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Keep Public Funds in Public Schools! Say NO to ESAs! *UPDATED*

The Texas Senate recently passed SB 2, which establishes Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) for 100,000 students at $10,000 each to pay for private school tuition. ESAs are welfare for the wealthy. Texas already has school choice and needs to protect and fully fund its public schools. Contact the members of the House Public Education Committee to urge them to say NO to ESAs!

Tell Your Members of Congress to Oppose the SAVE Act!

Congress has introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require citizenship documentation to register to vote even though voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering. Americans do not need MORE obstacles to vote. Tell your representatives to say NO to the SAVE Act!

Voting Rights and Election Law

In the House, as we expected, no democrats were appointed as committee chairs, although the House rules give vice chairs some authority for committee agendas. In the all-important House Elections Committee, the vice chair is John Bucy, who is sponsoring the Texas Voting Rights Act, HB 2082. This bill would expand ballot access and make voter registration easier. The League is hoping this bill gets a hearing this session. The Lt. Governor has made requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration a priority, although a bill has not yet been filed.

Financing Public Education

SB 2, the Governor’s bill calling for Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) has been received from the Senate. Please see the action alert above, and contact your representatives to voice your opposition to vouchers in any form. The Senate bill allows up to 100,000 students to claim $10,000 vouchers to attend private schools. Those schools are not required to meet the same standards as public schools and are not accountable for the public funds being sent their way. Based on what has happened in other states, most of the students claiming these vouchers will already be in private school, and every student who leaves the public school system because of these vouchers reduces the money available to their neighborhood school.

Water Infrastructure

We are still waiting on bills reflecting leadership priorities, particularly a bill creating a dedicated funding stream for the Texas Water Fund.

One bill we are concerned about is SB 1145/HB 2584. This bill would authorize the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to issue permits for land application of produced water from oil and gas extraction. It has not yet been assigned to a Senate committee.

Children's Issues

Improving Mental Health Services for Vulnerable Youth and Families

The League is tracking legislations related to the provision of essential mental health services for vulnerable youth and families. Both the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services (TACFS) and Texans Care for Children have stated that strengthening mental health services for vulnerable children, especially those at risk of entering foster care, is a priority. There are many bills focused on ensuring that children at risk of entering foster care, youth already in care, and other vulnerable or at-risk Texas children have access to appropriate mental health services, as advocates suggest is necessary, including:

• Addressing complex mental health needs of children who have experienced trauma and mitigating the risks of self-harm or suicide:
• SB 640 (Johnson), assigned to Senate State Affairs, and its companion, HB 2809 (Rose), relating to reporting by DFPS regarding youth in their managing conservatorship who attempt suicide.
• Strengthening the capacity of families and communities to address children’s mental health needs and expanding the availability of family-focused therapy:
• SB 188 (Menendez), assigned to Senate Health & Human Services, providing for behavioral health outreach crisis services that would strengthen capacities to address youth mental health crises and offer essential support services.
• SB 51 (Zaffirini), assigned to Senate Health & Human Services, facilitating the licensing of certain therapists and counselors providing family-focused therapy services.
• Adding crucial mental health services to Medicaid coverage plans:
• HB 475 (Johnson), providing for coverage and reimbursement for multisystemic therapy services. This bill does not yet have a companion in the Senate.
• HB 488 (Johnson), providing for coverage and reimbursement for functional family therapy services. This bill does not yet have a companion in the Senate.
• Increasing allotments for special education programs and enhancing services for at-risk students:
• SB 568, assigned to Senate Education K-16, relating to the administration and funding of special education programs in public schools, including for children with autism.
• SB 555 (Johnson), assigned to Senate Education K-16, providing for an increased allotment for evaluations for special education services.
• SB 56 (Zaffirini), assigned to Senate Education K-16, and its companions, HB 213 (Mary Gonzalez) and HB 2236 (Dutton), providing for the inclusion of chronically absent students as at risk of dropping out of school.
• Diverting foster youth and other at-risk children from the juvenile/criminal justice systems with improved reporting and early intervention programs:
• SB 194 (Menendez), assigned to Senate State Affairs, providing for the diversion of certain foster youth from the juvenile justice system, including through emergency behavior intervention.
• SB 300 (Perry), assigned to Senate Health & Human Services, and its companion, HB 1825 (Bowers), relating to the exchange of information between DFPS or foster care service contractors and the state or local juvenile justice agency.