Texas Catholic Voice June 2, 2025

Most of the major business of session has wrapped up and today the 89^th legislative session adjourns “sine die,” which means "without a day" to reconvene. At this point, a special session does not appear to be on the horizon, so legislators will return home, celebrating their victories and/or mourning losses.

Overall, the TCCB had a very successful session with the passage of school choice, educator misconduct improvements, public school finance and testing reform, several bills on housing affordability, and many of our other legislative priorities.

We are especially grateful for the life-affirming bills that passed, including the Life of the Mother Act, which clarifies exceptions to the abortion ban when a woman’s life is in danger; HB 37, which requires hospitals to provide perinatal bereavement care services; and HB 1233, which requires hospitals and doctors to inform pregnant women who receive a life-limiting diagnosis for their unborn child about the availability of perinatal palliative care.

In the final budget we are thrilled that the Legislature has restored the summer food programs, funded perinatal palliative care, funded improvements in the child protection programs, and increased public-school funding dramatically through HB 2. We will have a full and comprehensive report of what passed and failed in the coming week.

Unfortunately, the conference committee on SB 8, requiring local immigration enforcement, redrafted the bill, breaking the House deal to include only warrant service agreements with ICE. Consequently, we are reverting to opposition to SB 8.

The conference committee version requires counties with jails to enter into the agreements but allows them to choose the type of program: Jail Enforcement Model, Task Force Model, or Warrant Service Officer Program. The task force enforcement model will impact community policing, as sheriffs will be able to enforce immigration laws on all people – including victims or bystanders. Moreover, to incentivize the highest level of enforcement, grant funding is awarded only to the sheriff's offices that choose the Jail Enforcement Model or Task Force Model. However, given the scope of this level of immigration enforcement the grants are very small ($80,000 – $140,000 per year).

We encourage local sheriff's offices to choose the Warrant Service Officer Program to preserve the integrity of local law enforcement agencies and minimize harm to communities.

The next step in the legislative process is the governor's veto period, which ends on June 22. During this time there will be last-minute efforts by some to urge the governor to veto bills. We will have an updated final report on our legislative outcomes after the veto period ends. Please watch your emails for any action alerts related to vetoes.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Advocacy Day, responded to our action alerts, joined us in praying the rosary either at the Capitol or FB Live, joined us for Mass in the Chancery Chapel, and prayed for our legislators and team throughout this session.

After next week’s Sine Die report is issued, the Texas Catholic Voice will return to a monthly publication schedule during the interim.

Education Savings Account (ESA) program implementation

We are excited to accompany parents, pastors and school leaders as Senate Bill 2 (SB 2) is implemented in Texas. Whether you have been walking this journey with us in the fight for parental choice for years or are just hearing about something big that happened in Austin which might be good for people in your family, parishes, and communities, we are here for you!

The TCCB Education Department will be overseeing ESA implementation in Catholic schools, serving as a guiding hand for parents and schools as they navigate the process, which has yet to be established. While we wait for program rules to be adopted (most likely early fall), you can educate yourself and others about the program. Our summer goal is to spread the word about this immense opportunity, especially for families who have children with disabilities or are low-income. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!