Professional sports teams in Texas will be required to play the national anthem before sporting events or risk losing millions of dollars in state and local tax subsidies, under a bill now headed to Gov. Greg Abbott for his expected approval.
The bill is a direct reaction to the Dallas Mavericks, who decided not to play “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the start of the season for 13 days, in what team owner Mark Cuban called an experiment. The NBA later issued a statement requiring the anthem to be played before all games.
Still, that was not enough for Republican leaders in the Texas Legislature like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who slammed Cuban and the team.
“Texans are tired of sports teams that pander, insulting our national anthem and the men and women who died fighting for our flag,” Patrick said after the Senate passed the legislation, Senate Bill 4, in early April. “The passage of SB 4 will ensure Texans can count on hearing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at major sports events throughout the state that are played in venues that taxpayers support.”
The House on Tuesday finally joined the Senate in passing the bill, 110-34, assuring it will head to Abbott for his approval.
Many Democrats in the Texas House blasted the bill, saying Republicans who are frequently worried about too much government intervention are using their power to compel private businesses to do their bidding.
“I don’t even understand why we would feel the need to force someone into singing any song,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas.
State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, took it a step further during the debate, saying the bill is likely unconstitutional because of First Amendment protections that guarantee freedom of speech and expression. He said the state cannot force people to say anything, and that is essentially was SB 4 does.
“Once again, we’re carrying legislation that is openly and aggressively unconstitutional,” Wu said.
State Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Lubbock Republican who is the lead sponsor of the bill in the House, said no constitutional rights will be infringed upon. He said sports teams could still opt to not play the anthem.
“It’s very simple: If they do not want to play the national anthem, they don’t have to take tax dollars,” Burrows said.
On the other side, Democrats used the debate over the last two days to remind Texans that the national anthem includes offensive wording and imagery. State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, on Monday pointed to the third stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner” that has references to slaves trying to escape to freedom.
“No refuge could save the hireling and slave, from the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave,” that third stanza says.
But for Republicans, respect for the national anthem has become a key campaign issue over the years that polls well with their supporters.
A CBS News poll last July showed nationwide Republicans were far more likely to be offended by athletes kneeling during the national anthem, even if they were protesting social injustice. That poll showed 77 percent of Republicans called it “unacceptable” to kneel during the anthem, compared to just 12 percent of Democrats.
That’s an even more important number for Republicans in Texas, where GOP primary battles are often more of a challenge than general election battles against Democrats.
jeremy.wallace@chron.com
U.S. - Latest - Google News
May 26, 2021 at 03:39AM
https://ift.tt/3vngcPr
Texas lawmakers pass bill to punish pro sports teams that skip pregame national anthem - Houston Chronicle
U.S. - Latest - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ShjtvN
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Texas lawmakers pass bill to punish pro sports teams that skip pregame national anthem - Houston Chronicle"
Post a Comment