Texas reps rally against Senate amendment pruning medical marijuana expansion
The Brief
The Texas Senate has passed an amendment that narrows the scope of a bill expanding medical marijuana use, reducing eligible patients.
The Senate's version cuts conditions like chronic pain and traumatic brain injury, which were included in the House-passed bill.
Texas House representatives are expressing strong disapproval, vowing to fight for the original, broader expansion.
AUSTIN - An amendment passed by the Texas Senate to a bill defining medical marijuana use in the state greatly reduces applicable patients compared to the version passed by the House.
Some Texas representatives are less than happy about the change.
The backstory
HB 46, or the Compassionate-Use Program (TCUP) bill, would expand Texas' limited medical marijuana program for applicable users.
The House on May 13 passed a version of the bill that would have included in the expansion honorably discharged veterans who would benefit from use, those experiencing chronic pain, glaucoma, traumatic brain injury, spinal neuropathy, Crohn's disease or other inflammatory bowel diseases, degenerative disc disease and patients with a terminal illness or condition for which a patient is receiving hospice of palliative care.
The House passed the bill 122-21.
What's Changed
On Friday night, the Senate Committee on State Affairs added a new amendment to the proposed legislation that would reduce the new list of applicable users.
The amended version would cut chronic pain, TBI and other conditions from those included in the new parameters. It also dramatically cuts the number of new licenses to be issued.
What they're saying
Rep. Daniel Alders (R-Tyler) began the House's outcry on X by expanding on a post explaining the changes to the bill.
"One of the main reasons why many representatives voted yes on SB3 was because the Texas House passed legislation specifically expanding TCUP," Alders said on the social media platform. "At minimum the Senate needs to expand the program to include: - Chronic pain and TBI traumatic brain injury - More license holders - Prescription by mail. We must get this right."
Rep. Katrina Pierson (R-Rockwall) said on X that she agrees "100%" with Alders' statement.
Rep. Tim Oliverson (R-Cypress), one of the authors of HB 46, also expressed displeasure at the altering of the proposal.
"I am deeply disappointed in the removal of chronic pain and TBI from the Senate version of HB46. I am working tirelessly to get it back in the bill," Oliverson said on X. "Without these qualifying conditions and more access than what is currently contemplated, I am concerned about the effect of SB3 on Texans with legitimate medical conditions."
Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) also spoke out on X.
"Last week I voted to expand TCUP, the Texas Compassionate Use Program," Schatzline said. "I hope & believe that the Senate will keep the expansion for: - Chronic pain and TBI traumatic brain injury - More license holders - Prescription by mail."
Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), the current Speaker of the House, reposed each of these statements on his X account. Burrows has yet to post a statement of his own. At the time of the statements, Burrows was presiding over a House hearing.
Dig deeper
A sweeping bill equating to a near-total ban on THC products is currently nearing the governor's approval. SB 3 would prohibit the sale or use of THC products that were legalized via a loophole created in a 2019 expansion of the hemp industry in Texas.
SB 3 was passed by the Senate before being amended in the House, and was passed to its third and final reading this week.
Small business owners are leading the pack in opposition of the bill. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a major proponent of the proposal, believes the thousands of businesses peddling the products are a detriment to the state. Owners and employees of those smoke and vape stores, on the other hand, are concerned about the loss of business, revenue and a fortune in tax dollars.
What's next
Now that an amended substitute to HB 46 has passed out of committee, it must next be heard before the full Senate. If passed, the bill would then be sent back to the House, where it may be either passed in its new form or reverted to the original text.
If the House and Senate cannot come to an agreement on the provisions in the bill, the proposed legislation will not make it to the governor's desk.
The Source
Information in this article comes from Texas Legislature Online and public X accounts for Texas elected officials.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Baldwin hears from Medicaid recipients in Superior
May 29—SUPERIOR — The Lake Superior Community Health Center relies on Medicaid reimbursements to fund 60% to 70% of its budget in any given year, according to CEO Lee Homan. The health care facility in East End provided space Thursday, May 29, for U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., to hear from area residents about their concerns after House Republicans advanced a budget bill May 22 that would change Medicaid. Baldwin said the bill includes cuts that could potentially kick 14 million Americans, including 228,000 Wisconsinites, off their health insurance. However, U.S. Rep Tom Tiffany, R-Wisconsin, said "cuts" isn't the right word. It's about reforming the system that was designed to help people with disabilities, pregnant mothers and indigent people, he told the Telegram in a phone call. "We want to save the program, OK, because otherwise it's going to go broke," Tiffany said. Baldwin has a different view of the bill, which is still awaiting a vote in the Senate. "They used tricks in order to mask the cuts that they were making ... like work reporting requirements," she said. "Well, most people on Medicaid work, but these reporting requirements and having them more frequent are meant to trip you up so that you lose your eligibility even though you're eligible. There are all sorts of gimmicks, but most of it is more paperwork, more bureaucracy, and frankly more government to process that red tape." Barbara Sorensen, who has a 43-year-old son on Medicaid, told the congresswoman it takes about five weeks from receiving the first letter to recertification for Medicaid. "I can't imagine doing it twice a year, and who's going to pay for it?" Sorensen said. "It's an unfunded mandate." Her son has relied on Medicaid all of his life after being diagnosed with autism, low muscle tone and sensory integration problems, Sorensen said. She said he didn't walk until he was 34 months old but still managed to graduate from high school and has worked for the city of Ashland picking up litter since 2002. "Those people who are writing these bills don't know that they're already working," Sorensen said of many Medicaid recipients. Carla Becker said Medicaid has been instrumental in allowing her to advocate for her daughter, Willow. Adopted from foster care, Willow remains eligible for the medical portion of Forward Health, which Becker said has allowed her to get the care Willow needs to address multiple medical issues. "It seems like the amount of money being spent on something that's not health care, in my opinion, seems like waste, fraud and abuse," Becker said of the proposed reporting requirements. Brianna Pearson said her autistic son is on a children's waiver through children's long-term care, and she doesn't know what she would do if it was cut. She is also a peer support specialist with indiGO in Superior and talked about the potential impact on the people she serves. "It would not only affect their coverages," Pearson said. "It would affect the supports they get from long-term care like IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) and Inclusa, which are a lot of the consumers I work with." Baldwin said understanding Medicaid is a challenge because it goes by so many names, including BadgerCare, Katie Beckett for children, IRIS for adults and Family Care in Wisconsin, and MNCare in Minnesota. Dawn Becerra, 68, said many don't realize the "trickle down" supports provided by Medicaid. She has been caring for her mother with dementia for five years. She said without programs like Endeavors Adult Development Center in Balsam Lake, she and her husband wouldn't be able to get out together because someone has to be with her mother all the time. She said her mother's care at Endeavors is funded through the Aging and Disability Resource Center with Medicare and Medicaid funding. Baldwin noted that health care facilities in rural parts of the state have already been closing, leaving communities with little or no health care readily available. "We know that critical access hospitals that serve rural communities are on the brink," the congresswoman said. "They have very low margins. We know that skilled nursing facilities that serve out seniors, over half of which rely on Medicaid ... are on the brink." If Medicaid cuts do go through, Homan said Lake Superior Community Health Care would continue to provide care irrespective of ability to pay. But an increase in uninsured patients would have a financial impact on the organization, the CEO said. Tiffany said millions of Medicaid recipients are able-bodied adults but choose not to work. People who are in the U.S. illegally are also benefiting from the program, he argues. "There are hundreds of billions of dollars going out in Medicaid benefits to people like that — this is not how the program was originally created," he said.
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Why U.S. policies like baby bonds and child tax credits can't convince Americans to have kids
America's fertility rate is hovering around historic lows, with approximately 1.6 births per woman over her lifetime. This is below the level needed to sustain the population, which is 2.1 births per woman. "Our population will, in the not too distant future, start to decline," said Melissa Kearney, a professor of economics at the University of Maryland. "That's why this is an issue for governments and for the economy, and politicians are starting to pay attention." The economic implications of a shrinking population are broad. For example, fewer births mean fewer future workers to support programs like Social Security and Medicare, which rely on a healthy worker-to-retiree ratio. "The concern here in the U.S. is that if we see kind of dramatic declines in fertility, we will eventually see also kind of a drag on our economy and our capacity to cover all sorts of government programs like Medicare and Social Security," said Brad Wilcox, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia and director of the Get Married Initiative at the Institute For Family Studies. More from Personal Finance:House GOP bill calls for bigger 'pass-through' business tax breakTrump administration axes Biden-era barrier for crypto in 401(k) plansFewer international tourists may lead to 'staggering' economic losses Lawmakers from both parties have proposed various financial incentives to address declining fertility. The White House is considering lump-sum payments of $5,000 for each newborn, according to The New York Times. Last week, the House passed a massive tax and spending package that includes among other provisions, a bigger child tax credit and new "Trump Accounts" with $1,000 in seed money for newborns. However, Kearney said such policy measures are unlikely to meaningfully affect long-term fertility trends. "I think the kinds of financial incentives or benefits that we're providing just really aren't enough to really change the calculus of, a trade off of ... bringing a child into one's household or family," Kearney said. "That's an 18-year commitment. It's not just a one-year cost." The issue may go beyond money. It's common for fertility to decline during economic uncertainty, but it usually rebounds once the shock ends, experts say. Surprisingly, birth rates did not recover after the Great Recession. "That kind of caught a lot of demographers around the world flat-footed, because it also didn't happen in other countries," said Karen Guzzo, director of Carolina Population Center and a sociology professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "So this goes against a lot of this demographic history that we have, which led people to start thinking, okay, what exactly might be happening?" Even with stronger economic support, experts say America faces a deeper, more complex problem: a cultural shift in how people view parenthood itself. "More and more young adults are kind of assuming that what matters for them is their education, their money, and especially their careers," Wilcox said. Watch the video above to learn more about why government efforts to raise America's birthrate have struggled to address the deeper economic and cultural challenges.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
New Mexico Okays $50 Million For Wildlife Crossings To Improve Safety
A cougar (also known as a mountain lion) in New Mexico. New Mexico lawmakers have approved $50 million to pay for wildlife crossings to improve roadway safety and also passed legislation to create a strategic reserve fund for freshwater. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 37: Strategic Water Reserve Fund on April 7 for the Interstate Stream Commission to manage and conserve water to support recharging the state's aquifer and minimize groundwater depletion. The new law, to take effect June 20, also allows for purchasing and leasing surface water and water rights. The initial funding designated for the water reserve was $5.2 million. 'Advancement of the Strategic Water Reserve crucially expands the ability for the state to buy, lease, or accept donations of water rights for the benefit of a broad array of cultural and environmental values. The reserve is integral to keeping water in rivers and aquifers and conserving important habitat along the shore while honoring landowner water rights,' said Patrick Lane, senior manager of the intermountain West at The Pew Charitable Trusts. 'New Mexicans fully recognize how important clean water is for their well-being – from growing corn to providing a swimming hole on the weekend, it's never been more important to carefully conserve and manage the state's freshwater resource, and the legislature's action puts more tools in the toolbox for New Mexicans to use for this purpose.' On April 11, the governor enacted into law House Bill 5 (General Appropriation Act of 2025) that directed $50 million to fund an existing legislative effort to alleviate vehicle and wildlife collisions. The New Mexico Wildlife Corridors Action Plan, finalized three years ago, has identified numerous 'hot spots' on roadways throughout the state that have the highest numbers of vehicles and wildlife collisions. Lane also applauded the funding for the wildlife crossings. 'This is the largest amount any state has ever appropriated for terrestrial wildlife crossings in a single year. Other states can look to New Mexico as a model for planning and construction of wildlife crossings to protect human and animal lives,' he said. 'Migratory wildlife such as elk, deer and pronghorn have deep ties to New Mexico's culture and identity. They also support a robust recreation economy that families and communities rely on. Wildlife crossings enhance and conserve these wildlife populations, while making a tangible contribution to driver safety across the state.' He predicted the wildlife crossing allocation will save lives on N.M. roadways for people and animals as well as protect the state's wildlife heritage. Also lauding the N.M. allocation was Marcel Gaztambide, Southwest field manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. He noted in a recent social media post: 'With over 1,000 wildlife-vehicle collisions taking place in New Mexico every year, this investment in the safety of New Mexico's drivers and wildlife was desperately needed.' Pronghorn in Southwestern New Mexico The New Mexico Department of Transportation and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish were directed by the state legislature to develop an action plan for wildlife crossings. The plan identified both collision hot spots and priority projects to deter roadway accidents with animals. It focuseA list of priority projects are identified in the Plan that includes both wildlife-vehicle collision (WVC) hotspots and wildlife corridors. It identified 20 species of concern as most vulnerable to collisions. These consisted of four reptiles (ornate box turtle, Gila monster, Mexican garter snake and Western massasauga rattlesnake). The mammals on the list were: The species of concern were also identified for posing a risk to motorists. Other factors putting the wildlife in that category included being killed in collisions to such an extent that it does/could lower population levels in New Mexico or the roads create barriers to important interconnected habitats. Gila monster in the Southwest. Gila monsters in New Mexico mostly live west of the Continental Divide in the southwestern areas with rocky terrain such as in Chihuahuan Desert foothills and canyons. These lizards are the largest in the United States. They can weigh a pound and span as long as nearly two feet. These rare creatures are listed as endangered under the New Mexico Wildlife Conservation Act and also protected by state laws in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. According to the National Park Service, 'They may be out digging, hunting, basking, etc. on the surface for only a few hours of a few days per year; about 98% of the year is spent out of sight. They live in burrows, packrat nests, or caliche caves and dens, sometimes sharing their abodes with other reptiles such as snakes or desert tortoises.' Although Gila monsters have venom in their lower jaws, their bite is painful but rarely fatal. Their black and pinkish skin patterns are hard to see in barren landscapes, which could contribute to their mortality rates. The New Mexico Wildlife Corridors Action plan identified Gila monsters as a species in greatest conservation need. 'Highways through Granite Gap and Antelope Pass in the central Peloncillo Mountains are known sites of numerous roadkill records," the report stated. Roadway mortality is thought to be due to more traffic in the border area in southwest New Mexico Another creature to make the list as most in need of conservation and threatened is the the white-sided jackrabbit that also lives in the southwestern part of the state. These jackrabbits are only known to live in two valleys in Hidalgo County, which borders Arizona. This animal population was thought to be diminishing due to overgrazing by livestock on shrubs and grasses in New Mexico. However, significant population decreases of white-sided jackrabbits are likely linked to increased vehicle traffic in there due to more human activity and motorists along the U.S.-Mexico border. For instance, sharp reductions in white-sided jackrabbits populations had been noted on one main county road "yet no degradation of grassland quality or significant shrub invasion is evident,' the report stated. A cougar (mountain lion) prowling at night in New Mexico. Cougars in New Mexico are mostly found in the foothills and mountains in the central northern and southern parts of the states as well as in western areas. Adult males cougars can weigh from 150 to 200 pounds and are often eight feet long. Also known as mountain lions, cougars are among the largest cats in North America. The state estimates there are 3,500 cougars living there with the population declining in part due less habitat and vehicle collisions. Cougars tend to avoid roads and seek to cross using underpasses. There were 135 cougar-vehicle collisions recorded in New Mexico from 2009 to 2018 mostly along Interstate 25 (north of Albuquerque to the Colorado border) as well as on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, in/near the Sacramento Mountains and along U.S. Route 180. During the same time period, vehicles collided with just over 500 black bears mostly while traveling along mountain roadways. Among the top 30 wildlife-vehicle collision hot spots in New Mexico, 'one stands out' due to 49 motorists crashing into black bears on the I-25 corridor (from south of Raton to the Colorado border). Other top areas with high black bear-vehicle collisions include U.S. 64/U.S. 84 just south of Chama (7 collisions), I-25 around Glorieta Pass (6 collisions), Tijeras Canyon along I-40 (6 collisions), and I-25 south of Wagon Mound (5 collisions). A black bear. Similar to cougars, black bears have been found to avoid crossing roads by using underpasses and culverts. State wildlife researchers from New Mexico and Arizona noted 169 cases of black bears crossing the roads via underpasses. In contrast to these animals, New Mexico's pronghorns prefer to use overpasses to tackle crossing roads. The state is thought to have from 47,000 to 49,000 pronghorn. From 2002 to 2018, the state recorded 221 wildlife-vehicle collisions. 'Roads, traffic, and right-of-way fences affect pronghorn through direct mortality and by affecting their behavior, while fences along roads and even traffic restrict or alter their movements. Pronghorn prefer to crawl under fences rather than jump over them, and they struggle with multiple strand fences when the bottom wire is too low,' the report noted. 'Mitigation of road-caused fragmentation and mortality is possible with the use of overpasses. Because of their keen eyesight and use of distance for predator avoidance behavior, pronghorn prefer overpasses to underpasses when crossing roads.' Top 10 Wildlife/Vehicle Collision Hotspots in New Mexico per Number of Crashes Per Mile The NMDOT has been involved in several wildlife crossing projects in the state as well as creating mitigation strategies to provide safer traveling for motorists and animals. For example, it has created escape ramps that provide an area for deer and elk to jump over to avoid vehicles. The department has also installed game fencing, such as an eight-foot-tall woven wire fence along I-40 near Edgewood to direct wildlife to pass under bridges instead of darting into traffic. Another use of technology is installing double cattleguards where side roads intersect with highways to prevent large animals from walking into vehicles at roadway turnouts. NMDOT built a pair of 32-foot-wide arched wildlife underpasses wildlife crossing at the I-25 pass in Raton after finding 102 dead deer during a two-year period there installed over six miles of game fencing, wildlife escape ramps, and double cattle guards. Built a pair of 32-feet-wide arched wildlife underpasses after finding 102 dead deer within a two-year period at the I-25/Raton pass in Colfax County. Within two years after the safe crossings were built there was a 60% drop in the number of dead deer from vehicle collisions found there. In another wildlife crossing project, NMDOT targeted U.S. Route north of Aztec close to the Colorado border due to deer-vehicle crashes. The state dropped the number of collision to improve roadway safety by more than 80% after putting larger box culverts for safe underpasses to replace three metal culverts. Guard fencing 8-feet high was constructed for three miles to guide the animals to the crossing areas and block the road. Double cattle guards were also placed as a deterrence. Red line showing location of U.S. 550 Highway Wildlife Crossing Project in New Mexico. NMDOT is working on a new transportation safety project on U.S. Highway 550 in Sandoval County as to curb vehicle crashes primarily with six types of animals (such as deer, black bears and elk) in its most hazardous area in need for wildlife crossings. At issue is a 17-mile long stretch of road in which 1.21 reported wildlife-vehicle collisions occurred per mile during a 10-year period. Most (58%) of the vehicles crashed into elk. Male elks can weigh 700 pounds or more and the females can weigh 500 pounds. The state is working to build large overpasses for the safe movement of wildlife there since elk are reluctant to pass through tunnels/culverts go over small bridges. Currently, the project is in design development and will be completed in four phases that will involved 16 miles of U.S. 550. Design plans for Phases 1 and 2 are expected to be finished by the end of this year. To accommodate various animals likely to cross that part of the road, NMDOT is planning to build a wide single-span overpass with natural vegetation planted (to match the terrain) that would rise over four existing travel lanes and shoulders of US 550. In addition, arched underpass structures would be enable animals to travel below the road level. Wildlife fencing would guide the animals to crossing areas and double cattleguards would be placed to restrict access to the highway. Based on Federal Highway Administration figures that are nearly 20 years old, from 1 million to 2 million collisions between large wildlife animals and vehicles happened through the United States each year—killing 200 people and causing injuries to 26,000 others. The property damage then was estimated at $8.3 billion. Most crashes were single vehicles on two-lane roads. Most of the wildlife struck by vehicles dies immediately or soon afterwards. State environmental and transportation agencies are increasing their efforts to boost both motorist roadway safety and wildlife survival rates by using technology to build road structures for animal passageways. According to Lane from Pew, 'Wildlife migration pathways, which are critical in maintaining many terrestrial wildlife populations, are particularly threatened due to the effects that roads and highways have on their movement patterns. The good news is that a proven solution to this problem exists. Wildlife crossings help reconnect migratory routes and make our roads safer for drivers by reducing the risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions. Time has shown that these crossings are highly effective.' FHWA Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program 2024-2025 fiscal year grants of $125 million to 16 wildlife ... More crossing projects. The other good news is that federal wildlife crossing grants, especially from the U.S. Department of Transportation/FHWA, are providing vital revenue to help states improve highway safety for the traveling public and the many special creatures who live within our nation.
