None of the Single Ladies: Another grim reality made grimmer by the fall of Roe: In some states, you can’t get divorced while pregnant, as The Kansas City Star pointed out in Missouri. In Texas, you may file for divorce while pregnant, but your divorce can’t be resolved until the birth of the child. Whoopee!
Replaceable: The principal of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where 21 people were slaughtered in May, was placed on paid leave Monday, July 25, The Texas Tribune reported. While the reason for the suspension is yet unclear, an interim report by a state House committee that investigated the shooting found Principal Mandy Gutierrez knew the lock for Room 111 wasn’t working, but no one prepared a work order.
Countdown (to Lost Autonomy): The U.S. Supreme Court issued its official judgment in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, activating Texas’ “trigger law” that bans almost all abortions, effective Aug. 25. Though the procedure is already outlawed in most cases by a 1925 statute, the trigger law will increase criminal and civil penalties.
Cater 2 CEOs: Do gig workers really need to make the generous federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour? According to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, that’s more than enough! Cuellar’s Worker Flexibility and Choice Act would cut gig workers who have “entered into a worker flexibility agreement with an entity” such as Instacart out of minimum wage and overtime protections. Cuellar eked out a primary win by fewer than 300 votes over progressive Jessica Cisneros in May.
Bills, Bills, Bills: Central Health will undergo a performance audit after a July 26 Travis County commissioners vote. Members from the Austin NAACP and the League of United Latin American Citizens demanded the audit, alleging the health district lacks financial transparency. Central Health CEO Mike Geeslin responded that an audit was already in the works, as the district had agreed to in 2017 when activists last came after it.
You Can’t Break My Soul (Can Break My Bank): Twenty Republican attorneys general, including our own Ken Paxton, filed suit this week challenging the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service‘s guidance that schools receiving food-aid funds must update equity policies to protect LGBTQ+ students. The AGs argue schools may have good reasons to refuse food to queer or trans kids.
Get in Formation: This week, four Texas cities advanced progressive policy initiatives launched by local PAC Ground Game Texas. Killeen and Harker Heights moved on ballot initiatives to decriminalize marijuana, Alton (in the Rio Grande Valley) is closer to raising its minimum wage, and San Marcos certified an initiative to eliminate enforcement of low-level marijuana offenses.
Quote of the Week
“Nutrition assistance for children in need should not be used as a chip in a political game.”
– A.G. Ken Paxton, unironically, after suing the USDA to block LGBTQ protections in school food assistance programs
This article appears in July 29 • 2022.