00:00Chair recognizes Ms. Garcia-Hernandez.
00:05Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise today in strong opposition to House Bill 4.
00:15This proposal disenfranchises millions of Texans, families, communities, and neighborhoods across
00:21our state, including those I represent in House District 115 and even myself. Under this plan,
00:28Congressional Districts 32 and 33 are radically redrawn to deprive Texans of
00:34fair representation. District 32, my own district, is an egregious example in North
00:41Texas. It forces together suburban communities like Farmers Branch, where I
00:45live, with rural communities as far as Pittsburgh and Gilmer in East Texas. These
00:51districts are neither compact nor true communities of interest. Instead, District
00:5732 has been carved into a 175-mile fajita strip that dilutes and disenfranchises voters.
01:06District 33 is yet another case. Today it connects Latino communities in Dallas and
01:13Fort Worth, ensuring their voices are heard. But under this new map, it is configured to
01:19Dallas County alone. That deliberate change strips representation not only from my
01:25constituents in House District 115 but also from the people of Tarrant County. The
01:31result? Over 1 million Latinos in North Texas are left without meaningful
01:36congressional representation. Their voices are silenced. This is targeted
01:42exclusion, plain and simple, driven not by the needs of Texans but by out-of-state
01:49political interests. It is a sad day for this chamber and for Texas when we put the
01:55whims of DC bosses above the needs of Texans who are truly suffering right now. Like our
02:02families in the Hill Country, still grieving their losses and struggling to rebuild their
02:07lives and promised by our own leadership to be put first as HB1. I was so moved by history
02:16growing up, learning about the Underground Railroad, Nazi Germany, and so many other
02:21painfully immoral times our world has experienced. Asking myself if I would have
02:28just stood by, too scared to say anything. Or if I would have met the moment in
02:34recognizing that our lives, each and every one of us, 150 members, our lives, our impact, can turn the tide,
02:43stop the hurt, and heal others as well as ourselves at the same time. Today I traded my state pin for my
02:53grandmother's pin in a reminder of how I was raised. I am sure how so many of you were as well. To recognize our
03:04obligation to speak and fight for those who are most vulnerable. To speak up against injustice and to have courage
03:12courage whenever everyone around you seems to be too scared to do what is right. Members, I implore you. My colleagues, I
03:22implore you to have courage. What we are doing today is unjust, it is un-Texan, and it is un-American. All eyes are on Texas. All
03:36all eyes are on our chamber. For all of these reasons, I urge you to vote nay on House Bill 4.
03:45Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
03:48Chair recognizes Ms. Gonzalez.
03:49Chair recognizes Ms. Gonzalez.
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