Testimony before 85th Legislature
Michael Barba The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops support HB 3080. Under HB 3080, if a person with a severe mental illness is convicted of a capital offense, they cannot be sentenced to death, but must be sentenced to life without parole. Individuals with the following mental illnesses at the time of the offense are included…
Read MoreJennifer Allmon The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops opposes HB 3081. HB 3081 seeks to prohibit local cities from establishing payday and auto-title lending regulations. On its surface, this bill violates the Catholic principal of subsidiarity, which notes that governmental decisions are best made by those closest to those impacted by the decisions – which…
Read MoreJennifer Carr Allmon The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops opposes HB 1155. We oppose this bill because it allows for the cremation of human remains using alkaline hydrolysis. The dehydration of human remains in a vat of chemicals is disrespectful of the human body and does not allow for burial of the body. Treating the dead…
Read MoreMichael Barba The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops is against HB 2225. We oppose this bill because it effectively removes the state’s standards for childcare if the children are migrants. Background. The licensing requirements maintained by DFPS were established in order to ensure the quality of care for children housed in family residential centers (FRCs).[1]…
Read MoreMary Helen Russell I’m testifying in support of HB 3054 on behalf of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. The Bishops are meeting today across the street in preparation for their advocacy day tomorrow, which is why the Executive Director, Jennifer Allmon, is unable to be here to deliver this testimony. However, the issue is…
Read MoreThe House State Affairs Committee considered SB4 today, and Bishop Joe Vasquez testified against the bill. As passed by the Senate, two parts of the bill are particularly objectionable: (1) the bill does not prioritize criminal offenders for detention and deportation, and (2) the bill allows local law enforcement to stop individuals in public and…
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