Healthcare
SUPPORT HB 3162: Texas Advance Directives Act Reform
Download this content This bill was developed after months of extensive negotiation. HB 3162 represents a substantially improved cooperative effort to comprehensively address this sensitive issue. Thank you, Chair Stephanie Klick, Sen. Drew Springer, Rep. James Frank and to the following stakeholder organizations who are supporting this bill: Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops Texans for…
Read MoreSupport SB 1646 (Perry) | HB 4014 (Hefner)
The bishops seek to promote strong, stable, and healthy families, and oppose direct threats to innocent life, from conception to natural death. Our opposition to hormonal therapies and surgeries that aim at cross-sex transitioning or gender reassignment comes from this concern for the health of children and their families. For these reasons we support SB…
Read MoreReform of Texas Advance Directives Act HB 3099 (Coleman) | SB 1944 (Lucio)
All human life, no matter how disabled or critically ill, is of inherent dignity and incomparable worth; all are entitled to adequate healthcare. A balanced approach to end-of-life care equally respects the rights of patients in the natural process of dying and the conscience of healthcare professionals providing their care. The Texas Advance Directives Act…
Read MoreReform the Texas Advance Directives Act: Support SB 1944
My name is Bishop Michael Olson and I am testifying on behalf of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops in support of SB 1944. The Texas Advance Directives Act dispute resolution process protects patients and physicians by providing a fair and reasonable process to resolve disagreements regarding end of life care decisions. While this law…
Read MoreOppose SB 917: No Unlimited Intervention
My name is Bishop Michael Olson and I am testifying on behalf of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops in opposition to SB 917. The Catholic voice behind the pro-life movement does not view death as the ultimate enemy. We view it through a lens of the inherent sanctity of human life, including life in…
Read MoreFamily Educational Relief Program SB 1968 (Bettencourt) | HB 4537 (Middleton)
The establishment of the Family Educational Relief Program, and an insurance premium tax credit for contributions made for purposes of that program, empowers parents and guardians to choose from public, private, charter or homeschool options for their children’s education. Catholic and other nonpublic school parents often make difficult sacrifices to pay tuition and fees while…
Read MoreStop Subsidizing Abortion: Testimony in Support of SB650
My name is Jennifer Allmon and I’m the Executive Director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. I am testifying in support of SB 650. Last session the legislature had the wisdom and foresight to pass legislation to protect taxpayers from subsidizing abortion through preferential contracts and property deals. Despite the fact that time and…
Read MoreStrengthen Freedom of Conscience: Testimony in Support of SB 247
My name is Rachana Chhin, and I am a licensed Texas attorney and Legislative Counsel of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops testifying in support of SB 247. The Texas bishops support religious liberty especially as it pertains to human life, marriage, and the family, as well as supporting conscience protection for individuals and organizations.…
Read MoreConscience Protection for Healthcare Professionals HB 1291 (Bell) | SB 573 (Springer)
In 1973, the same year the Supreme Court changed abortion law in the U.S., Congress passed provisions collectively known as the Church Amendments to protect the conscience rights of workers and institutions in the healthcare industry (Federal Health Care Conscience Protection Statutes, 1973). In 1977, Texas followed suit with its own conscience protections of health…
Read MoreTwelve Month Continuous Medicaid for Children
Data shows that thousands of eligible children are being removed from the Medicaid program due to an inefficient, rushed process. Keeping a child enrolled for 12 months would allow parents peace of mind and ensure a child receives the continuous healthcare so necessary to keep a child healthy and out of the emergency room. …
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