Latest news with #HB232
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Faculty and students blast Texas House panel for limiting testimony on bill that targets state universities
Pauline Strong wanted to speak to lawmakers last week about how a bill they're considering would make her think twice when discussing sensitive topics with her anthropology students at the University of Texas at Austin. But she had to drop off her grandchildren at school first. Despite rushing to the Texas Capitol afterward, she missed the window to register to testify against Senate Bill 37 by a few minutes. Strong, who testified last session in opposition to a bill banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher ed, didn't expect registration to end so early this time. 'It was disappointing, it was surprising, it was disheartening,' Strong said. 'And I'm someone who came from Austin. There were lots of people who were driving from Houston or other parts of the state who left very early in the morning and arrived too late to testify.' Dozens of students and professors like Strong, who were unable to testify against a bill they fear could limit the free exchange of ideas on college campuses, voiced their frustration on Thursday over losing one of their few chances to address lawmakers directly. 'This is not a bill we can risk cleaning up in the next legislative session. It will impact our students and teachers for the worse forever,' said Amanda Garcia with the Texas American Federation of Teachers. SB 37 would limit faculty's influence on academic decisions and give university systems' regents, who are political appointees, more power to decide what curricula are taught, as well as which administrators are hired at the state's public colleges and universities. It would also establish another way for universities to be investigated for breaking state law — and potentially lose funding at a time when they are already facing significant financial headwinds. SB 37, which was passed by the Senate last month, was one of 10 bills scheduled for a public hearing in the House Higher Education Committee on May 6. During committee hearings, lawmakers debate the contents of a bill and invite witnesses to comment on the proposal. They also give the general public an opportunity to share their thoughts on the legislation. Rep. Terry M. Wilson, the Georgetown Republican who chairs the committee, started the hearing just after 8 a.m. with an announcement — the committee would not accept any more people registering to testify for or against SB 37 after 8:30 a.m. As chair, Wilson may limit testimony. He didn't do so with another controversial proposal brought before his committee, House Bill 232, which would make it more difficult for undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition. When HB 232 was considered on April 30, Wilson allowed people to register to testify until just before the hearing concluded at 1:06 a.m. the following day. Wilson did not comment Thursday on his decision to close early the witness registration window for SB 37. To Garcia, limiting testimony on SB 37 was a clear attempt to silence overwhelming dissent. To others, it was typical for a part-time Legislature that hurries to pass new laws in a 140-day window every two years — work that must conclude by June 2. 'They have to hustle in a way that doesn't always lend itself to having many voices heard,' said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. Texas allows anyone to register to give testimony during committee hearings to go over proposed legislation, but the process can be cumbersome. People must register at kiosks in the Capitol by a deadline that each committee's chair or clerk has broad discretion to set. The hearings can last all day and have long interruptions whenever members must leave to debate and vote on legislation in their chambers. This makes it harder to participate for Texans who have jobs they can't step away from or who don't live near Austin. This session, farmers from Johnson County waited 18 hours to testify for a bill to limit toxic chemicals in fertilizers, and public school advocates waited 20 hours to testify against a bill to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Sometimes, public testimony can result in more measured legislation, Rottinghaus said. He pointed to Senate Bill 3 as an example. Originally written in the Senate as a ban on THC, the House proposed only tightening regulations after hearing testimony that was both technical and emotional. 'Whether that will ultimately change the bill, I don't know, but I think just as a general kind of notion that this is really important, that having people make their voice heard and giving legislators more information about what is going on is a big part of the process,' he said. One of the concerns the professors and students who didn't get to testify on SB 37 brought up on Thursday was that the proposal could limit the teaching of race and inequality. Jaime Cantú, an assistant professor of biology at Austin Community College, said the bill could keep future medical professionals from learning about health disparities. He worried that under SB 37, he could be fired for teaching his students about how Interstate 35 has historically served as a dividing line between those who have access to health care in Austin and those who do not. He said he often mentions this to his students, who are mostly low-income people of color making sacrifices to become nurses. Aihanuwa Ale-opinion said she's thankful to have learned about how public health structures have and can perpetuate inequality as a biology student at UH. 'Rather than instill feelings of guilt, this has empowered me with the knowledge necessary to create better structures that are more inclusive and has inspired me to be a better peer, a better professional and a better advocate,' she said. State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, who authored SB 37, said faculty have too much control over schools' curricula, which has led to liberal bias in the classroom and many students taking classes that ultimately don't serve them in their careers. State Rep. Matt Shaheen, a Plano Republican carrying the legislation in the House, has proposed a version of the bill that removes some of the most controversial parts, such as a requirement that regents approve the hiring of faculty in certain disciplines and a provision to eliminate degree programs with a low return in students' investment. But the bill still has its detractors. Both versions of the bill limit the number of faculty who can be elected to serve on bodies that advise the university or college administration. Both also contain a provision that says faculty who engage in political advocacy can be immediately removed from these bodies. On May 6, the House Higher Education committee heard public testimony for about two hours before it recessed at about 10 a.m. They reconvened 11 hours later at 9 p.m. and adjourned at about 1 a.m. the next day. In the end, more than 80 people testified about SB 37. Although Strong was one of 20 people who missed the deadline to register, she stayed at the Capitol all day, helping her colleagues whittle down their remarks and practice so they could maximize the time allowed to speak: two minutes. In her 32 years at UT-Austin, Strong has developed curriculum and been on search committees to hire deans. She said she wanted to tell lawmakers that the bill's premise is faulty. Faculty who take on these responsibilities don't do so lightly, and their goal is not to indoctrinate students, she said. In fact, she added, those students serve as one of several checks on faculty. They fill out surveys after every course, and any complaints they make are investigated and addressed through mentoring and discipline, which can include termination, Strong said. 'Faculty are not getting away with teaching that is shoddy, out-of-date, or ideologically narrow,' she said. 'Our colleagues, administrators and students make sure of that.' The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wyoming House bills push for hand-counting ballots in flurry of election-related legislation
CHEYENNE — With dozens of election-related bills filed in the Wyoming House of Representatives this session, at least three are pushing for hand-counting votes in elections. However, one of the three bills, House Bill 217, 'Random hand count audits of election results,' died in the House Appropriations Committee Thursday morning. This bill would have given the secretary of state authority to select one random precinct to do a hand-count audit of the votes after an election. County clerks told committee members this bill would create a strain on time, staff and resources. Fremont County Clerk Julie Freese said Natrona County recently recounted more than 34,000 ballots from the last election. This single recount took over eight hours, she said, using a voting machine and a staff of 17 workers. The cost of the recount was approximately $2,500. 'That was just one office,' Freese said. Wyoming County Clerks Association lobbyist Mary Lankford, who also worked as a county clerk in Sublette County, asked to extend the time limit from one week to 30 days, given the volume of work county clerks would undergo to hand count the ballots. Freese said the 30-day time frame was more than reasonable. Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, acknowledged that HB 217 could be duplicative of a provision in his own bill, HB 232, 'Elections-hand counting for recounts,' which passed House Appropriations earlier this week. The House speaker pro tempore added that he didn't want to further burden county clerks. 'I hear the people's concern,' Haroldson said. 'I do agree with you that, if we're not careful, we load you guys' backside so hard that you're struggling to try to get it all accomplished.' Although HB 217 died in committee for lack of a motion, Haroldson's bill passed its third and final reading in the House, and it will now cross over to the Senate for introduction. HB 232 requires an automatic hand recount in federal, statewide and legislative office races with a 2% or less difference in the county. This same automatic hand recount applies to all 23 counties if there is a 1% or less difference in statewide results for state or federal office races. Local races with a 2% or less difference between the winning and losing candidates have the option of either a hand or electronic voting machine recount under HB 232. However, a third bill, HB 215, 'Prohibition on electronic voting equipment,' pushes to get rid of electronic voting machines altogether. The bill, sponsored by Wyoming Freedom Caucus member Rep. Scott Smith, R-Lingle, would prohibit the use of electronic voting machines and establish a hand-counting tabulation process, effective July 1. It creates an exception to allow people with disabilities to use an electronic voting machine, in accordance with the Help America Vote Act. This bill will be discussed Friday in the House Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee. Lobbyists against HB 232 argued hand-counting increases the risk of human error. Civics307 blogger Gail Symons told lawmakers Monday that counting by voting machine is less expensive, more accurate and faster to process. 'I believe (HB 232) is another of the many, many bills that address a problem that does not exist,' Symons said. 'I believe it is inherently flawed — flawed in the assumption of a problem, flawed in presenting a solution that actually creates a problem.' Equality State Policy Center policy director Marissa Carpio said a University of Wyoming study found that 94% of Wyomingites were confident in the state's elections. She said the distrust of elections is due to widespread messaging, rather than coming from concerned voters. A ballot-counting issue in Weston County during the 2024 general election, which is still under investigation, was brought up both Monday and Thursday. The results of this election, showing an undervote for one of the candidates, alerted the Secretary of State's Office to conduct an audit. It was a unique situation that called for a hand recount, because of a ballot misprint. Freese said the voting machines did the job they were designed for by not counting the wrong ballots. 'The machine did its job,' Freese said. 'It saw the ones that were correct. The ballots that were not correct … those did not get counted because the bubble was in the wrong place.'
