MY PROACTIVE RESPONSE TO TACKLING COVID-19

The past few months have been unprecedented in many ways. Texans have lost jobs, small businesses have shuttered, and life in general has been disrupted to where it is much harder and dangerous to get by. As of the end of June, we are seeing cases in Texas skyrocket at “warning flag” rates — rates that should have never been happening in the first place if special precautions would have been followed, and experts would’ve been listened to. However, we are Texans — and we must remain optimistic that once we tackle this virus to the point of containment, we can thrive as a leading economy once again. There is a direct correlation between public health and a strong economy — it’s called consumer confidence. If the public is healthy & safe, and they feel that way — our economy prospers. But without any of that, we will be riding a roller-coaster of openings & closings, cases up & down, and more. I thank our front line workers carrying us through this pandemic — our healthcare, sanitation, transportation, pharmacies, grocery workers, first responders, delivery services — all at the expense of your own well being. Thank you.

With that being said, it’s so important that elected officials & policymakers treat this pandemic that is causing a huge toll on human life and our economy with a proactive, bold, ambitious plan to keep our state running. Here are some of ideas & proposals:

FREE UNIVERSAL TESTING

The only way we are going to end this cycle of opening businesses only to close them or social distancing or cases numbers fluctuating is by ensuring universal testing at a mass scale. Texans should be able to go to any clinic or healthcare facility to get tested — no questions asked on symptoms. This has been done in many other states. When being tested, individuals should be categorized by HAD COVID-19/ HAVE COVID-19/ AT RISK FOR COVID-19. This would require both antibody and antigen tests. Currently, Texans are being turned away due to the limited number of testing. Our state leadership MUST do better to get more tests to our communities. This requires working with the federal government, independently buying tests for the state, and more.

FACE MASKS & SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS

Wearing a face cloth mask/cover should be a requirement (unless medically unable to) when out in public (outside the home) in counties that do not meet certain health goals (i.e. positive testing rate is under 5% of total tests for 14 days). This is highly recommended by the CDC to help lower the spread of COVID-19, which can happen from asymptomatic individuals as well. Protecting our health and community is a priority and we should stop the polarization of this disease by simply following medical experts advice.

SIGNIFICANT CONTACT TRACING & MEETING HEALTH GOALS

Currently, Texas is falling short on the number of contact tracers needed to help get an idea on the spread of this virus. Formal process and procedures were not in place when Gov. Abbott began multiple phases of reopening, thus making it more difficult for contact tracers to do their jobs. With Texas on the rise in cases, we would need between 7,000-9,000 contact tracers for there to be a significant impact. Before reopening phases, there must be testing goals to determine reopening phases rather than arbitrary timelines. John Hopkins University & Medical Center recommends that opening phases should not begin until positive testing rate is under 5% of total conducted tests for 14 days straight.

HOSPITAL BED CAPACITY

We must begin immediately (should have started in March) to begin hospital bed capacity. This can be done by working with the Army Corps of Engineers to convert retired hospitals or open floor buildings into COVID-19 patient centers. I called to have the Old Memorial Hospital (owned by Christus Spohn) to be used in March of this year to build hospital bed capacity. Fortunately, that initial input to our local leadership to utilize this hospital has gone into action. Building bed capacity takes time, so we must act quickly rather than waiting around. It’s better to have empty beds that weren’t used than to have an overwhelmed hospital system that cannot handle large scale pandemics.

FREE COVID-19 TREATMENT

Texas still ranks near dead last in those covered by health insurance — this is a huge problem. Many people can’t afford medical services on their own, which can lead to more spread & fatalities if they cannot get the help they need. Those who cannot be get healthcare coverage should be able to get free COVID-19 treatment through the County Indigent Healthcare Program in their home county. This will ensure those not eligible for Medicaid will have healthcare. Additional funding to cover healthcare costs can be done at the federal level as well through the CARES act.

MEDICAID EXPANSION

Texas is one of the very few states that refuses to expand Medicaid. I go into great detail on the benefits of Medicaid expansion here. With over 1 million Texans losing their jobs in April, many will also be losing their healthcare coverage. We MUST finally accept the federal dollars given to Texas to get more people on healthcare plans. Currently, funding allocated to Texas for Medicaid expansion is distributed to other states — thus our tax dollars being sent elsewhere. Federally, the Affordable Care Act Marketplace must also reopen for a special enrollment period.

MANDATORY PAID SICK LEAVE

Many Texans are choosing between their health & infecting others or their paycheck. Without guaranteed income, many workers may continue to work while secretly being ill with COVID-19. I talk about how their paychecks should be subsidized with Unemployment Insurance if they do need to take a leave due to COVID-19 in the UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE section below.

PPE (PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT)

Our lack of preparedness on PPE in Texas (and across the country) was a disaster. There have been previous efforts in the Texas Legislature to create a stockpile of PPE in the event of a pandemic, but that was shut down because of politics in the Texas House. While it may not seem like an urgent matter at the time, it’s vital we begin to prepare for the next pandemic (or continue our preparedness for current one if it still is active). Putting nearly $5 million as a start into PPE stockpile and having a contact-tracing plan in place is essential to our health & safety.

STATE BUDGET RELIEF

With the economy significantly declining and unemployment going up — our state budget is going to be heavily constrained. The federal budget does not face the same constraints on their budget as Texas does. On average, Texas sends nearly $261 BILLION dollars to the federal government, while only receiving about $39.5 billion in grants in return. Our cities & counties are on the front lines of fighting COVID-19. We must urge our Members of Congress to provide grants that will cover any budgetary shortfalls for years 2022-2023 with the option extending depending on economic triggers. If we cut our already constrained budget to fund our state, we will face a prolonged recovery.

TEXAS LEGISLATURE SPECIAL SESSION

Gov. Abbott called for a Special Session in 2017 to argue over a transgender bathroom bill. He needs to call on a Special Session before Jan. 2021 when the Texas Legislature convenes for the regular session to tackle the crisis happening in our State. Many of the proposals and recommendations I list here can be enacted through a Special Session. This will also enable us to tap the Economic Stabilization Fund (aka Rainy Day Fund) that can be used to help lift us out of an economic & health crisis.

ADDRESS RACIAL DISPARITIES

The CDC has noted that COVID-19 affects racial minorities at 4-5 times than a non-Hispanic white person. This is a serious problem. The Texas Legislature MUST establish a task force that can collect information & data on the affect of COVID-19 in black & brown communities so that we can get a better sense on how to combat those racial disparities of COVID-19 infections and deaths.

UNIVERSAL VOTE-BY-MAIL & EXPANSION OF EARLY VOTING

Sadly, the US Supreme Court shut down efforts in Texas to expand vote-by-mail. This doesn’t mean we can’t continue the fight to have that. In order to maintain our safety & health, we must enact universal vote-by-mail across the State during a pandemic. For in-person voting, early voting should be expanded to 30 days to prevent large crowds and long lines at polling locations.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE & MODERNIZATION OF TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION

With unemployment levels still high and many businesses not operating at 100% — we must ensure that Texans that are struggling to find a job are covered. This means rolling back work search requirements that are being enacted again. Employees who test positive for COVID-19 and need to be quarantined should be allowed to obtain unemployment insurance benefits for weeks not worked if their employer is unable to pay them. Workers who are suffering from low paychecks due to businesses operating at 25%-50% capacity should be able to have the remaining portion of their income supplemented by unemployment insurance with lesser restrictions on eligibility & income amount earned. This can be based off of an average of weekly wages pre-COVID-19. No Texan should lose their income & livelihood because of a pandemic out of their control and poor leadership.

The Texas Workforce Commission must also be brought into the 21st century. Recent reports on decades old technology & systems are a large reason for congested traffic and failed attempts to apply for UI. This includes ensuring staffing is at the levels needed to handle the influx of applicants. Contracts for staffing should have been in place long ago to be ready.

CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE FOR OUR STUDENTS

With plans for the return to school this fall are up in the air — many students this past Spring faced a problem with having access to proper internet. Nearly 2 million Texans don’t have reliable access to the internet. We must ensure our school districts have adequate funding to supply their students with technology needed to continue their learning from home. That is in addition to revving up the Governor’s Broadband Development Council created to tackle the challenge of broadband internet access. We must also work with the federal government, non-profits, NGO’s to tackle any affordability issues for our low-income families with students in school.

NOTE: This is a living-breathing document that will be updated as necessary and dependent upon new information/data.