House Bill 1173 would ban local governments from budgeting their funds to provide practical support services for people seeking abortion care. This bill is a direct attack on the funding for abortion practical support created by the City of Austin in 2019. HB 1173 has a public hearing this Thursday, April 8th, at 8am in the House State Affairs committee.
We need your help to stop HB 1173.
Use the Texas House online public comment website to submit your written opposition to HB 1173 by Thursday, April 8th. Use the drop down menu on the website to select the April 8th State Affairs hearing and oppose HB 1173. You must be a Texas resident to submit a comment.
Here’s some talking points you can use:
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Texas has multiple restrictions on abortion care that create real obstacles for people who need access to abortion care. Practical support abortion funds help people navigate and overcome those barriers.
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Abortion access is an economic justice issue and this funding is vital to the health and safety of people seeking abortion care and their community.
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More and more, as state leaders continue to fail us, it’s up to our local leaders to ensure the health and safety of their residents by ensuring people in Texas can access abortion care.
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Practical support funding is especially impactful for communities at the margins, including young people, immigrants, BIPOC individuals and members of the LGBTQ community.
If you have never submitted a public comment before. Here are the steps for navigating the website for the first time:
Step 1: Go to comments.house.texas.gov/home and scroll down.
Step 2: Confirm that you are a resident of Texas.
Step 3: Fill in your personal information. It’s important to remember that your public comment will be recorded. If you are concerned for your safety by disclosing your identity, it’s okay to use a pseudonym.
Step 4: Scroll down and select “HB 1173.” There are a lot of bills and it is a long scroll. If you feel overwhelmed use the command “ctrl +f” and type in “1173” this will pull up the house bill that you want to comment on.
Step 4: Type in your public comment about this bill and why you oppose the bill. See a sample of what you should include in your public testimony:
My name is [XXXX] and I write to oppose House Bill 1173. HB 1173 would ban local governments from budgeting funds to provide practical support services for people seeking abortion care. This bill interferes with the work of local public health officials and undermines abortion access for people in Texas already facing multiple barriers to this essential healthcare.
[Add 1-2 lines about why you personally care about practical support for abortion access!]
Texas has dozens of restrictions on abortion care that create systemic obstacles for people seeking abortion care. Practical support abortion funds help people navigate and overcome those barriers. HB 1173 is a direct attack on the most marginalized people in Texas: Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, low-income people, and youth. It takes away food, lodging, transportation, and childcare support from people already facing multiple financial and logistical barriers.
[Add 1-2 lines about why you oppose banning local governments from funding practical support services for abortion access.]
For years Texans have struggled to access even the most basic healthcare, and COVID-19 has only added to those obstacles and pushed many to their financial limits. Many people are unemployed, have become full-time caregivers to children or elders, and are facing economic insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. At such a crucial moment, the state government should not be interfering with local leaders’ ability to ensure the health and safety of their residents. For these reasons I oppose HB 1173.
