NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – Collin County parents are calling on state lawmakers to pass gun reform bills after the deadly mass shooting in Allen. Gov. Greg Abbott warns he may call a special session if lawmakers don’t pass a school choice bill to his liking. And the state’s longest-serving governor is hinting that he might run for president for a third time.
Political reporter Jack Fink covers these stories and more on this week’s episode of Eye on Politics (original air date: May 18).
Each week, CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink breaks down some of the biggest political stories grabbing headlines in North Texas and beyond. Watch the latest episode of Eye on Politics in the video player above and catch new episodes live every Thursday and Friday at 7:00 PM on CBS News Texas.
Gun reform efforts
With just over a week left in the regular legislative session at the Texas Capitol, members of the group Collin County Parents Against Gun Violence said they hope they can still make a difference and convince lawmakers to pass reform bills of weapons
Parents are calling for the Texas Legislature to pass five bills that would raise the age to 21 to buy an AR-style firearm, create universal background checks, require safe gun storage, establish a three-day state wait and implement red flag laws.
But because it’s so late in the legislature, the deadlines for passing these bills have already passed. In order for parents to get the legislation they want passed, lawmakers will have to try to introduce amendments to other bills, and that’s a very difficult process.
One of the group’s leaders, Ann Bacchus, told CBS News Texas on Monday, “If they don’t support it, tell us why you don’t and if you don’t, tell us what you’re going to do. Because our fears don’t they have deadlines, our worries don’t have deadlines. We’re living it every day.”
Bacchus and nearly 50 other members of the group boarded a bus Monday morning in Plano to head to the Capitol. He said many of the group’s members had never been active in politics until now.
They promised that they are not giving up on this issue anytime soon and that they are in it for the long haul.
Watch Jack’s full report on the group’s trip to the Capitol below.
Democrats and Republicans approved a bill related to weapons this week. Supporters say it will update the state’s database and allow Texas to comply with a new federal law on gun buyers under 21.
School choice bill stalls in House committee
One of Gov. Greg Abbott’s top legislative priorities, school choice, remains in a House committee just days before a key deadline and after he threatened to call lawmakers back into a special session.
The deadline for a House committee to send Senate bills to the full floor for a vote is Saturday, and so far there has been no public indication that the committee will meet to vote on the bill. But that could change at any moment.
Republican state Sen. Brandon Creighton of Conroe authored the school choice bill, Senate Bill 8, which passed the Senate early last month.
Creighton, chairman of the Senate education committee, told CBS News Texas, “I certainly understand that the governor has expectations.”
Creighton said he is doing everything he can to move the Senate school choice bill to the legislative finish line. But the main obstacle remains the House, where rural Republican and Democratic lawmakers have historically opposed school choice and taxpayer-funded education savings accounts.
Watch Jack’s full interview with Texas Senator Creighton below.
State Rep. Rhetta Bowers of Garland told CBS News Texas that she and other Democrats remain strongly opposed to the measure.
“We are fighting vouchers in every possible way together and showing a united front,” he said.
Learn more about the debate by watching the story below.
The CORONA Act passes both chambers
Texas Democratic Rep. Rhetta Bowers of Garland celebrates a legislative victory. She is the author of The CROWN Act, which passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support. The anti-discrimination bill prohibits discrimination against black Texans because of how they wear their hair in schools, in the workplace, and in housing.
Watch Jack’s interview with Rep. Bowers below.
Other political headlines
The Texas House has passed a bill that would give homeowners an even bigger break on their property tax bills than originally planned. It is a compromise with the Senate plan. The bill raises the homestead exemption to $100,000 for most Texans and $110,000 for seniors, which are higher than the amounts in the original Senate bill. It also lowers the property tax assessment cap from ten to five percent. In total, it would provide $21 billion in property tax relief. The bill now returns to the Senate for consideration. Both chambers have now passed House Bill 2127, a bill that limits municipal ordinances that go beyond state law and aims to standardize statewide rules for businesses. There are small differences between the bills passed by the Senate this week and the House last month. This week, former Texas governor and US Energy Secretary Rick Perry told CNN that he might run for president for a third time. Jack requested an interview with Perry, but we have not heard back.
Jack Fink
