Legislative Update (2/28)

This has been a huge week for Make Texans Healthy Again! We testified on three key bills at the Capitol—a huge thank you to everyone who showed up to testify or show support: Steve, Nina, Monica, Amy, Leslie, DeJarra, Andrea, and Paulina. Your voices are making an impact!

We also helped launch the Make America Healthy Again Caucus in the Texas Legislature, starting with 20 founding members (formal release coming next week, with more legislators expected to join before then).

And we’re gearing up for Advocacy Day at the Capitol this Tuesday! [More details here and below]. We’ve also finalized our MTHA Legislative Priorities document, which we’ll release Tuesday at Advocacy Day to highlight key bills we’re working on this session.

More details on all of this below my signature!

—Travis McCormick (Founder, Make Texans Healthy Again)

Pictured Above: Some of the founding members of the  Make America Healthy Again Legislative Caucus visit with Calley Means about strategy and messaging.

MTHA Testifies on First Three Bills of the Session:

On Tuesday, Senator Lois Kolkhorst (Chair, Senate Health & Human Services) hosted a press conference outlining Texas' Make America Healthy Again agenda for the session. She was joined by national health reform leaders, including Calley Means, Brigham Buhler, and Dr. Mark Hyman. You can [watch the press conference here] or read [excellent coverage by the Lone Star Standard here.]

This press conference set the stage for Wednesday’s Senate Health & Human Services Committee hearing, where MTHA supporters and the national leaders above testified in favor of two critical bills:

• SB 25 (Sen. Kolkhorst) – Strengthens nutrition education for medical professionals, protects recess and physical activity in schools, increases transparency in food labeling, and creates the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee to guide public health policy. (Learn more)

• SB 314 (Sen. Hughes) – Protects students from harmful food additives and dyes in taxpayer-funded school meals. These chemicals, linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and behavioral issues, have already been banned in other developed countries. (Learn more)

While I am much better at one-on-one conversations and behind the scenes bill analysis, I testified on both bills 😬. You can watch and RETWEET my closing remarks on SB 314 here. I also dropped off written testimony for the bill below in Senate Business and Commerce Committee this morning.

• SB 815 (Sen. Schwertner) – Prevents insurance companies from using AI algorithms as the sole factor in denying, delaying, or modifying medical treatments, ensuring human oversight in healthcare decisions. (Learn more)

ADVOCACY DAY AT THE CAPITOL:

Next Tuesday, March 4th is Make Texans Healthy Again Advocacy Day at the Capitol! This is a great opportunity to connect with legislators and staff about our Make Texans Healthy Again initiative and our legislative priorities, and to help build support for the newly formed Make America Healthy Again Caucus. 

Itinerary:

• 9:00 AM: Meet at Sweetwater Coffee Shop (316 West 12th Street in Austin, Texas)
  (Plenty of street parking is available near Sweetwater. We will walk to Capitol from the coffee shop)

• 9:30 – 10:30 AM: Office Visits 

• 10:30 – 11:00 AM: Meet-and-Greet with MAHA Caucus Members

• 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Office Visits