Rep. Israel: Legislature overlooked pandemic, energy crisis

The 87th legislative session was deemed "the most conservative session ever" by Gov. Greg Abbott, and on that point, he and I agree. This was the session in which Texas made national news multiple times – unfortunately, it was for all the wrong reasons.

Only a month into session, we made national news when our power grid failed us during February’s polar vortex. And even in the Legislature’s final hours, we made headlines when an omnibus elections bill – which received many last-minute, substantive changes crafted behind closed doors – resulted in a walkout and an inability to establish quorum necessary to pass the bill.

The Legislature meets every other year for only 140 days, and during that precious time we had two big issues we needed to address: the pandemic and the energy crisis. Rather than place sustained focus on these issues, the House and Senate were distracted by red meat issues intended to cater only to the Republican primary voter. After a year in which our teachers and parents made countless adjustments to teach our children remotely, the Legislature thanked them by prioritizing legislation simply dictating how to teach American history, banning the teaching of “critical race theory” and policing the ability of teachers to address current social events.

We also became another state mandating that you must have a permit to fish, but you are not required to have a permit to carry a gun or required to receive training in how to use one safely. After losing Texans to multiple mass shooting events this last interim, most notably losing 23 people in the El Paso Walmart and seven in the Odessa shooting, the Legislature suppressed legislation designed to ensure gun safety. Regrettably, more prayers and condolences are in our future.

In the midst of COVID, Texas remained one of the few states choosing not to expand Medicaid. In a year in which tens of thousands were stripped from their health insurance because their job vanished during the pandemic, Medicaid expansion could have provided vulnerable Texans with solid, reliable health care. While a majority of House members indicated support for a Texas plan for expansion, the concept lacked bipartisan support in the Senate and did not pass.

The Legislature passed anti-abortion rights legislation that essentially makes a constitutionally protected, safe and legal abortion unavailable in Texas, even in cases of rape or incest. This same bill also allows anyone to sue a doctor for providing an abortion, even if they have no relation to the individual or the doctor. In practice, a stranger can sue another stranger because an abortion is being performed. The case will surely be appealed and tied up in costly litigation. In fact, similar legislation passed in Mississippi will be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court this summer.

And finally, the Legislature also attempted to pass SB 12 that, if passed, would have restricted the ability of major social media companies to protect against hate speech, anti-vaccine disinformation and conspiracy theories. I’m proud to have called a successful point of order on this bill when it was before the House, effectively killing the bill this session. Social media companies have a responsibility to protect public safety, but it isn't a public square — it is private property that we all use knowing the good and bad of its usage.

In SB 7's final form, the omnibus elections reform bill would have ended the practice of voting after church (known as "souls to the polls"), allowed the overturning of elections with no evidence of fraud, and banned the use of locked drop boxes for mail-in ballots. Changes made by the Senate in the middle of the night warranted the drastic measure of breaking quorum to kill the bill. It will be back in a special session this year, on that I have no doubt, but it will be done in the light of day with the scrutiny this topic deserves.

I'm so proud to be a Texas woman. Raised in El Paso, forged at the University of Texas, and then molded by life in Austin. It is because of this pride and love for where we live that I always expect more of Texas than what we saw this legislative session.

Rep. Celia Israel represents House District 50, which includes Pflugerville. Follow her on Twitter @celiaisrael, or like her on Facebook at fb.com/CeliaIsraelTX.