IN THIS EPISODE:
- ON THE BALLOT: Harris County voters will decide whether they’ll support $1.2B in bonds that include county projects and upgrades.
- Host Khambrel Marshall sits down with Annie Johnson Benifield, Ph.D, of League of Women Voters of Houston where she says the league “continues to do what it has always done.”
- Ann Barnes, CEO of Episcopal Health talks about why Texans support spending for non-medical healthcare support, such as asthma.
Harris County voters to decide on $1.2B in bonds
One of the questions on the Harris county ballot in November will ask voters to support $1.2 billion dollars in bonds.
Harris County Administrator David Berry is a guest on “Houston Newsmakers” with Khambrel Marshall to talk about the community engagement meetings taking place to provide voters with information.
“It’s an important question for voters to decide,” he said. “They’re deciding if they trust the county to invest $1.2 billion dollars in projects that make their lives better.”
Those projects range from the Prop A $100 million dollar proposition for upgrades in public safety facilities in technologies to the Prop B $900 million dollar request for roads, drainage, and transportation-related projects. Prop C will ask for $200 million for parks, and trails for upgrades and new facilities for people with disabilities.
Because of the depth of the issues, See details about the propositions here.
And see this week’s Houston Newsmakers EXTRA.
League of Women Voters of Houston focusing on access
Annie Johnson Benifield, Ph.D., is the president of the League of Women Voters of Houston and says the league continues to do what it has always done.
“Our mission is to empower voters, and we empower voters through the voter registration process,” she said. “By doing voter education, doing study and advocacy, and by putting candidate forums together and our signature work is the voter’s guide.”
She is the first African-American woman to lead the organization in its 102-year history, which she says is an example of how the League has evolved much like the communities in which we live. See the voter’s guide here.
2/3 of Texans support more non-medical health spending
The spending support referred to here is for non-medical health issues.
Dr. Ann Barnes is the new President and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation, which will be releasing a report next week that she says validates growing support to help save money while improving health at the same time.
“If you have a child with asthma, they come into the emergency room. They give them medications but then they go back into situations that flare up their asthma,” she said. “Doesn’t it make more sense to actually do things to mitigate the triggers for asthma so that they’re not sick and they don’t have to come in for costly sick care?”
Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall Every Sunday at 10 a.m. right after Meet the Press.
· Dr. Ann Barnes. President, CEO, Episcopal Health Foundation
· https://www.episcopalhealth.com
· Annie Johnson Benifield, Ph.D., President, League of Women Voters of Houston
https://lwvhouston.org/voters-guide/
· David Berry, Harris County Administrator