Rep. Drew Springer
Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, has proposed an amendment to the budget that will hurt LGBT families.
The legislature will debate HB-1, the general appropriations bill, in the Texas House on Tuesday, March 31. The Springer Amendment stops all state funding for a school district that, in the opinion of the Texas attorney general, has taken an action in violation of the Texas Constitution. (Those are new powers that would be granted to the attorney general.)
The school district would have 60 days to come into compliance.
The amendment targets Pflugerville ISD and Austin ISD, two school districts that have instituted “plus 1” benefit programs.
Dallas County extended Family Medical Leave using the plus 1 system that will benefit the districts’ single employees, as well as married and partnered gay and lesbian employees.
The benefit programs allow an employee to name a second person who is financially interdependent with them and co-resides with them to receive benefits, and the programs were constructed to comply with guidances issued by then-AG Greg Abbott.
Although Springer believes these programs to be in violation of the state Constitution, absent additional attorney general opinions, they would not be affected by the new level of bureaucracy his amendment attempts to create.
To contact your state representative and tell him or her to oppose the Springer Amendment on page 151 of their amendment packet, click here.
