Following the conclusion of the 88th Legislative Session, Texans for Vaccine Choice released a legislative scorecard—their first since 2017—judging House lawmakers on how they voted, which measures they authored or supported, and any amendments they offered when medical liberty measures were debated.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic shone a spotlight on the issue of medical liberty, House lawmakers voted on measures relating to the issue for the first time since 2017.
However, only two state representatives—Tony Tinderholt (R–Arlington) and Cody Vasut (R–Angleton)—received A+ ratings from TFVC.
While State Reps. Valoree Swanson (R–Spring) and Steve Toth (R–The Woodlands) received A ratings and several Republican lawmakers received B ratings, a majority of Republican lawmakers—48 of 86—received C ratings.
“Going into the first legislative session in a post-COVID Texas, medical liberty advocates were looking for heroes,” Michelle Evans, political director for Texans for Vaccine Choice, told Texas Scorecard. “Texans for Vaccine Choice is happy to say that there were some definite stand-outs in the House, namely Reps. Tony Tinderholt, Brian Harrison, Valoree Swanson, Cody Vasut, and Steve Toth.”
However, Evans said, “On average, most legislators opted to remain quiet on the issue of vaccine choice, and some were openly hostile to medical liberty. The TFVC scores released yesterday reflect an overall lack of commitment to protecting Texans from Big Pharma tyranny.”
Notably, two Republican lawmakers received F ratings from TFVC: Drew Darby of San Angelo and Four Price of Amarillo.
The full House report card can be viewed here, and TFVC will release the Texas Senate’s report card next week.
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