Tax break for feminine products clears first hurdle in Texas House without opposition
AUSTIN — Feminine hygiene products along with certain items related to pregnancy and childbirth would be exempt from the state sales tax under a bill that won preliminary approval without opposition Tuesday in the Texas House.
The measure by Democratic state Rep. Donna Howard of Austin has been in the works for at least six years. It would add Texas to the list of at least 24 other states that offer similar tax breaks on products such as tampons, sanitary napkins, diapers, baby wipes, baby bottles, maternity clothes and breast milk pumps.
Howard's legislation, House Bill 300, cosponsored by several members of both parties, will likely receive final House approval on Wednesday and be sent to the Senate. Howard, a former critical care nurse who is in her ninth term, said the bill that was passed on the first day the House considered major legislation during the 2023 session illustrated that the Republican-controlled chamber can set aside partisan differences on important matters.
''Prior to session when we were still in the campaign cycle, women's reproductive issues were certainly a big issue," Howard told reporters after the floor action. "And I think that there's a real focus this session on demonstrating (the House's) commitment to women and their families."
She expressed optimism that the bill, which has the backing of House Speaker Dade Phelan, will also find bipartisan support in the GOP-controlled Senate. Houston Republican Joan Huffman, who chairs the budget-writing Senate Finance Committee, is carrying a similar measure, Senate Bill 379.
More:Texas House Speaker Phelan lays out seven priorities for 2023 legislative session
Legislative budget analysts estimate the exemptions would cost the state treasury about $100 million per year. But Howard pointed out that with the state facing an expected $33 billion surplus this budget cycle, lawmakers were hard-pressed to find a reason to block the bill on grounds that the state cannot afford to forgo needed revenue to balance its books.
"When we have such a significant surplus, that argument pales," she said. "So I think that that gave a lot more momentum, coupled with the fact that we wanted to see a focus on women in health care this time and women and families."
The bill was among two pieces of legislation that won bipartisan support Tuesday in the sometimes fractious House. The first significant legislation to come up was House Bill 446, which would strip from state statutes the 148 mentions of the archaic phrases "mentally retarded" and "mental retardation."
The bill's author, Midland Republican Tom Craddick, who was elected to the House in 1968 and is the chamber's longest-serving member, called such word choices "outdated and offensive" to modern sensibilities.
"For any of us who have had the privilege to live, work or interact with someone who has such a disability, we know firsthand how important they are to our communities,” said Craddick, whose legislation replaced the discarded phrases with "intellectual disability."
John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Sales tax break for feminine products clears first hurdle in Texas House
