Catholic Advocacy Day

SB 8 / HB 5261, Sen. Brandon Creighton, Rep. James Frank —  Improves parental rights in public schools and creates an education savings account program which will allow $8,000 for current public school students to use toward private school tuition, tutoring, and educational expenses. The TCCB supports this bill and urges improvement by prioritizing those with the greatest academic and financial needs.

SB 2354 / HB 4339, Sen. Paul Bettencourt, Rep. James Frank —  Establishes an education savings account program to enable students with disabilities and low to moderate income families to pay for tuition and fees, instructional materials, and other approved expenses outside the public school system. The TCCB supports this bill to increase access to educational options for the poor and vulnerable.

HB 4340, Rep. James Frank — Establishes an education savings account program to enable parents to pay for tuition and fees, uniforms, instructional materials, and other approved expenses outside the public school system. The bill prioritizes students with disabilities families of low and moderate income. The TCCB supports this bill to increase access to educational options, especially for the poor and vulnerable.

HB 5267, Rep. James Frank — Establishes an education savings account to provide funding for parents to choose private or homeschool for their children. If funding is limited it prioritizes children with disabilities and those with low to moderate incomes. The TCCB supports this bill to increase access to educational options, especially for the poor and vulnerable.

SB 2483, Sen. Angela Paxton — Establishes an education savings account to provide funding for parents to choose private or home school for their children. If funding is limited it prioritizes children on free and reduced lunch. The TCCB supports this bill to assist parents with choosing the best educational options for their children and urges improvements, including additional levels of prioritization.

SB 176/HB 4807, Sen. Mayes Middleton, Rep. Brian Harrison — Allows any student in the state to access parental choice subject to available funding and prioritizes students with disabilities if there is limited funding. The TCCB supports this bill and encourages improvements to accountability and to prioritize students with the greatest academic and financial need.

HB 619, Rep. Matt Shaheen — Creates a school choice corporate tax credit that would enable insurance companies to contribute to a non-profit scholarship for low-income students from public school to attend private schools. The TCCB supports this bill to increase parental choice in education.

HB 3198/SB 1473 Omnibus Bill on Child Protection — This bill provides childcare providers with access to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Do Not Hire Registry, extends Department Family Protective Services (DFPS) Central Registry to all child welfare service organizations, applies the pre-employment affidavit to child welfare or services organizations, and provides equal access to TEA fingerprinted background checks. The TCCB supports this omnibus bill to close loopholes to ensure greater protection for children from predators.

HB 3199/SB 1469 Apply Pre-Employment Affidavit to Child Welfare or Services Organizations — Public and private schools use a pre-employment affidavit which requires applicants to discuss whether they have ever been charged with, adjudicated for, or convicted of having an inappropriate relationship with a minor. This affidavit does not bar employment but requires disclosure. The TCCB supports expanding access to this effective tool in deterring child predators from employment in child-serving organizations.

HB 3202/SB 1471 Require Equal Access to TEA Fingerprinted Background Checks — TEA has access to FBI and national crime databases. This bill gives private schools the same access that public schools have to TEA’s fingerprinted background checks. The TCCB supports this bill to ensure that accredited private schools have equal access to background check information.

HB 4236/SB 1849 Creation of Interagency Child Protection Database — This bill creates an interagency database that combines the do-not-hire databases from each state agency so that schools and service providers can access one database. The TCCB supports this bill to improve access to child protection resources.

SB 923, Sen. Springer — This bill would prohibit undocumented immigrants from enrolling in Texas public K-12 schools unless the school board has an agreement for the US government to pay the state for their education. While the bill’s author and supporters may not intend to cause harm, gambling with the education of innocent children violates their human dignity. The TCCB opposes this bill which would remove access to education from children in Texas.

SB 955, Sen. Springer | HB 312, Rep. Moody — This bill changes the parole eligibility of youthful offenders, from half their sentence or 30 years, to one fourth their sentence or 20 years, but no less than two years. For capital offenses, it is a minimum of 20 years. It provides considerations for the parole board including the diminished culpability of youth, the hallmark features of youth and the greater capacity for change in youth. The TCCB supports this bill to allow for parole consideration for youthful offenders after decades of incarceration.

HB 1743, Rep. Leach — This bill requires coordination between the Health and Human Services Commission and the Corrections Department to prepare the incarcerated to apply for SNAP benefits in advance of their release, to access their benefits immediately upon release. The TCCB supports this bill to promote restorative justice.

HB 12, Rep. Rose — This bill extends Medicaid eligibility to new mothers to a year after the birth of their child, significantly increasing the length of time moms can access critical postpartum health coverage. The TCCB supports this bill to provide mothers with extended post-partum care.

SB 26, Sen. Kolkhorst | HB 15, Rep. S. Thompson — This bill establishes the Mental Health and Brain Research Institute of Texas to create and expedite innovation in mental health and brain research. The TCCB supports this bill to improve the health of Texas residents, and enhance a potential medical or scientific breakthrough in mental health and brain-related sciences and biomedical research.

HB 1599, Rep. Bucy — This bill allows income verification using eligibility for a public assistance program (like SNAP) as part of the eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP. The TCCB supports this bill to provide health care to eligible families in Texas.

HB 319, Rep. Oliverson — This bill allows medical professionals to decline to participate in a healthcare service for reasons of conscience. The TCCB supports this bill to protect the religious liberty of healthcare providers.

HB 727, Rep. Tony Rose — This bill prohibits a sentence of death for a defendant who, at the time of the commission of a capital offense, was a person experiencing severe mental illness. The TCCB supports this bill to abolish the use of the death penalty in cases of severe mental illness.