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