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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a bill of rights for the underprivileged. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act shall be known as the Bill |
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of Rights for the Underprivileged. |
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SECTION 2. GENERAL POLICY AND PURPOSE. (a) It is the |
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policy of this state that: |
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(1) all forms of human oppression be dismantled; and |
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(2) all people, especially the underprivileged, have |
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the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness without |
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institutional barriers. |
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(b) The legislature finds that racism, sexism, classism, |
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and imperialism and discrimination against disabled people must be |
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addressed and eliminated if the underprivileged are to escape |
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impoverishment. |
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SECTION 3. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. (a) The legislature |
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finds that the underprivileged have a right to a public policy |
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agenda that invests in human beings. |
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(b) The legislature intends that: |
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(1) "communities of opportunity" be created for the |
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purpose of eliminating economic predators that preclude economic |
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development in areas of this state that have historically |
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experienced neglect and economic disparity; |
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(2) federal, state, and local resources be made |
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available to community-based groups and other persons that create |
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economic opportunity in communities of opportunity; and |
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(3) partnerships between corporate and |
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community-based groups that provide and invest in opportunities for |
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the underprivileged should be encouraged and rewarded. |
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(c) The legislature recognizes that creation of communities |
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of opportunity will necessitate a comprehensive economic policy on |
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the national, state, and local levels that places the interests of |
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people in need over the interest of corporate greed. |
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(d) The legislature declares that it is necessary to |
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regulate corporations to: |
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(1) end the transfer of jobs out of this state and the |
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country; |
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(2) prohibit the closing of plants and business |
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headquarters without a public hearing; and |
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(3) ensure compensation for those who suffer job loss. |
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SECTION 4. RIGHTS OF CHILDREN. (a) The legislature finds |
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that: |
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(1) one in every six children in the United States is a |
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victim of poverty; and |
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(2) one in every three children of color is growing up |
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in poverty. |
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(b) It is the intent of the legislature that each child in |
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this state have access to quality health care, education, and |
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housing and live in a safe community. |
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SECTION 5. CIVIL AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE; LAW ENFORCEMENT. |
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(a) It is the policy of this state that all people have a right to |
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equal protection under the law, and, to that end, the |
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underprivileged must be protected from injustice in the legal |
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system. |
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(b) The legislature finds that the underprivileged are |
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often warehoused in the nation's prison industrial complex, which |
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has become the 21st century's version of slavery. It is the policy |
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of this state that the underprivileged be guaranteed competent |
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representation and equal justice and be assured of justice in civil |
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and criminal courts of this state. |
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(c) The legislature recognizes that the underprivileged |
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must be protected from state-sponsored terrorism in the form of |
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police brutality and that the underprivileged have a right to be |
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protected and served, as opposed to being abused and exploited. |
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Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature that: |
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(1) unequivocal civilian control exist over |
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neighborhoods; |
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(2) citizen review boards with the power to discipline |
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police abuse and misconduct be established; and |
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(3) a partnership for the elimination of crime and |
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violence in impoverished communities be established between the |
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police and community-based groups. |
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SECTION 6. EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME. The legislature finds |
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and declares that the underprivileged have the right to full |
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employment and a guaranteed income that enables them to rise above |
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the poverty level. Therefore, the legislature pledges to: |
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(1) support investment in community-based and |
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cooperating partnerships that generate jobs; and |
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(2) make a concentrated effort to bring jobs and |
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opportunity to areas of concentrated unemployment in this state. |
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SECTION 7. RACIAL AND SEXUAL EQUALITY. (a) It is the |
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policy of this state that: |
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(1) the underprivileged not be victimized by |
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inequality of opportunity; and |
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(2) women be protected by law from: |
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(A) sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace; |
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and |
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(B) domestic violence. |
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(b) The legislature intends that equal pay for women and |
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people of color exist in this state. |
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SECTION 8. ENVIRONMENTAL EQUALITY. (a) The legislature |
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finds that: |
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(1) an unhealthy economic community has repercussions |
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on the physical and mental health of that community's residents; |
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and |
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(2) thousands of African Americans, Latinos, and |
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Anglos are dying needlessly and prematurely as toxic chemicals are |
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released into the air and the drinking water of impoverished |
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communities. |
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(b) The legislature recognizes that the underprivileged |
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must be protected from environmental racism that |
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disproportionately targets impoverished communities with toxic |
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waste sites and other elements that adversely affect the atmosphere |
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and health of persons in those communities. |
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(c) It is the intent of the legislature that: |
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(1) toxic waste sites be cleaned up immediately; and |
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(2) environmentally unsafe facilities in impoverished |
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communities that have been victimized by environmental racism be |
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cleaned up, removed, or replaced. |
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SECTION 9. SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT. (a) The legislature |
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finds that the health of the underprivileged is often compromised |
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by: |
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(1) the proliferation of drugs that are allowed into |
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impoverished communities; and |
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(2) a lack of substance abuse treatment. |
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(b) It is the policy of this state that the underprivileged |
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have a right to substance abuse treatment and that substance abuse |
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treatment, rather than incarceration, be the first response to |
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substance abuse. |
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SECTION 10. HEALTH CARE SERVICES. (a) The legislature |
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finds that the underprivileged have a right to quality health care |
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that is affordable. |
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(b) The legislature recognizes that: |
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(1) the health of the nation is compromised when |
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pockets of poverty breed ill health; and |
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(2) this state can no longer afford to ignore the |
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economic maladies that end the lives of persons who have no access |
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to health care. |
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(c) It is the intent of the legislature to make available |
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affordable quality health care services and affordable hospitals in |
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neglected and impoverished communities. |
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SECTION 11. FOREIGN POLICY. The legislature declares that: |
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(1) oppressed people all over the world should be |
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liberated and empowered; and |
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(2) the foreign policy of the United States should be |
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based on justice and freedom and should ensure the elimination of |
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economic exploitation of impoverished people throughout the world. |
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SECTION 12. This Act takes effect immediately if it |
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receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each |
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house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. |
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If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate |
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effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |