State Representative Tan Parker
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas With less than 30 days left to go in the 86th Legislative Session heres an update on what has been happening at your State Capitol
Last week I was incredibly honored to have my fellow House colleagues stand with me in bringing House Bill 2298 to a vote that establishes January 28th as Sexual Assault Survivors Day in Texas.
Texas has done great work in strengthening our laws and locking up perpetrators but if we are not shining a light and creating a pathway of hope and open conversation for victims then we are not fulfilling our mission.
By filing and passing this legislation it is hopeful that Sexual Assault Survivors Day will continue to bring awareness to this horrific issue while also celebrating the incredible strength perseverance and courage of individuals that have been impacted by sexual assault as survivors rather than victims.
Additionally the Texas House of Representatives has recently taken up a number of other critical topics such as protecting the lives of unborn children preserving 2nd Amendment rights disaster recovery and emergency preparedness and school finance reform.
I was proud to support Senate Bill 12 on the House Floor last week which improves the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) by increasing the states contribution and benefits under TRS. This bill also provides for Texas to continues to recognize the outstanding teachers in our state and their countless contributions beyond the classroom. SB 12 is an important step to keeping TRS actuarially sound for years to come and ensuring our state honors the invaluable contributions our teachers make!
On April 17th I was proud to support House Bill 16 also known as the Texas Born-Alive Infant Protection Act when it passed out of the House. Currently state law is unclear regarding the standards of care that are required for a baby born alive after an abortion. HB 16 seeks to address this issue by establishing a physician-patient relationship between the baby and the physician who performed the abortion and establishes the standard of care for these cases.
You can track this bill and any other legislation of interest by going to the Texas House of Representatives website at www.house.texas.gov -- simply choose Research and add the bill number or search by topic.
