TO:

Senator Charles Schwertner, Chair

Senator Jos Rodriguez

Senator Lois Kolkhorst, Vice Chair

Senator Van Taylor

Senator Donna Campbell

Senator Carlos Uresti

Senator Craig Estes

Senator Judith Zaffirini

Senator Charles Perry

FROM: Progress Texas & NARAL Pro-Choice Texas

RE: Senate Health & Human Services Committee Meeting on Womens Health Programs
and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission

DATE: September 13, 2016


On behalf of more than 5,400 activists across Texas, I am writing to share our collective concern
about the decision by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to grant a $1.6 million
contract to the Heidi Group.

The Heidi Group was awarded the contract to provide womens health and family planning
services to Texans, despite the fact that they provide no actual health care services. Since the
Heidi Group provides no health care services, we have also requested that the State Auditors
office investigate Texas HHSC for their decision to provide taxpayer funds to an anti-abortion
organization with no qualifications to provide services stipulated in the contract.

The following text has been signed and submitted by more than 5,400 activists to Texas Health
and Human Services Commissioner Charles Smith:

Stop playing politics with Texas womens health. You have no business inserting
anti-abortion activist Carol Everett and her anti-abortion group in between Texas
women and their access to health care. Texas women deserve better. Defund the
Heidi Group and kick Carol Everett off the womens health committee today.

We hope you share our concern about this likely misuse of taxpayer dollars, and encourage you
in the strongest of terms to use your oversight and legislative powers to ensure Texas HHSC
prioritizes actual health care when awarding taxpayer grants in our womens health program.

Sincerely,


Lucy Stein, Progress Texas

Encls: List of 5,455 co-signers