Legislative Watch

The Texas Campaign monitors selected bills related to adolescent health, sexuality education and reproductive rights and access to healthcare. Below is a list of bills tracked by the Texas Campaign as well as the Texas Campaign’s position on each piece. When possible, we’ve included relevant background information.

Legislative Priorities

In the 86th Legislative Session, the Texas Campaign is focusing on three key policy priorities:

Consent to contraception for teen parents: In Texas, a teen mother under the age of 18 may consent to all medical care for her child, but under state law typically cannot consent to her own birth control. Texas consistently has one of the highest rates of repeat teen pregnancy in the nation, with 19% of teen births being a repeat birth. To learn more about minor consent to contraception, download our one pager on minor consent. (Filed legislation: HB 938, SB 149)
Auto-enrollment from children’s health programs in Healthy Texas Women: Young adults in Texas have high rates of being uninsured. Although research shows that low-income young women in Texas want to be using effective and long-lasting methods of contraception, they perceive cost as a barrier and don’t know that they’re eligible for free programs that provide reproductive healthcare such as Healthy Texas Women. Currently, the state automatically enrolls women from Pregnant Women’s Medicaid into HTW. Similarly, the state could automatically enroll young women into HTW as they age out of Children’s Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). To learn more, download the one pager. (HB 1879, SB 189)
Contraceptive Coverage in CHIP: Texas is one of only two states in the nation that does not cover birth control for the purposes of pregnancy prevention in the Children’s Health Insurance Program. By not allowing young women to receive contraception through CHIP, they face multiple barriers and have to navigate referrals to other clinics or programs to access birth control, hurting continuity of care. Adding birth control to CHIP is projected to save the state money due to averting unintended teen pregnancies. The bill would require parental consent for birth control in accordance with Chapter 32 of the Family Code. To learn more, read our one pager on contraceptive coverage in CHIP. (Filed Legislation: HB 800).

To learn more about the Texas Campaign’s work in the 86th Legislative session, download our Legislative Priorities document.

Important Resources:

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2019: The 86th Session of the Texas Legislature

Policy priorities of the Texas Campaign for the 86th Legislative session center on fiscally sound ways to ensure that young people in Texas have access to the information and health care needed to prevent unintended pregnancy. The 86th regular legislative session runs from January – May, 2019.
Bills supported by the Texas Campaign include:

HB 25 by Rep. Mary González: Would allow the children of pregnant or postpartum women to accompany their mother on medical transportation services to doctor’s appointments.
HB 30 by Rep. Gina Hinojosa: Would allow the transfer of unused long-acting reversible contraceptive products under Medicaid and the Healthy Texas Women program.
HB 85 by Rep. Mary González: Would make the “Romeo and Juliet” provision apply to same sex couples.
HB 241 by Rep. Farrar: Would expand Pregnant Women’s Medicaid eligibility to one year postpartum. (Companion: SB 147)
HB 314 by Rep. Donna Howard: Would allow the compensatory education funding stream to provide child-care assistance to parenting students at risk of dropping out of school; would improve data collection around high school drop-out related to pregnancy.
HB 315 by Rep. Donna Howard: Would make condoms sales tax exempt.
HB 473 by Rep. Donna Howard: Would require DFPS to report certain information regarding foster youth who are pregnant or are parents.
HB 474 by Rep. Donna Howard: Would require DFPS to make a capacity plan to serve the needs of pregnant or parenting youth.
HB 475 by Rep. Donna Howard: Would require DFPS to provide parenting education to foster youth who are pregnant or parenting.
HB 606 by Rep. Shawn Thierry: Would auto-enroll young women into the Healthy Texas Women program as they age out of children’s health insurance programs.
HB 800 by Rep. Donna Howard: Would add contraception as a covered benefit in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
HB 937 by Rep. Sarah Davis: Would add contraception as a covered benefit in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); would require insurers to cover a 1-year supply of contraception.
HB 938 by Rep. Sarah Davis: Would allow teen parents to consent to contraception.
HB 1879 by Rep. Sarah Davis: Would auto-enroll young women into the Healthy Texas Women program as they age out of children’s health insurance programs; would auto-enroll pregnant women into Pregnant Women’s Medicaid or CHIP Perinatal.
HB 2161 by Rep. Sheryl Cole: Would improve sex education in Texas schools.
SB 147 by Sen. Rodríguez: Would expand Pregnant Women’s Medicaid eligibility to one year postpartum. (Companion: HB 241)
SB 148 by Sen. Rodríguez: Would add contraception as a covered benefit in the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
SB 149 by Sen. Rodríguez: Would allow teens who already have children to consent to their own contraception; would allow teen parents to consent to postpartum care.
SB 189 by Sen. Miles: Would auto-enroll young women into the Healthy Texas Women program as they age out of children’s health insurance programs.
SB 1288 by Sen. Watson: Would require DFPS to report additional information on pregnant and parenting youth in foster care.
SB 1289 by Sen. Watson: Would require DFPS to report additional information on pregnant and parenting youth.
SB 1290 by Sen. Watson: Would require DFPS to provide information on prenatal care and parenting to youth in state conservatorship who are pregnant or parenting.
SB 1291 by Sen. Watson: Would require DFPS to provide training to adults who work with youth in conservatorship on a variety of topics including healthy relationships and sex education.

2017: The 85^th Session of the Texas Legislature

Last updated: May 30, 2017

Bills supported by the Texas Campaign

HB 107 by Rep. Sarah Davis: Requires the Department of Health Services to submit an annual report to the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house on immunization rates for the human papillomavirus. The report will include county-level statistical information for human papillomavirus immunizations. (FAILED TO PASS)
HB 222 by Rep. Donna Howard/SB 163 by Rep. Eddie Rodriguez: Allow prescription FDA approved contraceptive drugs or devices as a covered benefit under the child health plan, excluding abortifacients, with consent from a parent, guardian, or managing conservator. (FAILED TO PASS)
HB 223 by Rep. Donna Howard: Allow for the use of compensatory education allotment funding to provide assistance to students at risk of dropping out of school who are pregnant or who are parents. (FAILED TO PASS)
HB 226 by Rep. Donna Howard: Removes the requirement for sexual health education materials to “teach that sexual activity before marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical consequences.” (FAILED TO PASS)
HB 279 by Rep. Donna Howard/SB 790 by Sen. Borris Miles: Continuing the Women’s Health Advisory Committee until September 1, 2019. (SENT TO GOVERNOR)
HB 330 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez: Allow for unmarried mothers who are 15 years of age or older to consent for examination or medical treatment, other than abortion or emergency contraception, related to contraception. (FAILED TO PASS)
HB 940 by Rep. Donna Howard/HB 1161 by Rep. Sarah Davis: Health benefit plans that provide coverage for prescription contraceptives must allow a recipient to obtain up to a 12-month supply of the covered prescription contraceptive. (FAILED TO PASS)
HB 941 by Rep. Donna Howard: Establish a pilot program to provide LARC to high school students in 6 designated public school districts, with parental consent for students under 18. (FAILED TO PASS)
HB 1342 by Rep. Tan Parker: Requires districts to develop and offer age appropriate evidence based child sex abuse prevention training. (SENT TO GOVERNOR)
HB 1373 by Rep Sarah Davis: Allows for unmarried mothers who are minors to consent examination or medical treatment, other than abortion, related to contraception. This bill defines contraception as “any method of preventing pregnancy that is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. (FAILED TO PASS)
HB 1547 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez/SB 1104 by Sen. Kirk Watson: Requires instruction in sex education classes to be evidence-based and medically accurate and include age-appropriate information on pregnancy and disease prevention methods approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (FAILED TO PASS)
HB 1579 by Rep. Donna Howard: Would exempt condoms from sales tax. (FAILED TO PASS)
SB 164 by Sen. Jose Rodriguez: Allow for unmarried recently pregnant minors to consent for postpartum care. Allow for unmarried mothers who are minors to consent for examination or medical treatment, other than abortion or emergency contraception, related to contraception. (FAILED TO PASS)
SB 576 by Sen. Joan Huffman: Relating to a reporting requirement for certain incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault, family violence, or stalking at public institutions of higher education; creating a criminal offense. (FAILED TO PASS)
SB 809 by Sen. Borris Miles: Relating to the automatic enrollment of certain women in the Texas women’s health program. (FAILED TO PASS)
HB 3195 by Rep. Carol Alvarado/SB 2109 by Sen. Jose Menendez: Relating to a requirement that each public institution of higher education develop and implement a strategic plan for the prevention of sexual assault and unplanned pregnancy. (FAILED TO PASS)

Bills opposed by the Texas Campaign

HB 4206 by Rep. Valoree Swanson/SB1310 by Sen. Bob Hall: Relating to elimination of the requirement that a school district establish a local school health advisory council (SHAC). (FAILED TO PASS)

2015: 84^th Session of the Texas Legislature

Previous Legislative Sessions

Bills supported by The Texas Campaign:

House Bill 78 would require instruction in sex education classes to be evidence-based and medically accurate and include age-appropriate information on pregnancy and disease prevention methods approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (FAILED TO PASS)

House Bill 90 would lower the age requirement to be eligible for the Texas Women’s Health Program from 18 to 15. (FAILED TO PASS)

House Bill 467 removes language indicating that sexual activity before marriage causes psychological and physical harm from statute related to HIV/AIDS prevention programs in the state’s Health and Safety Code. (FAILED TO PASS)

House Bill 468 would allow some minors to be able to consent to medical treatment related to contraception, other than abortion or emergency contraception. (FAILED TO PASS)

Senate Bill 88 would require the public school health education curriculum to include information on methods of contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections in addition to promoting abstinence. (FAILED TO PASS)

Senate Bill 297 would require the public school health education curriculum to be evidence-based. (FAILED TO PASS)

Senate Bill 300 would require public school districts to inform parents if the district is teaching abstinence-only or is including information on contraception in its sex education curriculum. (FAILED TO PASS)

Senate Bill 468 would allow some minors to be able to consent to medical treatment related to contraception, other than abortion or emergency contraception. (FAILED TO PASS)

Bills not supported by The Texas Campaign:

House Bill 205 and Senate Bill 477 would bar an entity or individual that performs abortions or an affiliate of an entity or individual that performs abortions from providing sex education information to public schools. (FAILED TO PASS)