Issues
SB 20: ‘Great first step’ to prevent Texans from unintentionally subsidizing abortion
Jennifer Allmon The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops supports SB 20. We would like to thank Senator Taylor for filing this bill to prohibit abortion coverage on health benefits plans in the federal health benefit exchange program. We also applaud the provision which requires that individuals purchasing insurance be notified that coverage for abortion is…
Read MoreSB 25: Stop ‘wrongful birth’ lawsuits
Jennifer Allmon The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops supports S.B. 25. This bill is short and simple, but presents a powerful message of profound respect for unborn life and the lives of persons living with disabilities, and the noble desire of doctors to do no harm to their patients. S.B. 25 prohibits wrongful birth lawsuits that claim…
Read MoreBishops support full funding of Texas’ DFPS
Michael Barba The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops support fully funding DFPS, especially programs pertaining to aging out, kinship care, prevention and intervention, and the shift to a regional community-based model. To inform this conversation, I’ll walk through two persistent problems facing the agency. Caseload In 1996, the Governor’s Committee to Promote Adoption told DFPS…
Read MoreFort Worth Catholic Charities: HB4 encourages positive kinship care for children in foster care
Dana Springer Director of Child Welfare Services Catholic Charities Fort Worth The main goal of foster care is reunification between child and their birth family. Currently, relatives of the child are not the first option for placement. Research by the Health and Human Services Department has shown that children placed in kinship care have less…
Read MoreFort Worth Catholic Charities: Faith-based agencies welcome HB6
Shannon Rosedale Catholic Charities Fort Worth. More than 25% of Texas’ foster care provider networks are faith-based. These agencies provide a necessary service to protect the state’s most vulnerable children. The services provided are life-saving. For the system improvements in HB 6 to be successful, they must be coupled with conscience protections. Protecting the conscience…
Read MoreAlternatives ways to reform immigration system – not SB4
Michael Barba Associate Director of Public Policy, Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops As Bishop Joe Vasquez stated emphatically, we oppose Senate Bill 4. I add to his testimony several alternatives, recommended by the bishops, which would significantly improve our immigration system. It would serve the people of Texas to examine how our laws can advance…
Read MoreTestimony on SB 11: Cautious first step in foster care reform
Jennifer Allmon Executive Director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops I’m testifying in cautious support of SB 11. The issues facing our foster care system in Texas are numerous and complex. SB 11 is a beginning point in providing some needed reforms. We believe that a triage assessment system is an improvement that will…
Read MoreBishop Vásquez: SB 4 Opposition Testimony
My name is Bishop Joe Vásquez of the Diocese of Austin. I am testifying today on behalf of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. We are opposed to Senate Bill 4. The Catholic Church has a long history of involvement in the immigration issue. Our experience in working with immigrants throughout the years compels us…
Read MoreLegislative highlights: Justice for Immigrants
National Migration Week, which has been observed for more than a quarter of a century, carries renewed importance this year. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and Archbishop José H. Gomez, president and vice president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, offered these thoughts in their message: “Migration is, more than anything, an act of great hope.…
Read MoreNovena for life begins Jan. 21
A modern adaptation of an ancient Catholic prayer allows people to prepare spiritually for the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States, Roe v. Wade. The nine day prayer, titled “9 Days for Life,” is organized by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Texas Catholic Pro-Life Day falls…
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