The 77th Texas Legislative Session (2001) Overview

Medicaid Waiver for Women's Health and Family Planning:

Governor Perry vetoed S.B. 1156 on Sunday, June 17. This bill, by Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) and Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston), called for the Medicaid waiver for women's health and family planning. This bill would have saved the state of Texas $300 million over the next four years by providing family planning services and preventive health care to an additional 1 million uninsured Texas women.

The Houston Chronicle explained that the bill contained "controversial provisions" such as providing Depo-Provera coverage for adult women. Ironically, the governor signed H.B. 2382 by Representative Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston), which requires health insurance companies that provide prescription drug coverage to cover all FDA approved contraceptives, including Depo-Provera. It appears that the Governor approves of family planning for women who can afford private health insurance but not for low-income women who can't.

WHFPT is outraged that the Governor would pass on this opportunity to bring down such substantial federal assistance to Texas, which has the largest uninsured population of all the states in the U. S.. Representative Garnet Coleman (D-Houston), one of the authors of S.B. 1156, will be holding a press conference at the Capitol at 2:00 PM on Monday, June 18th.

See our Current Events page for links to editorials and articles from around the state calling for the Governor to support this bill.

Contraceptive Coverage:

H.B. 2382 was signed by Governor Perry on June 15th. This bill will require health benefit plans to cover prescription contraceptive drugs and devices if they pay for other prescription drugs. The bill would also prohibit the exclusion of any FDA approved method, waiting periods, and co-pay/cost-sharing beyond what the company has for other prescription drugs. Women in Texas will now be able to have a full range of FDA approved methods available to them so that they may select the method most medically appropriate for them.

H.B. 2382, by Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) and Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) passed the Senate on Tuesday, May 22, after passage in the House on May 3. Only two senators voted against consideration of the bill, Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) and Sen. Bob Duncan (R-Lubbock).

Click here for more background on H.B. 2382.

Final Action Needed on Contraceptive Equity:
Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) and Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) should be written or called by their constituents to thank them for their leadership and work in passing H.B. 2382. (see Leg. Contact information below)

Ogden Riders:

The failure to get the members of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees to remove the Ogden Riders was the most disappointing development of the Session. These two riders create serious barriers to preventive health care and family planning services for teenagers in Texas. Even the opposition of all major medical groups and their efforts to assist WHFPT in lobbying the members of the committees and the leadership could not change the outcome. At this time, the best chance for overturning these riders may be through a court challenge. The Center for Reproductive Law and Policy is already considering a challenge to one of the riders. Click here for more background on the Ogden Riders.

Choice Issues:

Very little happened on the "choice" front during the session. It was clear that the leadership was not interested in having any debates on the abortion issue this session. However, there were a few flurries.

The House State Affairs did hold its biennial, all-night hearing on a variety of anti-choice bills, but none were brought to a vote in the committee. The anti-choice groups were pushing hard for passage of "injury to a pregnant woman", but their groups were split on which bills to support. During one House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee meeting it was a bit amusing to see the Texas Right to Life testifying against a bill as not strong enough to meet their goals while the Austin Right to Life was there testifying in support of the bill.

Final Action Needed on Choice Issues:
Rep. Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen) should be thanked by his constituents for his help in stopping "injury to a pregnant woman" bills that could jeopardize choice.

Rep. Steve Wolens (D-Dallas) and Sen. Mike Moncrief (D-Ft. Worth) should be thanked by their constituents for keeping anti-choice bills from passing their committees.

Legislative Contact Information:
Senator Judith Zaffirini - 512-463-0121
Senator Jeff Wentworth - 512-463-0125
Representative Garnet Coleman - 512-463-0524
Representative Senfronia Thompson - 512-463-0720
Representative Juan Hinojosa - 512-463-0636
Representative Steve Wolens - 512-463-0746

All Senators may be written to using the following format:
The Honorable ______
P.O. Box 12068
Austin, Texas 78711-2068

All House members may be written to using the following format:
The Honorable _______
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, Texas 78768-2910

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