WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:04.320 JUDY WOODRUFF: The past legislative session in Texas focused on key 00:04.320 --> 00:09.320 conservative priorities, from restricting abortion to addressing transgender rights. 00:10.480 --> 00:13.840 The Lone Star State is now focused on a voting bill 00:13.840 --> 00:18.840 that would tighten election laws, after missing an opportunity to get it passed late last month. 00:19.600 --> 00:24.320 We check in now with our political reporter, Dan Bush. He is in Austin. 00:24.960 --> 00:26.640 Dan Bush, hello there. 00:26.640 --> 00:31.640 So, Texas has just ended its regular legislative session. And, as we have said, they have 00:32.880 --> 00:37.840 looked at a number of conservative priorities. Tell us what is getting the most attention. 00:37.840 --> 00:42.080 DANIEL BUSH: Well, Judy, the big issue was voting rights. 00:42.080 --> 00:47.080 Republicans have legislation that would do a number of things. It would limit drop 00:47.120 --> 00:50.240 boxes for ballots. It would limit vote by mail. 00:50.240 --> 00:55.240 It would also do -- allow partisan poll watchers to monitor polling places around the state. 00:57.280 --> 01:01.680 In addition, it would restrict voting for some hours on the weekend. 01:01.680 --> 01:06.680 Now, Republicans argue that all of these measures are necessary coming after the last 01:06.880 --> 01:11.880 election in order to increase transparency, to reduce voter fraud. Democrats, however, 01:13.200 --> 01:16.560 they argue that this is essentially voter suppression. 01:16.560 --> 01:18.640 Let's hear from one state senator now. 01:18.640 --> 01:19.600 STATE SEN. CAROL ALVARADO (D-TX): Well, 01:19.600 --> 01:24.600 it's it's Jim Crow 2.0. I mean, I can't say it any plainer than that. 01:26.560 --> 01:31.560 It's voter suppression, and it's targeting Harris County right here where we are, I think because 01:34.400 --> 01:37.680 we broke a lot of records, I mean, tremendous turnout; 01:37.680 --> 01:42.680 1.68 million people voted in Harris County, largest voting turnout. 01:45.600 --> 01:50.560 And I think that is what has concerned people on the other side of the aisle. 01:50.560 --> 01:53.760 DANIEL BUSH: That was a Democrat back in Houston, Judy. 01:53.760 --> 01:56.800 And it is important to note that this legislation has not yet passed, 01:56.800 --> 02:01.800 but several lawmakers told me that they expect Governor Abbott, a Republican, to convene a 02:01.840 --> 02:06.160 special session a little later this summer, where these measures are going to become law. 02:06.160 --> 02:11.160 JUDY WOODRUFF: And so, Dan, tell us what more the legislature has been focused on, 02:12.000 --> 02:14.240 and how does it fit in with the national picture? 02:14.240 --> 02:17.920 DANIEL BUSH: So, the legislature got very busy the last couple of months here at the 02:17.920 --> 02:22.920 state Capitol right behind me in Austin, a bunch of issues that came to the fore, 02:23.040 --> 02:25.760 one was related to gun ownership. 02:25.760 --> 02:30.760 The state passed a law allowing Texans to carry handguns without a permit, so 02:31.440 --> 02:34.960 loosening restrictions on gun ownership. Another 02:34.960 --> 02:38.560 had to do with abortion. The state passed a fetal heartbeat law, 02:38.560 --> 02:43.560 one of the most restrictive in the country, which would make abortion, which now has made abortion 02:43.760 --> 02:48.760 illegal in the state of Texas six weeks into pregnancy, even in the case of rape and incest. 02:49.760 --> 02:53.600 And when you pull back and look at the national picture, what you see here is Texas 02:53.600 --> 02:58.600 joining a number of states, Georgia, Arizona, others, where Republican-controlled state 02:59.440 --> 03:04.240 legislatures are doing everything they can to enact a conservative agenda, 03:04.240 --> 03:08.000 at a time when, in Washington, D.C., Democrats are in charge. 03:08.000 --> 03:11.840 They are trying to do, frankly, quite the opposite. Democrats are trying to 03:11.840 --> 03:16.840 pass legislation right now in the Congress to, for example, strengthen voting rights. 03:17.120 --> 03:20.080 But here at the state level, Judy, Texas 03:20.080 --> 03:24.640 and other legislatures around the country are moving forward with these conservative items. 03:24.640 --> 03:28.960 JUDY WOODRUFF: Right. So important for us to keep an eye on what is happening 03:29.600 --> 03:33.680 in these state legislatures, where so much of the action has now moved. 03:33.680 --> 03:36.400 Dan Bush reporting for us from Austin. 03:36.400 --> 03:41.400 Dan, thank you.