Making academic alternatives accessible to underserved youngsters and defending communities from well being dangers maintain State Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) up at evening even 50 years later. Because the longest-serving girl and Black lawmaker within the Texas Legislature’s historical past, the Houston lawyer now serving her twenty first time period in workplace nonetheless stays steadfast in her advocacy for the state’s authorized system, well being fairness and civil rights.
“What retains me up is the erosion of rights, the shortcoming to correctly fund public schooling, the necessity to proceed to construct prisons and never resolve the problems that make folks fill these locations up,” Thompson mentioned.
Born throughout segregation and barred from attending dental faculty in Texas as a result of she was Black, Thompson’s journey to changing into a lawmaker was by no means conventional. She began as a trainer—extra out of necessity than want—till the passage of single-member districting opened up new political prospects for Black Texans. That very same 12 months, she ran for workplace and received, simply as Roe v. Wade and the Equal Rights Modification had been reshaping the nationwide panorama.
“After I went into workplace, girls couldn’t have a bank card of their names…and it was due to your gender. However thank God, we modified that the primary session,” Thompson advised the Defender.
Since coming into the Home when Barbara Jordan was one of many solely different Black girls in Texas politics, Thompson has written and handed lots of of payments that essentially altered the lives of working-class Texans—from securing 12-month postpartum protection for moms, to mandating HPV screenings and 3D mammograms.
She is now the Vice Chair of Licensing & Administrative Procedures and a member of the State Affairs committees. Her different memberships embody the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, Texas Legislative Council and Nationwide Group of Black Elected Legislative/Girls.
Will her payments go?
A lot of Thompson’s payments is not going to be assigned to a committee or die within the Senate, the place she says partisanship and lobbying energy usually outweigh the need of the folks.
“It by no means will get a listening to over there. They’re simply lifeless on arrival,” she mentioned.
Nevertheless, she stays undeterred. “When water hits a rock, it doesn’t knock a gap. But when that water persistently hits that rock, sooner or later in time, it’s going to make a gap…it’s persistence that I’m all for.”
Public Training
Per Thompson, schooling is the “new forex” that ought to accommodate college students from all backgrounds. Drawing from her personal experiences within the classroom, Thompson noticed the results of trauma and poverty on studying. Their lived realities hardly ever issue into schooling coverage, however should.
“We can’t resolve a few of the points that the scholars come to high school with,” Thompson acknowledged. “It’s simpler to construct a baby than to restore an grownup.”
She additionally vocally opposed the varsity voucher invoice (SB 2) due to its unfavorable affect on employment in small cities and the shortage of personal colleges.
“If we’re critical about schooling, the ethnicity and placement of a kid shouldn’t be essential,” she defined.
In the course of the 89th legislative session, Thompson filed payments that cater to youngsters, together with protections for youngsters susceptible to exploitation (HB 451), particular schooling classroom surveillance insurance policies (HB 728), guardianship and household legislation reforms (HB 782, HB 809, HB 1954), enhancing reimbursement charges for child-care suppliers taking part within the Texas Rising Star Program(HB 2294) and youngster psychological well being and welfare in colleges (HB 2880).
Legislation enforcement
Advocating for a pretrial listening to to find out if a defendant has mental disabilities, which might exempt them from execution, Thompson argues that such hearings would price $200,000 as an alternative of $2 million in demise penalty trials. Though the invoice handed the Texas Home, it repeatedly died within the Senate—probably on account of partisan politics.
Thompson additionally spoke for parole reform to broaden the restoration of civil rights to previously incarcerated individuals, de-escalation procedures to guard officers and inmates and juvenile justice reforms to enhance the system (HB 31, HB 624).
Her laws additionally consists of safety for people below duress or coercion (HB 372, HB 2772), limiting arrest for fine-only misdemeanors (HB 656), restrictions on police conduct (HB 888: responsibility to render help, HB 896: neck restraint ban, HB 902: peace officers’ duties and powers, HB 909: misconduct accountability) and the reform of grand jury processes (HB 5564, HB 5566).
Environmental justice
Expressing concern about over 200 concrete batch crops in minority communities in Harris County, significantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, Thompson believes their district is unfairly focused for these developments, probably on account of cheaper land.
Regardless of group objections, regulating businesses test for purposes to satisfy primary tips and don’t think about the affect concrete crops have on communities, together with elevated respiratory points, most cancers dangers, and environmental degradation. Thompson is opposing this (HB 844, HB 852, HB 1823, HB 2883). She has additionally advocated for weight problems and diabetes prevention below Medicaid (HB 2677), PTSD advantages for first responders (HB 673) and insurance coverage for youngsters with “emotional disturbances” (HB 709).
Having labored on the creation of the Psychological Well being and Mind Analysis Institute of Texas for over eight years, her laws (HJR 24, HB 185) would fund analysis into the impacts of intestine well being on the mind and psychological well being situations like bipolar dysfunction and schizophrenia. Because of partisan politics, she couldn’t “carry” her personal invoice, however she mentioned Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick took up a portion within the Senate with $3 billion in funding included.
Thompson’s legacy
“I’d like for my legacy to be that I look out for the marginalized people, the ‘little canines’ I name ’em,” Thompson mentioned. “Marginalized people can’t afford a lobbyist. So that they ship us, folks like me. I did my job and I regarded out for them…the senior residents, girls and youngsters, and for points that not solely affect society however enhance society…I need the Lord to say, ‘Nicely achieved.’”
