Rep. Donna Howard, HD 48

Courtesy of Donna Howard

Rep. Donna Howard has a mind swimming with ideas for the next session. Up first, as part of the Appropriations Committee that manages the state budget, she's looking at the unique financial situation before Texas – a $27 billion surplus. "It should be something more strategic rather than knee-jerk property tax relief." Gov. Greg Abbott wants half the surplus spent on lowering property taxes, but that would mean "busting the cap" – going beyond the state's constitutional spending limit for the next two years.

Republicans are traditionally opposed to busting the cap, but Howard saw it happen in 2007 as a freshman representative, when Republicans agreed to it to deliver on a multibillion-dollar promise of property tax relief. Howard and other Democrats this session are looking to increase state funding to education as a workaround to reduce local school property taxes (the largest component of local tax bills), while also increasing teacher pay.

Howard, who also heads the Texas Women's Health Caucus, has filed a bill that would create exceptions to the state's abortion bans in cases of rape and incest (House Bill 979) and another that would require Alternatives to Abortion programs (such as faith-based "crisis pregnancy centers") to have metrics tied to their funding so the state can determine if they achieve what they claim (HB 988).

But one of the best changes the state could make for new moms, Howard says, is expanding Texas Medicaid. The House passed a bill last session to extend health care for moms several months postpartum, but the details will be hammered out this session. She emphasizes that pregnancy and birth can lead to health consequences lasting much longer than one year, and that a healthy pregnancy begins with a mother who already has a primary physician. Both can be addressed through Medicaid expansion.

Also related to maternal health and mortality, Howard will press for more investment in mental health resources, which Republicans expressed support for after the Uvalde shooting. Suicide and overdose are frequent causes of death for new moms, and Howard says overall this session, she'll be asking Republicans, "How do we prevent these preventable deaths among Texas moms and with more pregnancies and births expected?"