Texas House votes to repeal sales tax on menstrual products and diapers
The bill, which Democrats have been pushing for years, has become a top priority after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The Senate has already passed the bill, which would provide tax relief on the purchase of menstrual products, diapers and other child care necessities.
Speaker Dade Phelan endorses Medicaid expansion for new mothers, repeal of “tampon tax” in first batch of 2023 priorities
The leader of the state House also threw his support behind bills to crack down on how companies handle private data and to protect children from “addictive algorithms” by digital companies.
With full state coffers and bipartisan support, Texas teachers are hopeful they’ll get a raise this year
The COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and burnout have pummeled teachers in the last few years. Lawmakers from both parties agree they should get a pay bump — but it won’t happen without some negotiation.
State, feds say six-month maternal Medicaid coverage still under review
HHSC said it was initially told the plan was “not approvable.” Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a statement Friday saying Texas’ plan to extend coverage to six months was not rejected but still under review.
Wendy Davis and Donna Howard, defenders of abortion access, worry the worst is yet to come after Roe decision
In interviews, the two women expressed a sense of sorrow over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow states to ban abortions, adding even more enormous obstacles to what was already an uphill battle to protect reproductive rights in Texas.
Amid a pandemic with unequal impact, a proposal for a new Office of Health Equity died in the Texas Senate
Democratic lawmakers wanted to replace a defunded agency by creating a new office that would look at health inequities across the state. But after Republicans pulled it into ongoing debates about transgender rights and critical race theory, the bill died in the Senate.
Half of Texas' nurses experience workplace violence. A Texas lawmaker says it’s time to protect them.
“But I continued working.”For decades, health care workers have faced rampant violence in the workplace. Well over half of Texas' nurses reported being subject to workplace violence in their career, according to a 2016 state study. State lawmakers have for years heard examples of the violence nurses face. Some health care workers who experience violence may not want to blame or shame violent patients who are ill or affected by medication. Health care workers and experts have said hospitals can add more security guards or metal detectors and instill a culture of violence prevention to help deter workplace violence.