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Legislative Work
Timeline of legislation
2019 Regular Session: First heat bills where filed by Representative Canales and Senator Menendez.
Senator Menedez' bill was not given a hearing and the House bills by Representative Canales died in committee.
2021 Regular Session: Senator Menendez again filed a bill as did Representatives Canales, Sherman, and Rosenthal. Added to the demand for air conditioning was air purification systems as we were at the height of Covid and more prisoners and staff died in Texas than in any other state. Representative Canales bill passed the House floor but when received by the Senate the Finance Committee refused to hear it.
2023 Regular Session: Senator Menendez again filed a bill as did Representatives Canales, Sherman, Rosenthal, and Bryant. Representatives Canales, Sherman, and Bryant's bills all received hearings by the Correction Committee. Representative Sherman's bill was voted out of committee. Representative Canales' bill was voted out of committee and passed the House Floor, was again assigned to the Senate Finance committee, were did not received a hearing. The House Appropriations Committee included money in their finance bill (HB1) and added an amendment to Senate Bill 30 for additional funding. Although both bills passed both the House and Senate vote, funds were removed during Conference Committee.
These inhumane conditions MUST change! Texas can do better! As noted in the timeline above, the House hears the pleas of incarcerated Texans, their families, the staff of TDCJ and with compassion continues to fight for "the least of these." The Senate and our state's top leaders, however, appears unconcerned with these inhuman conditions and the danger it causes for the people they are responsible for and their state employees.
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