Republican leaders in the Texas Senate chose Texas Independence Day to announce a letter is headed to the President calling for changes in Medicaid.
Brazos County state senator Charles Schwertner was among those signing the letter, demanding Medicaid administration be transferred to Texas to spend federal dollars going to health care for low income residents.
Click HERE to read the letter.
Schwertner, who chairs the health and human services committee…along with Senator Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham and Lt. Gov. Patrick…support Medicaid recipients sharing costs, pay for missed appointments, establish health savings accounts, and be employed if they’re physically able.
More from the Associated Press:
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ All 20 Texas Senate Republicans sent a letter Monday to President Barack Obama demanding more flexibility for their state to administer Medicaid _ but also vowing that, without it, expanding the program under the White House’s signature health care law remains “not worth discussing.”
Sen. Charles Schwertner said the cost of covering the joint federal-state program providing health care for the poor and disabled has grown from 12 percent of Texas’ state budget in 1989 to nearly 30 percent today, saying it’s increasing two and a half times faster than any other part of state government.
The letter said such a trajectory “is clearly unsustainable.”
Speaking at a state Capitol news conference with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Schwertner likened federal reimbursements distributed as part of Medicaid “gold-plated handcuffs that stand in the way of common-sense, conservative reforms that could otherwise help contain these exploding costs.”
Texas wants to be allowed to collect co-payments and institute work requirements for recipients, as well as expand health saving accounts. Those ideas were panned by advocacy groups, which noted that Medicaid costs have increased because Texas successfully covered more previously uninsured children _ and that they also have remained relatively stable since 2012.
“Low-income children, pregnant women, the elderly, and Texans with disabilities don’t need more hoops to jump through,” a coalition known as “Cover Texas Now” said in a joint statement.
Schwertner himself noted that getting Washington to agree to such overhauls was likely a tall order.
“The federal government has been very unwilling to work with increased flexibility,” said the Georgetown Republican, who heads the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
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MAJOR HOUSE BORDER BILL
New highway checkpoints and putting retired police officers on duty are part of a sweeping Texas border security bill that Republicans on Monday said would ramp up enforcement as promised under new Gov. Greg Abbott.
The House proposal is the most comprehensive border security plan so far through two months of the new Legislature and closely tracks with priorities outlined by Abbott. The bill drew a mostly wait-and-see reaction from Democrats who worry about tougher immigration measures coming down the pike.
But for now they signaled unease with language that would make it a felony to “encourage” or “induce” someone to remain in the country with permission. Some wondered whether that could mean advocacy groups helping immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, or individuals who unknowingly hire an unauthorized nanny.
“We just need to make sure the definitions of the bill are tightened,” Democratic state Rep. Rafael Anchia said.
Republican state Rep. Dennis Bonnen said such scenarios were not the point. Repeating the mantra among Texas conservatives for nearly a decade, Bonnen said his lengthy bill was necessary to address the shortage of resources and money from Washington.
“Texas must continue to stand in the gap,” Bonnen said.
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LIBEL LAW PROPOSAL
Texas journalists asked legislators Monday to cement into law guarantees that they will be shielded from libel lawsuits if they accurately report a whistleblower’s allegations that turn out to be false.
They say that’s been common practice in Texas for years, but that they want to see legislation passed particularly after a 2014 Texas Supreme Court ruling left state libel law unclear.
Republican Sen. Joan Huffman said media groups asked her to push the bill, which she presented Monday to the Senate State Affairs Committee.
Opponents say the measure is not necessary and that journalists in the state already have many protections.
The bill would shield journalists from litigation when they report on allegations brought by a whistleblower, if the accusations were made and were accurately reported.
“Whistleblower reporting is the most crucial thing we do,” San Antonio Express-News reporter Sig Christenson said during the hearing before the Senate committee. He gave several examples of stories that originated with a third-party source and led to changes in legislation.
Existing libel laws ensure that journalists aren’t protected when they knowingly publish lies, Christenson said, adding that he’s never been sued for libel during his 33-year reporting career.
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LAWMAKERS HONOR BOB ARMSTRONG
Former Texas land commissioner Armstrong dead at 82<
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Leaders from both parties are honoring Bob Armstrong, a former Texas land commissioner who served as assistant U.S. secretary of the interior under President Bill Clinton and who died over the weekend at 82.
An Austin native, Armstrong died Saturday night. He was honored on the House and Senate floors Monday.
Armstrong served eight years as a state representative and was land commissioner for 12 years, beginning in 1971.
He ran for governor in 1982 but lost in the Democratic primary to Mark White. White later named him to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.
Armstrong joined the Clinton administration from 1993 to 1998.
In a statement, Land Commissioner George P. Bush said Armstrong was easygoing, but also “demonstrated an impressive work ethic and passion for our state’s natural beauty.”
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ON DECK
The Senate reconvenes at 11 a.m. Tuesday and the House goes into session at 11:30 a.m. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also is holding a press conference with Senate Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“On a day like today, when we’re celebrating Texas Independence, it is neither Republican nor Democrat. The only label that matters today is that we are Texans,” Austin Democratic Sen. Kirk Watson, while introducing a resolution on Texas Independence Day.