Texas pushes to limit tax breaks for abortions

A congressman in Texas who had a request from a state comptroller, added to a crucial budgetary bill an amendment to remove public subsidies of insurance policies covering abortions, the Houston Chronicle reports. Rep. Jim Landtroop (R-Plainview) had attached the amendment after 1 am on Saturday to a fiscal matters bill, that is crucial to the state’s budget, which then prompted complaining that state Comptroller Susan Combs was using an essential piece of legislation to shore up her political profile.

Combs had received negative publicity since her office announced last month that it had inadvertently exposed the personal information of 3 million Texans on an Internet server accessible to the public. But Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, defended Combs’ use of the bill to get policy enacted, by stating that there were more than 200 amendments offered.

Because the title of the bill was broad caption, it meant that there were many issues that qualified eligible to be added.

Blake Rocap, lobbyist for the NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, called the amendment “sneaky” and expressed concern it would result in employers simply choosing a health plan that does not include abortion coverage, and possibly fewer such plans offered by insurance companies. “It’s horrible public health policy. Nobody plans to have an abortion, just like nobody plans to break a leg,” he said. “That’s why you have coverage for it.”

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