[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 58 (Thursday, March 30, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H1662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            USING THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE AS A TESTING GROUND

  (Mr. CASAR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, I am  Greg Casar, and I represent the heart 
of Texas. I rise today to sound the alarm. Extremist Republicans are 
using the Texas legislature as a testing ground for their most extreme 
policies that they plan to spread across the country.
  Right now, top Texas officials are considering new laws to, one, 
create vigilante bounty hunter groups to go after immigrant families; 
two, defund our public schools; three, bar doctors from providing 
healthcare to transgender Texans; four, cap how much renewable energy 
our State can create; five, ban books and drag shows; six, block water 
breaks for construction workers; seven, ban citizens from Asian 
countries from attending public college; eight, they have already 
banned abortion and now they are going after emergency contraception.
  This vile blueprint may be the Republicans' plan for our State and 
our country, but they are not representative of Texas values. Texans 
take care of our neighbors, look out for each other. Americans want 
decent healthcare, housing they can afford, and a decent future for 
their kids.
  As public servants, we should lead with love and integrity. After 
all, Texas is a native word that means friendship, not cruelty. I may 
yield back my time, but not my efforts.

                          ____________________