Rep. Julie Johnson said House Bill 3871 would expand health coverage to 1.2 million Texans.

DALLAS – Texas State Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Dist. 115, is behind a bill that could provide health insurance for nearly a million Texans if the state expanded Medicaid.

This is something that leaders have ignored for a decade.

But something changed a few days ago. Nine Republicans backed the Democrats, enough to give them the votes they should pass.

“It’s amazing what happens when you can actually sit down and talk to people,” said Johnson.

She said being able to frame the facts and show what the bill is doing makes the case “irrefutable” for the bill.

House Bill 3871 would expand health coverage to 1.2 million people and ensure equal pay for health care providers, Johnson said. It also includes a work incentive program and emergency measures when federal funding ends.

“This bill will fundamentally change the health system in Texas,” she said.

RELATED: Read the Full Text of HB 3871

What’s Next for Police Reform in Texas?

In the past five days we have heard many reactions to a former Minneapolis cop’s conviction for the murder of George Floyd.

But was that really a turning point? Will there be a major political change, especially here in Texas?

State Senator Royce West, D-Dist. 23, has lagged behind almost every police reform law in the past decade, and there is still much to be done.

West called Derek Chauvin the “figurehead” for police misconduct.

“Hopefully it will serve as a wake-up call for the few officials who would persist in this type of behavior,” West said of Inside Texas Politics.

West has drafted two police reform bills that were passed in the Texan legislature this week. The bills, passed unanimously by the Texas Senate, require an officer to help an injured person and intervene if another officer uses excessive force.

A bipartisan effort to reform the criminal justice system

At Texas House, Republicans and Democrats put together a group of bills to reform the criminal justice system in the state.

State representative Nicole Collier, D-Dist. 95, Chairman of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.

The group of bills is called “Smarter Justice, Safer Texas” and is headed by spokesman Dade Phelan.

Collier said the bills are aimed at punishing “harmful people” and getting others back to work “who have made mistakes.”

She also stressed the importance of decriminalizing non-crime offenses and removing arrests related to those offenses.

These show up during background checks for people applying for things like work and living, Collier said.