With the 2021 Texas Legislative Session drawing to an end State Rep. Ron Reynolds (District 27) is on a mission to let Texans know exactly which state elected officials are working in their best interests and which ones aren’t.
Reynolds has taken the initiative to inform the public of these realities, not with antagonizing rhetoric to stir up his base, but rather with the actual receipts to back up his claims.
Reynolds’ emails include listings of specific bills championed by various Texas legislators, listing the bills’ authors, focus and reasons behind the bills’ non-passage.
Speaking to his email initiative, Reynolds stated, “Every couple of days we will highlight bills that would have made a definite impact on the lives of Texans as a whole. Although we were able to get a few key bills passed, Republicans made sure we missed the mark on our more imperative goals.”
Reynolds said bail reform, police reform, the ‘Crown Act” and more were potentially game-changing legislation that GOP members effectively killed.
“Republicans made sure Texans wouldn’t have bail bond reform as HB2077 never stood a chance in committee. It’s 2021 and Texans still have to worry and stress about getting arrested for small amounts of marijuana because HB169 didn’t survive committee vote. Criminal Justice didn’t matter much either as HB137 got snagged in Committee. Enhanced training for Police officers also wasn’t a priority, as HB831 was ‘dead on arrival,’” said Reynolds.
Reynolds added that House Republicans didn’t even consider bringing the “Crown Act” (the act that would prohibit employers from criminalizing Black hair) on the House Floor for debate.
To the question of why this information campaign, Reynolds stated, “It’s time for all of us to make a lot more noise about the aforementioned issues. The Republicans are absolutely wrong on this!”
Here is a sampling of those missed opportunities:
| BILL | AUTHOR | RELATING TO… |
| HB 60 | Rep. Ron Reynolds | Minimum wage increase |
| HB 87 | Rep. Ron Reynolds | Requiring certain employers to provide paid sick leave to employees; providing administrative and civil penalties |
| HB 104 | Rep. Ron Reynolds | Electronic voter registration |
| HB 110 | Rep. Ron Reynolds | Requirements to vote, including presenting proof of identification |
| HB 120 | Rep. Ron Reynolds | Allowing straight-party voting |
| HB 123 | Rep. Jasmine Crockett | Prescribing low-THC cannabis under the Texas Compassionate Use Program |
| HB 137 | Rep. Senfronia Thompson | The authority of a court to terminate the sentence of certain persons released on parole |
| HB 169 | Rep. Senfronia Thompson | The criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of Penalty Group 1 controlled substances and marijuana |
| HB 367 | Rep. Carl Sherman Sr. | The prosecution and reporting of certain offenses committed because of bias of prejudice; creating a criminal offense |
| HB 392 | Rep. Rhetta Bowers | Discrimination on the basis of hair texture or protective hairstyle associated with race |
| HB 595 | Rep. Carl Sherman Sr. | Qualifications and registration of certain voters convicted of a felony |
| HB 716 | Rep. Gervin-Hawkins | A study on mold contamination in housing developments supported by financial assistance administered by the Texas Dept. of Housing and Community Affairs |
| HB 1178 | Rep. Jasmine Crockett | Removing criminal penalties for the possession of drug paraphernalia under the Texas Controlled Substances Act |
| HB 1944 | Rep. Jasmine Crockett | Automatic expunction of arrest records and files for certain persons who are tried for an offense and subsequently acquitted |
| HB 2077 | Rep. Ron Reynolds | Bail proceedings and related duties of a magistrate in a criminal case |
| HB 2542 | Rep. Toni Rose | Considering criminal history in employment decisions; providing an administrative penalty |
| HB 346 | Rep. Toni Rose | Prohibiting the use of certain techniques when using force to make an arrest of search |
| HB 140 | Rep. Toni Rose | Applicability of the death penalty to a capital offense committed by a person with severe mental illness |
| HB 45 | Rep. Jarvis Johnson | Eligibility of certain criminal defendants for an order of nondisclosure of criminal history record information |
| HB 1481 | Rep. Jarvis Johnson | Contracts to provide appropriate residential housing to students in extended foster care who enroll at public institutions of higher education |
| HB 584 | Rep. Sheryl Cole | Automatic voter registration on issuance or change of a driver’s license or identification card by the Department of Public Safety |
