'No established legal authority' for Texas election audit, 25 Texas House members argue
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Travis County), along with 24 members of the Texas House of Representatives, has written a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott asking him to end what she calls “illegal election audits” in the state of Texas.
Rep. Goodwin’s letter makes four arguments against the audit and cites the recently passed GOP-backed election reform bill, SB 1.
She says the Senate failed to confirm the last Secretary of State, Ruth Hughs, who has since vacated the office. She says the deputy director has called for the audits without transparency.
Goodwin also argues there is no legal authority granted by the Legislature or state law to conduct the audits, saying it has been 10 months since the election, and thus not “immediately” after the election as required under SB 1, which is set to take effect December 2021.
Abbott has chosen four of the largest counties in Texas for the audit, which Goodwin says is also in contradiction to SB 1, which allows for two small counties and two large counties to be randomly selected for an audit, once the law takes effect.
Gov. Greg Abbott signs tougher anti-critical race theory law
Many worry about the law’s vague language.
Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, said in August that teachers should have the latitude to be able to nurture and engage with students’ interests in what’s happening outside of school.
“Helping students make connections between what they read in books and what they see in the public square is something that we should celebrate in our educational system,” she said, “not something that we should discourage.
TX Democrats re-energized after U.S. Senate Democrats propose new voting rights bill
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, is one of the more than 50 Texas House Democrats who made the trip to Washington, D.C., to push for these kinds of reforms.
"It will make the ballot box accessible to all people. It will bring greater transparency," Goodwin said. "These things will all help our democracy stay intact."
This bill also proposes making Election Day a federal holiday.
On the U.S. Senate floor Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., specifically pointed to Texas' new state election law - SB 1 - as a reason he wants to get a vote on this new bill as soon as possible.
Here's who voted for (and against) Texas' new abortion law in the House and Senate
The law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, bans abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur at six weeks. It doesn't include exceptions for rape or incest but allows women to have the procedure for "medical emergencies." It is one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation.
Rather than having the state government enforce the ban, the Texas law allows private citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman receive an abortion after a heartbeat is detected. A successful plaintiff in such a case could receive at least $10,000 from the abortion provider or others in damages.
Texas Dems Take the Voting Rights Fight to D.C.
Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, wasn't buying Abbott's folksy Texas kitsch. "He says he's going to round us up, corral us and 'cabin' us, whatever that means," Goodwin said. "It's just threats until he gets his way. And that's not the way democracy works."
Among its sweeping changes, HB 3 would prohibit the drive-through and 24-hour voting options implemented by Harris County election officials in 2020. Those options were welcomed by voters, but Republicans say they are prone to fraud; in Nov. 2020, the Texas Supreme Court threw out a case from conservatives alleging drive-through voting was illegal. Proposed requirements for mail-in ballots would result in counties dumping ballots, according to Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria. But lawmakers may not remember that, because Longoria testified at 5am on Sunday.
After Austin shooting, advocates and Texas Democrats renew calls for action on gun violence
A shooting in downtown Austin that killed one person and injured 13 others early Saturday morning has renewed calls from Democratic lawmakers and gun safety groups for the Legislature to take action to reduce gun violence.
Rep. Vikki Goodwin, an Austin Democrat, also called on Abbott to veto the permitless carry bill. She said in an interview that although permitless carry would not have applied to this situation, “it’s just the tone that you set.”
Following Austin shooting, Rep. Vikki Goodwin asks Gov. Abbott to veto permitless carry bill
In light of Saturday’s mass shooting on Sixth Street in Austin that killed one person and injured 13 others, State Rep. Vikki Goodwin has sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott asking him to veto a bill allowing permitless carry in Texas.
HB 1927 was approved by the Texas Legislature last month and would allow Texans to carry handguns without a license.
WATCH: House Judiciary Committee holds hearing on reducing gun violence and mass shootings
In 2021, the U.S. has already experienced at least 194 mass shootings, which the Gun Violence Archive defines as an incident in which four or more people are killed.
Vikki Goodwin, a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, will testify at the hearing. She recently opposed a bill that would let election judges carry guns in most polling places in her state.
Texas House Advances Bill That Would Ban Homeless Encampments In Public
During Wednesday’s floor debate, some Democratic legislators criticized the bills, saying that they would criminalize unhoused people.
"We need more state dollars going to substance use disorder programs, job training programs and rental assistance,” said Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin. “If we truly want to end homelessness, we need to address the root causes, not just sweep the homeless population back into the woods."
Carrying a firearm in Texas without a permit? Here’s why it could become legal
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, was one of the three lawmakers who voted against approving the measure.
“Texans want more protections from gun violence, not less,” she said in a statement. “HB 1911 removes safeguards that ensure that those who are carrying handguns have been confirmed as eligible to do so. In voting against HB 1911, I reject the idea that public safety depends upon greater access to guns and stand with survivors of gun violence who wish to promote safety in our firearm policies,” Goodwin continued.
In western Travis Co., open dialogue encouraged to address racial issues
Living in Southwest Austin, 65-year-old Alice Yi said she has a “fear of just walking in her neighborhood.” She’s cut out brief treks to the grocery store down the block and her 91-year-old father doesn’t leave the home’s grounds for fear of being accosted.
For Yi, that anxiousness stems from acts of violence exacted across the country on Asian Americans, especially during the past year as some people, including some government leaders, have blamed the spread of COVID-19 on her culture, referencing the coronavirus as the “China virus,” she said.
No action against gun violence in first legislative session since El Paso mass shooting
“I feel the legislature is letting our communities down by not taking sensible steps after the multiple mass shootings we’ve had here in Texas,” says State Representative Vikki Goodwin from Austin.
This year lawmakers had hoped to close a loophole that allows people who fail their background check to still buy a gun at a gun show or from a private individual. But their hope is fading. State Representative Lina Ortega from El Paso says, “I had an expectation that there was a chance for that bill because of the comments that were made by the lieutenant governor at our roundtable discussions in El Paso, but now I don’t believe that’s the case.”
Austin's grocery workers stayed on the front lines of COVID-19 for a year. Then the Texas freeze hit.
The lack of inclusion prompted state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, to send a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott and Department of State Heath Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt calling on the state to revise the rollout. The letter, signed by nine colleagues, said Texas should prioritize front-line workers who can’t work remotely, including grocery store employees.
“Those who risk COVID infection by going to work should receive the vaccine before others who are fortunate enough to hold jobs that they can perform safely from home,” Goodwin wrote, including grocery employees “who are and have been risking their own lives so that we can have food on our tables.”
Podcast: The Texas Legislature & The Electric Grid
Last month’s winter storm left millions of Texans without electricity. So what is the Legislature doing about it?
In the latest episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, we sit down with state Representative Vikki Goodwin to find out. Vikki Goodwin represents Texas House District 47 (which includes western Travis County & far south Austin).
As Texans endured days in the dark, the state failed to deliver vital emergency information
Normally, disaster planning involves constant communication between state agencies to create protocols for any possible emergency situation, according to Redlener. The Texas House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee oversees the Division of Emergency Management, but Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, said the committee only meets with TDEM officials on an as-needed basis.
“When it comes to disaster preparedness, I would say that they don’t really give us instructions or advice or even a network to say in an emergency ‘Here’s who you should be reaching out to,’” Goodwin said.
Goodwin added that she plans to bring up the lack of communication during the legislative session, and she wants to see TDEM use the national Emergency Alert System during future disasters because an automatic cellphone message would be the most effective way to share information. Committee Chair Rep. James White, R-Hillister, also said he has already contacted House Speaker Dade Phelan about scheduling committee hearings to improve the state’s disaster planning and preparedness strategies.
Parents of girl who died in Cedar Park pool incident fighting for change
HB 1676, named Cati's Law, would prevent drownings of children in day camps or child care by ensuring staff put life jackets on non-swimmers when at a pool. KVUE visits w/Cati's parents who want to keep others from experiencing their heartbreak.
New bill proposes raising the minimum wage in Texas
This isn't the first bill filed in the Texas Legislature attempting to raise the minimum wage. Rep. Vikki Goodwin filed HB 615 in November that proposed raising Texas' minimum wage each year based on the preceding year's consumer price index.
Texas Regulators Vent About Natural Gas Flaring, Suggest Staff ‘Dig Deeper’ Before Approving Requests
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, an Austin Democrat, introduced House Bill (HB) 1494 that would, among other things, impose a 25% tax on the market value of gas flared and vented. The gas byproduct now is exempt from state taxes normally levied on gas production, as it is burned off and released instead of being captured and marketed.
“Texas is one of the top oil and gas producing states, and as a byproduct of pulling oil out of the ground, this gas comes out — the same gas we use in our homes to cook our food,” Goodwin said. “But for oil producers, they see it as a waste product. Rather than figuring out how to sell it or how to use it onsite, they’re basically just throwing it away.”
Democratic state lawmakers want to tax flared, vented natural gas. Texas oil industry says no.
“Texas is one of the top oil and gas producing states, and as a byproduct of pulling oil out of the ground, this gas comes out — the same gas we use in our homes to cook our food,” said state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, an Austin Democrat who wrote a bill to tax flared or vented gas. “But for oil producers, they see it as a waste product. Rather than figuring out how to sell it or how to use it on-site, they’re basically just throwing it away.”
Vaccine fast-track: Texas lawmakers get offer to skip the line for COVID-19 inoculation
Three House Democrats — Vikki Goodwin and Gina Hinojosa of Austin and Erin Zwiener of Driftwood — told The News they declined the vaccination opportunity.
“Everybody who can get the vaccine should get the vaccine at some point in time, and I definitely look forward to being able to get it,” Goodwin said. “But it would give a wrong impression to people that I valued my own health and wellbeing above others if I was skipping the line.”