- Thursday, Oct. 14: Steve Wohleb / Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs / Against SB 51
- Wednesday, Oct. 13: Steve Wohleb / Texas House Committee on State Affairs / Against HB 155
- Wednesday, Oct. 6: John Hawkins / Texas House Appropriations Committee / on HB 145
- Tuesday, Oct. 5: Alberto Gutierrez / Texas House Public Health Committee / on access to health care along the Texas-Mexico border
- Monday, Oct. 4: John Hawkins / Texas Senate Committee on Finance / Supporting SB 8
- Monday, Aug. 30: Kimberly Avila Edwards / Texas House Public Education Committee / on HB 141/HB 164
Steve Wohleb, J.D., general counsel and senior vice president of legal and regulatory compliance for THA, testified Oct. 14 before the Senate Committee on State Affairs against SB 51, relating to COVID-19 vaccination mandates. The legislation requires that any law, policy or other measure requiring an individual in Texas to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter or gain access to, receive a services from, or be employed by an establishment must allow the individual to claim an exemption from the vaccination. The legislation allows an employee who is subject to a violation may bring an action in a district court and a complainant may recover reasonable expenses.
Steve Wohleb, J.D., general counsel and senior vice president of legal and regulatory compliance for THA, testified Oct. 13 before the House Committee on State Affairs against HB 155, relating to COVID-19 vaccination mandate exemptions. The legislation requires that any law, policy or other measure requiring an individual in Texas to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter or gain access to, receive a services from, or be employed by an establishment must allow the individual to claim an exemption from the vaccination. The legislation allows an employee who is subject to a violation may bring an action in a district court and a complainant may recover reasonable expenses.
John Hawkins, THA’s senior vice president of government relations, testified Oct. 6 before the House Appropriations Committee on HB 145, relating to making supplemental appropriations and giving direction regarding ARPA appropriations. Like SB 8, the filed version of the bill would appropriate $3 billion to the Department of State Health Services from the state’s ARPA allotment to provide funding for state and local hospital surge staffing; purchasing therapeutic drugs; and providing funding for the operation of regional infusion centers.
Alberto Gutierrez, M.D., medical director of HOPE Family Health Center and Assistant Medical Director at DHR Health Hospice, represented THA testifying on Oct. 5 before the House Public Health Committee on issues involving access to health care along the Texas-Mexico border.
John Hawkins, THA’s senior vice president of government relations, testified Oct. 4 before the Senate Committee on Finance in support of SB 8, relating to making appropriations of federal COVID-19 relief money. The bill appropriates $3 billion to the Department of State Health Services from the state’s American Rescue Plan Act to provide funding for state and local hospital surge staffing, purchasing therapeutic drugs and providing funding for the operation of regional infusion centers.
Kimberly Avila Edwards, M.D., pediatrician with Ascension in Austin, testified Aug. 30 on THA’s behalf before the Texas House Public Education Committee on two bills related to mask mandates in public schools – HB 141, which would prohibit face covering mandates for public school students, and HB 164, which would require face coverings in public schools.