Our Bills

House Bill 2054

There have been issues of unrestricted operations of specific sexually oriented businesses that could be detrimental to the public health, safety, and welfare of the community. This issue could potentially contribute to the decline of surrounding residential communities and business centers, along with a potential increase in criminal activities. The purpose of this bill is to provide means of rectifying this issue through exchanging the word “massage” in massage parlor for the word “sex” to establish a clear line between credited “massage establishments” in contrast with sex parlors, to protect those credited businesses from unprecedented persecution as well as to allow for needed attention and persecution of those illicit businesses. HB 2054 was heard in Committee on April 9th and is left pending in Committee at this time.

House Bill 2574

HB 2574, another bill of mine, was heard in the Elections Committee on Thursday! Because of an Attorney General’s opinion, the ability of allowing a person related to the presiding judge to be a clerk was curtailed. Since there are no ballot security issues for relatives of election judges to serve as clerks, this decision was unnecessary and unfavorable for the electoral process.

HB 2574 specifically allows spouses, parents and children of election judges to serve as an election clerk if otherwise eligible to do so. HB 2574 was left pending in Committee & has bipartisan support.

Our Committees

International Relations & Economic Development (IRED) Committee

The IRED Committee has met for two Public Hearings since our last update! It’s been business as usual - we have been considering bills relating to workforce development, education development, and research studies. The COVID-19 crisis has certainly strained the Texas economy, and this Committee will continue to focus their efforts on improving our current state in Texas. As a small business owner, I'm thrilled to see initiatives that positively influence our workforce.

Elections Committee

I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly while serving as a member of the Elections Committee. We’ve heard a plethora of bills over the last couple of weeks. As you may already know, we heard 20+ hours of public testimony on HB 6 on April 1st. However, Republicans pushed this controversial, voter suppression bill out of the House Committee on Elections with a partisan vote. If you wish, you may join the fight against HB 6 by contacting the members of the House Calendars Committee to demand that it is not brought onto the floor. 

We recently heard House Bill 1026 on Thursday, April 8th. An influx of Texans & constituents reached out to my office with concerns and in opposition to HB 1026. HB 1026 would make the secretary of state the voter registrar of every county for the purpose of the registration of voters and maintenance of the list of registered voters. Simply put, HB 1026 would limit voter registration, if passed. The bill was left pending in Committee at this time.

Additional Updates

House Floor Updates
House Bill 1927, the permitless carry bill, by Rep. Matt Schaefer was debated on the House Floor yesterday. It is incomprehensible that this unwanted legislation was brought forward, given the onslaught of gun violence in our nation. The latest polling even shows that Texans across party lines don’t want permitless carry legislation. Law enforcement and License to Carry instructors also came out in opposition to this bill.

House Democrats fought hard against the bill, filing 16 amendments, raising points of order, asking incisive questions and making impassioned speeches on the front mic. Over the course of the day, we heard House Republicans vote against keeping Texans safe from domestic terrorism, refuse to take a stand against white supremacy and turn down nearly ever common-sense amendment proposed by House Democrats. However, the measure passed through the Texas House - and will move forward for consideration in the Texas Senate. 

On another note, I am happy to have witnessed two great bills, HB 133 & HB 290, pass through the Texas House. HB 133 allows Texas moms to stay enrolled in their Medicaid health insurance for 12 months after pregnancy, rather that the current 2 months. HB 290 expands children's Medicaid eligibility! 

Denton County Vaccination Clinic

Our District Director, Ariana Johnson, volunteered at the Denton County Public Health Mass Vaccination Clinic. Here's what she had to say about her experience:

"During my time at the vaccination clinic at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, TX it was an eye opener for myself; to see so many constituents across the state wanting to put an end to this pandemic by vaccinating themselves and family members. The volunteers at the clinic were extremely helpful and informative, they took their time with each individual breaking down the process and what happens next and how you can continue to stay safe. The organization and resilience of the volunteers was impeccable! My time at the vaccination clinic was such testimony of how our state is dedicated to bending the curve and vaccinating Texas residents."

If you have time and the ability to assist, we urge you to sign up for the Denton County Medical Reserve Corp. Volunteers are needed to help assist with traffic flow and paperwork at the County’s vaccine clinics. To sign up, go to this link.

You may reach out to our Capitol Office at (512) 463-0478 if you have any questions. 

Sincerely, 

State Representative Michelle Beckley (HD-65)