Senate Amendments: Proposed and Rejected

During the July 12 State Senate debate over the anti-abortion bill, HB 2, Democratic senators proposed several amendments to the bill. All were rejected, largely on partisan lines. The debate ultimately ended with the passage of HB 2, without any mitigating or clarifying language. The following amendments were proposed and rejected (i.e., "tabled"). – Jordan Smith

Proposed by Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas – would allow doctors to have hospital admitting privileges or a transfer agreement with a hospital – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio – would add exception to 20-week abortion ban for victims of rape and incest (Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, offered to amend that to exempt only those victims 17 and younger) – tabled, 18-12

Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston – would make clear that an exemption to the 20-week ban exists to protect the health of the mother, and to allow a doctor to make the determination of what constitutes a medical threat to the mother's health and life – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo – would change legislative findings from "substantial" evidence to "some" evidence exists that baby at 20 weeks feels pain, create an exemption to the 20 week ban for women who suffer from psychological problems that existed pre-pregnancy, and an exemption to the ban for severe fetal abnormality – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio – would have allowed second dose of RU-486 to be administered either vaginally or orally – tabled, 18-12

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo – would require the state to reimburse clinics for costs to upgrading to ambulatory surgical centers – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso – would allow abortion clinics to avoid new construction to meet ambulatory surgical center physical plant requirements – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio – would create an exemption to ASC upgrade requirement for clinics that would otherwise close and leave women more than 50 miles away from another provider – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth – would require ASCs to be subject to yearly, unannounced inspections, as is currently required for all abortion-providing clinics – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso – would remove from the state-written Women's Right to Know pamphlet medically inaccurate information linking abortion to increased risk of breast cancer – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso – would require state-funded crisis pregnancy centers to provide comprehensive health care counseling – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio – would allow teen mothers access to birth control without parental consent – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston – would require Health and Human Services Commission to do a marketing and outreach campaign to reduce unintended pregnancies – tabled, 18-12

Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin – would require that parents be notified of the specific content (or lack thereof) in sex education curriculum in schools – tabled, 18-12

Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin – would require evidence-based sex education in public schools – tabled, 18-12

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo – excise all but the 20-week ban from bill – tabled, 19-11

Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth – would require the state to fully fund family planning before abortion regulations would take effect – tabled, 18-12

Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston – would increase access to Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) for low-income uninsured women and babies to include six visits within six months after birth – tabled, 18-12

Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston – would require the draw down of billions in federal Medicaid dollars – tabled, 18-12

Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth – would include the provisions of the equal pay for women act vetoed this summer by Gov. Rick Perry – tabled, 18-12