We are only 25 days into the five-month Texas legislative session and already over 7000 bills have been filed. Conservatives continue to hold sway. What can progressives accomplish?

NCJW Texas’ Advocacy Teams have been preparing for this session since their September Leadership Retreat and were recently at a Texas Impact briefing specifically focused on our efforts. We asked NCJW Dallas Past President and State Policy Advocate (SPA) Caren Edelstein to describe their plan.

In this atmosphere, where are we focusing our efforts and why?
CAREN: It’s still early days – too early to identify specific bills that we’ll be supporting or opposing. That said, we’ve identified three issue areas of primary focus: Women’s Health, Voting and ‘Gun Sense.’ In addition, we will be developing position papers to share on School Vouchers and LBGTQ issues.

What’s going on in Women’s Health?
CAREN: Legislators are trying to build on the very restrictive abortion ban they passed in the last session with even more anti-women restrictions. Many options are on the table! Some of the scariest proposals include not permitting women to leave the state for an abortion and limiting birth control.

What can we hope to accomplish in this atmosphere?
CAREN: We’re being VERY strategic! For example, in the last session, legislators finally expanded Medicaid – the program that serves the very poorest women in the state – to include 6 months of post-partum care.
Due to the abortion ban, more women in poverty will likely have more babies so we are lobbying to extend that 6-month period to two years.

Are we lobbying for any other proposals?
CAREN: Yes, we will strongly support the Menstrual Equity Bill. This is a bill that would remove the sales tax from all menstrual products. You don’t pay sales tax if you buy a band-aid in Texas but you do if you buy a tampon! Period poverty is widespread in the United States: 1 in 5 teens cannot afford menstrual products, according to a study from the national advocacy group Period, and 84% have either missed class or know someone who has missed class due to insufficient menstrual supplies. And it’s not just limited to teens. If you’re earning minimum wage in Texas, you must work for an hour to buy a box of tampons.

What impact can one person have?
CAREN: Most legislators welcome visits and other communication from their constituents – whether they agree with their perspective or not – and the more constituents, the better! Our members and supporters are spread across a wide array of districts. Everyone who joins these efforts will make a significant difference!