Voters and corporations react to election bills moving through the state legislature
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Claiming far too many Texans have lost faith in our elections - republican state lawmakers this week moved a slate of reforms and restrictions a step closer to becoming law.
Aimed at reducing the likelihood of fraud, House Bill 6 and its Senate counterpart, SB7x, roll-back pandemic-driven experiments in Harris County like 24-hour polling places and drive-thru voting, while also imposing harsh criminal penalties for those convicted of breaking the rules.
Labeled voter "suppression" and "Jim Crow 2" by Harris County Democrats - the Republican bills have drawn public opposition from "big name" Texas corporations - like Dell Computer and American Airlines, "push back" which ignited the fury of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.
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This week’s panel: Charles Blain, founder of Urban Reform, Jessica Colon, Republican strategist, Chau Nguyen, social worker Houston Area Women’s Center, Bill King Houston businessman and columnist, Chris Tritico, Fox 26 senior legal analyst, join Greg Groogan to talk about pending election legislation.
Texas 87th Legislature updates
Patrick went on to call out Judge Lina Hidalgo and Mayor Sylvester Turner as "race baiters" and "liars".
Rice Political Scientist Mark Jones calls the Democratic "suppression" charge "disingenuous hyperbole" in large part because HB 6 and Senate Bill 7 essentially re-instate the election standards in place before the pandemic.