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Senator Wendy Davis

Wikis > Senator Wendy Davis

Senator Wendy Davis

Wendy Davis, born May 16, 1963, is an American politician. Tribune: Wendy Davis facts… 4 July 2013. She was a Senator in the Texas State Legislature representing the 10th district, which includes Forth Worth, TX (from 2009 to 2015). In 2013, Davis rose to international recognition as an important political figure after she succeeded in delaying a proposed law that would limit abortions in Texas by holding a 13-hour filibuster.

Biography

Davis was born in West Warwick, Rhode Island and moved with her family to Fort Worth, Texas at the age of 11. Davis’ parents’ divorced leaving Davis’ mother alone to raise Wendy. According to her official biography, Davis’ mother had no more than a 6th grade education and had to raise her children without any child support. Davis began working at the age of 14 to help support her mother and three siblings. She became a single mother herself at the age of 19. Davis’ path to politics is not a typical story, rather it is one which highlights the triumphs of a quality public education, a strong community college system, college loan and grant programs for deserving students.“Senator Wendy Davis: District 10.” The Senate Of Texas. Web. 4 July 2013.

Davis eventually learned of a paralegal program at the local Community College which she attended before transferring to Texas Christian University where she acquired her first degree. She was first in her class and was accepted to Harvard Law School, becoming the first in her family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.Davis graduated with Honors from Harvard and became a practicing attorney in Fort Worth before serving for 9 years on the Fort Worth City Council from May 1, 1999-January 8, 2008.

Political Career

Davis ran on a Democratic ticket and was elected a Senator in 2009 after upsetting an incumbent Republican, Senator Kim Brimer. Kronberg, Harvey. “WENDY DAVIS DEFEATS SEN. KIM BRIMER AS DEMS CONTINUE TO MAKE GAINS UNDER THE DOME.” Quorum Report, 5 Nov. 2008. Web. 4 July 2013. According to her Senate biography, the race was “widely considered one of the biggest upsets in Texas politics in recent times.” Re-elected in 2012, Ramshaw, Emily. “Wendy Davis Cinches Re-Election in SD-10.” Texas Tribune, 6 Nov. 2012. Web. 4 July 2013. she now serves on several committees in the Senate including: Education, Transportation and Homeland Security, Veterans’ Affairs and Military Installations, International Relations and Trade, Open Government (Vice-Chair).

Her legislative activity has included authoring and collaborating to pass laws that will prosecute sexual assault predators and bring justice to rape victims, laws focused on job growth in Texas, laws aimed at protecting the Veterans’ Assistance Fund from being cut, and she has fought strongly against severe cuts to women’s health care.

Redistricting Controversy

While Davis won re-election in 2012, it was not without a fight. Texas Republican lawmakers attempted to redraw her district in order to block her constituency and make it close to impossible for her to win a re-election. The redistribution of her district resulted in a federal court case that overturned the redistricting maps the Republican lawmakers had drawn, and allowed for District 10 to remain the same. Ramshaw, Emily. “Wendy Davis Cinches Re-Election in SD-10.” Texas Tribune, 6 Nov. 2012. Web. 4 July 2013. The case was struck down based on Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. “Volsky, Igor. “Thanks to the Supreme Court, Wendy Davis Will Probably Lose Her Senate Seat.” ThinkProgress. 26 June 2013 4 July 2013. Davis won against Republican state Rep. Mark Shelton by 51 percent to 49 percent.“Senate Election Results 2012.” Texas Secretary of State 4 July 2013

Her seat will be open in the November 2014 election, and the issue of redistricting and gerrymandering is coming up again. With the recent Supreme Court response to the Civil Rights Voting Act (1965) that struck down Section 4, “Voting Rights Act Section 4 Struck Down By Supreme Court” Huffington Post. 25 June, 2013 4 July 2013. the issue of re-districting based on race and ethnicity may re-emerge in Texas.“Volsky, Igor. “Thanks to the Supreme Court, Wendy Davis Will Probably Lose Her Senate Seat.” ThinkProgress. 26 June 2013 4 July 2013. The Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Act which limited redistricting in the state of Texas. Within hours of the decision, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott declared that Texas would begin re-drawing districts.Shen, Aviva. “Two Hours After the Supreme Court Gutted The Voting Rights Act, Texas AG Suppresses Minority Voters.” ThinkProgress, 25 June 2013. 4 July 2013.

Davis’ District, District 10, which currently has 48 percent of Hispanic and Black voters, may see a serious demographic shift as a result of future redistricting.“District Population Analysis with County Subtotals” 2010 Census. 4 July 2013. Davis was elected in 2011 with strong support from these minority voters, and thus the redistribution of the districts could lead her to losing her seat as well as disenfranchising voters from being able to amass as a voting-block in majority-Republican Texas.

Davis’ Work for Women’s Rights

The June Filibuster against Senate Bill 5

Davis’ largest claim to fame is her 11 hour filibuster on June 25, 2013, in which she succeeded in blocking an attempt to pass Senate Bill 5, a bill which would have all but abolished abortions in the state of Texas. The Senate had entered into the last moments of a special session called to order by Texas Governor Rick Perry which ended at midnight on June 25, 2013. “Texas Gov. Rick Perry calls 2nd special session to pass abortion bill.” CBS News, 26 June 2013. 22 July 2013.

A Filibuster is a tool which Senators in the United States may use to delay the voting of a bill. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a Filibuster is “the use of irregular or obstructive tactics by a member of a legislative assembly to prevent the adoption of a measure generally favored or to force a decision against the will of the majority.”Oxford English Dictionary: Filibuster 7 July 2013.The United States Senate rules permit a senator, or a series of senators, to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose to block a bill, unless “three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn” (usually 60 out of 100 senators) brings debate to a close by invoking cloture under Senate Rule XXII.|Precedence of motions (Rule XXII)”. Rules of the Senate. United States Senate. 4 July, 2013

Texas is one of 13 states which permits the use of a filibuster in their Senate.

Davis rose to international recognition as over 178,000 people tuned into The Texas Tribune’s live stream throughout the night. Romano, Aja. “How the Internet and abortion rights won in Texas” The Daily Dot, 26 June, 2013. 7 July 2013. Davis spoke out against the proposed law and read personal anecdotes sent to her by voters and constituents.Dart, Tom. “Wendy Davis’s remarkable filibuster to deny passage of abortion bill” The Guardian, 26 June, 2013. 7 July 2013.

In order to have the filibuster count, Davis had to remain “standing completely upright and talking nonstop for 11 hours without eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, or leaning on anything for support.” Davis took to the floor at 11am and had to reach it to midnight.Treadway, Dan. “Wendy Davis’ Filibuster May Have Turned the Tide of Texas Politics” HuffingtonPost. 26 June 2013. 7 July 2013 Hundreds of supporters came to the State legislature to “stand with Wendy” as the night went on. As the clock counted down to the final moments of the session, the crowd became so loud that the many said the vote was obstructed and it was unclear whether or not the vote on the bill (19 for-11 against) had counted or not. Treadway, Dan. “Wendy Davis’ Filibuster May Have Turned the Tide of Texas Politics” HuffingtonPost. 26 June 2013. 7 July 2013

The story, which had not been covered by national news outlets until well into the night, gained momentum from Twitter which resulted in the hashtag #StandWithWendy and Wendy Davis’ name becoming international trends on June 25, 2013.

This was not the first filibuster that Davis has engaged in order to delay a bill.Ramshaw, Emily. “A Filibuster Creates an Overnight Celebrity.” New York Times, 4 June 2011. Web. 4 July 2013. In 2011, “she staged a filibuster and forced a special session in her attempt to stop $4 billion in crippling cuts to Texas public schools.”

The impact of her marathon filibuster in 2013 garnered national and international recognition as Davis became a symbol and a spokesperson for women’s rights and access to health care.

Governor Perry called for another special session in a final attempt to pass the bill into law. According to Perry, the overal disruption in the gallery led to the “[…] breakdown of decorum and decency [which] prevented us from doing what the people of this state hired us to do.” “New life for Texas abortion bill blocked by Wendy Davis.” BBC News. 26 June 2013 7 July 2013. The second special session began July 1st, 2013.“Gov. Perry Confident Texas Abortion Bill Will Pass.” Fox News, 7 July 2013. 7 July 2013. Weissert, Will, et. al. “Rick Perry Calls Second Special Session.” The Huffington Post, 26 June 2013. 22 July 2013. The Bill passed in the Senate on July 10, 2013 and in the House on July 12, 2013. Escobar, Samantha. “SB5, Horrifying Texas Anti-Abortion Bill Passed.” The Gloss. 10 July 2013. 22 July 2013. Schwartz, John. “Texas Senate Approves Strict Abortion Measure.” New York Times, 13 July 2013. 22 July 2013. Groups of activists throughout the States are saying that they will fight to overturn the law. Weissert, Will. “Strict Texas abortion bill ‘lit a fuse,’ Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards says.” Dallas News, 12 July 2013. 22 July 2013.

Senate Bill 5

Senate Bill 5 (SB5) proposed various new abortion regulations in Texas including:

  • banning abortions past twenty weeksTexas Senate Bill 5, 2013 7 July 2013.
  • mandate that a doctor who performs abortions have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital
  • require that clinics meet the same standards as other health-care facilities in the state

The bill has the capability to shut down all but 5 abortion clinics in the state of Texas. The bill was signed into law by Governor Perry July 13, 2013 | “Texas Senate passes sweeping abortion restrictions, send to Gov. Perry to sign into law.” NY Daily News, 13 July 2013. 13 July 2013.

Awards and Recognition

Davis has been honored with many awards and recognitions during her first term in the Texas Legislature, including: AARP’s Freshman of the Year Award in 2009, Fort Worth Weekly’s Readers’ Choice, Best Servant of the People, Fort Worth’s Best Person to Watch, the Texas State Independent Living Council’s 2013 Legislator of Excellence Award, the National Council of Jewish 2013 Women Who Dared AwardNational Council of Jewish Women, 2013 Champion for Social Change AwardTexas Association Against Sexual Assault, 2012 Texas Women’s Health Champion Award Texas Association Of OB-GYNs and the Bold Woman Award from Girls, Inc. In 2009,Texas Monthly named her “Rookie of the Year.” In January 2012, Davis was listed among “12 State Legislators to Watch in 2012” by Governing MagazineJacobson, Louis. “12 State Legislators to Watch in 2012.” January 2012. Governing.com 4 July 2013.

Her name is now being mentioned as a possible candidate for statewide and national races.Hu, Elise. “The Wendy Davis Rocket Ride” NPR, 26 June 2013. 4 July 2013
–[User:Sschor|Sschor]

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