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Make Texas Healthy Again!

And, oh yeah, an unvaccinated Texas kid died of measles, no big

Not great!

Today was a great day for idiots who believe nutrition and exercise can solve all of our health problems. The Health and Human Services committee held testimony on two bills: SB 25 Relating to health and nutrition standards to promote healthy living, and SB 314 Relating to prohibiting certain food additives from being included in free or reduced-price meals provided by school districts.

On their face, these are fine bills that promote mandatory physical activity for students, ensure that schools are providing healthier lunches, make food labeling clearer, and mandates more nutrition education for healthcare workers.

Sure. Fine.

But SB25 is authored by Lois Kolkhorst of areas just west of Houston, who has long been a vaccine “skeptic” and believes in “medical freedom.” Frankly, blood is now on her (and many others’) hands as Texas records its first measles death in an unvaccinated 12-year-old in Lubbock, the first measles death in the U.S. in 10 years. The fact that this happened on the same day that Kolkhorst was going on and on about the importance of nutrition was surreal.

The first person to testify for the bill was some dude I’ve never heard of named Calley Means, who I gather makes money by being some kind of MAHA influencer and I guess a measles denier, which is now a thing we have to live with.

He’s not from Texas, he just travels to state legislatures to talk about children’s nutrition. During his testimony, he breathlessly gave some “historical context” with something that absolutely never happened:

Later in his testimony, he says: “We can’t deny that we’re in a different political environment where MAHA moms were woken up and became a significant factor in this election.”

Indeed, so significant that we’re living through a measles outbreak and perhaps a bird flu pandemic and MAHA moms made sure that we won’t have a government to do anything to help us survive it.

Another problem with the framing of these bills is that Kolkhorst and others mentioned the severe mental health problems plaguing Texas children, and the solution is…better nutrition. I PROMISE YOU, that’s not the solution.

ALSO, from the Texas Tribune today:

Almost 1 million Texas children and teens went without health insurance at some point over the most recent year recorded. Many of them live in Houston, which has a higher rate of uninsured children than any other major metropolitan area in the nation.

Overall, Texas has the worst coverage rate for kids in the country, with nearly 12% going uninsured in 2023 — up from nearly 11% in 2022.

A number of issues are driving the numbers. But the fact that many uninsured Texas children are actually eligible for public insurance exposes what experts say are alarming gaps in the state’s enrollment and outreach system — gaps that can limit health-care access for low-income kids and endanger their health.

I’m SO MAD TODAY.

I was texting with my sister today to figure out if I need a measles booster because the news is kind of all over the place with advice. Some say I’m fine with what I got, others say people around my age might need more protection. Anyway, she texted me the most chilling sentence I’ve read in a while:

I hadn’t thought of this at all because I hate the rodeo (sorry?) but she’s absolutely right. Be prepared, Houstonians.

In other Houston-area goofball news, an op-ed was published today regarding Rep. Mano DeAyala’s HB2988, filed last week, which would gut the Texas Citizens Participation Act. Here’s what that means:

Imagine being the target of a vexatious lawsuit completely without merit in which you ultimately prevail — only to find out that you not only have to pay your attorney’s fees but also the other side’s.

That’s the likely outcome if the Texas Legislature passes House Bill 2988 this session. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mano DeAyala (R-Houston), would gut the Texas Citizens Participation Act, leaving it basically toothless.

Right now, if Texans speak out on an issue of public importance and are sued because of that criticism, they have strong legal protections under the TCPA to help them head off meritless lawsuits designed to punish them for their speech.

The bill has not been sent to committee.

As I’ve mentioned, tomorrow is the next Education committee hearing and it’s going to be a doozy. I’ll be Posting Through It on Bluesky if you are so inclined to follow. But also tomorrow, at about the same time, the State Affairs committee is meeting and on the schedule is SB18, filed last week by the Senate Bible Brigade:

PROHIBITED EVENTS AT MUNICIPAL LIBRARIES. A municipal library may not receive state or other public funds if the library hosts an event at which a man presenting as a woman or a woman presenting as a man reads a book or a story to a minor for entertainment and the person being dressed as the opposite gender is a primary component of the entertainment. The state and a political subdivision of the state may not provide funds to the municipal library for the fiscal year following the year in which the library hosts an event described by this section.

Essentially banning drag queen storytimes at libraries. The hearing is at 9 a.m.

Lastly, I’d like to point out a Trans Advocacy Day coming up on March 10. They’re going to need protection and support from allies if you can make it to Austin that day.