AUSTIN
As the Texas House prepares for a floor fight today over the budget, a flurry of amendments filed by Democrats seeks to cut back funding for the state’s Alternatives to Abortion program.
A group of Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, filed more than a dozen amendments to reduce or eliminate funding for the program, which provides “pregnancy and parenting information” to low-income women.
Under the program, the state contracts with the Texas Pregnancy Care Network, a nonprofit charity organization with a network of crisis pregnancy resource centers that provide counseling and adoption assistance.
Since September 2006, the program has served roughly 110,000 clients. The network features 60 provider locations, including crisis pregnancy centers, maternity homes and adoption agencies.
Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, said she filed an amendment to defund the program because the state is giving more money to “coerce women” into a “political ideology instead of providing information and services” at a time when Texas women’s access to health services is being reduced.
The proposed House budget allocates $9.15 million a year to the program in 2016 and 2017, up from $5.15 million in the last budget.
“I think it’s troublesome that here we are going to almost double funding for a program that has not proven to be successful in any way,” said Farrar, chairwoman of the Women’s Health Caucus in the House. An additional amendment by Farrar would require an audit of the program.
Other House Democrats including Turner, Borris Miles of Houston and Celia Israel of Austin filed amendments that would transfer more than $8 million from the Alternatives to Abortion program to family planning services and programs for people with disabilities.
“These facilities have very little regulation, no accountability and no requirement to offer actual medical services,” Turner said. “My amendments are an attempt to address our state’s real priorities and needs.”
Two Republicans filed measures to boost the program’s funding.
Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, wrote an amendment that would supplement the Alternatives to Abortion program with $3.35 million per year, funded by a cut for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. In a budget subcommittee, Hughes sought to increase the program’s funding by nearly $15 million in the two-year budget, but that measure failed.
Another amendment from Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, would boost the program’s funding by $3.35 million yearly by cutting funding from a film and music marketing program in the governor’s office — a move he hopes will help the Alternatives to Abortion program extend into East and South Texas.
“They’ve done a good job with what we’ve given over the last 10 years,” Phelan said. “I think whatever increase we can give them is well-warranted.”
Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, filed an amendment that would rename the program to Pregnancy and Parenting Services, which he said would defuse any controversy surrounding the program.
“There are individuals who seem to dislike the program, which I think is disappointing, because the program really isn’t about abortion rights or abortion restrictions,” said Bonnen, a neurosurgeon. “I find it a little disheartening and disappointing that anyone would want to take resources away from pregnant women or newborn children.”
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