The Texas Legislature is back at it, and the Austin Tech Alliance, a nonprofit set up in 2016 to keep the local tech community engaged in politics and policy, has shared its priorities for this year's session.
Among the organization's targets are supporting bills that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, hair texture, hairstyles and more. The priorities also include supporting a move to create a state information technology credential to be offered at public community colleges to help keep tech talent flowing to state agencies.
Meanwhile, ATA is supporting a bill that would make all Texas voters eligible to vote by mail, including people who are in jail for misdemeanors. It also hopes to see election codes to allow an extension of the early voting period.
ATA also has a batch of bills it plans to oppose, including one that would reduce the early voting period from 13 days to eight. And it is against two other bills giving the attorney general the power to appoint district attorneys from adjacent counties as special prosecutors for election crimes.
Finally, it's pushing back against a proposal that would ban citizens and businesses from China, Iran, North Korea or Russia from purchasing titles to real property in the state.
The ATA's positions are part of its broader mission to engage the local tech ecosystem in civic matters. It has also conducted city council candidate interviews and provided updates on local and state laws through the years.
See more details about the ATA's 2023 legislative agenda right here.
