A Texas congressman, apparently acting on a request from the state comptroller, added to a crucial budgetary bill an amendment to remove public subsidies of insurance policies covering abortions, the Houston Chronicle reports.
According to the paper, Rep. Jim Landtroop (R-Plainview) attached the amendment after 1 a.m. on Saturday to a "fiscal matters" bill crucial to the state's budget, prompting grumbling that state Comptroller Susan Combs was using an essential piece of legislation to shore up her political profile. Combs has faced intense 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, noting that more than 200 amendments had been offered. Because the bill has a broad "caption" -- or title -- a variety of issues are eligible to be added to it, he noted.
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."
