The Texas Legislature, on average, has consistently funded only 80 percent of what it costs to provide for children in foster care. On average, community foster care and partner providers who provide specialized services for acutely traumatized children lose money every day they care for a child.
Mental illness, or “severe emotional disturbance” as it is generally called in childhood, is more common among children and youth than many believe. In fact, the most rigorous research available shows definitively that approximately half of all mental illnesses begin by age 14.
Texas, never outdone in matters political, has a long and storied history of creative electoral district map-making. Like the rest of the Confederate South, it drew districts to marginalize black and Latino voting for generations; a tactic that led to the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Aggressive gerrymandering remains alive and well in Texas and throughout the nation.
Octavio Paz’s solution to American democratic problems was to return to the past. The U.S. has to recuperate its unity, which today, in this highly divided world, seems idealistic and complex. And America needs to return to “the origins, to the foundation of the nation. To recuperate the vision of its founders, not to copy them, but to make a new beginning.”
The irony with long-term issues is they don’t need to be solved immediately, yet because they do not need to be solved immediately, those issues are rarely adequately funded in each state budget. The Texas Legacy Fund within the ESF would allow the state to better manage long-term issues, which are the greatest threat to our state’s AAA credit rating.
In its present form, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is an affront to the Constitution, to checks and balances and to due process. This is why we support legislation that changes the CFPB into a constitutional and accountable civil enforcement agency that enforces consumer protection laws written by Congress.
At a time when a constrained state budget will undoubtedly leave many needs within our communities unmet, Texas should — at minimum — facilitate opportunities for private investment in the greater good. Legislation enabling B-Corps this session would help the private sector invest in the growing needs of our state now, while simultaneously meeting today's dynamic market demands.
From enrichment to education, libraries transform how we as patrons engage in the world around us by providing access to resources and by developing programs specific to the needs of our communities. In the years ahead, the services that libraries provide will be essential as more and more cities adopt aging-in-place initiatives.
The reason we created the fund was to flatten out the available revenue stream from the up-and-down swings of the economy so that constant levels of services could be provided, including covering higher costs as those needing or qualifying for government services increase.
There is a funding crisis for long-term care in Texas and everyone wants to see the best quality of care in the state’s nursing homes.
It’s such a bad idea that more than 30 states have already banned powdered alcohol completely – even Louisiana! Texas should follow their lead by passing a ban instead of creating regulations that could help establish a market for powdered alcohol in our state.
During the previous two legislative sessions, an unlikely coalition of groups across the political spectrum provided a sense that perhaps Texas was serious about rethinking its “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” mentality.
In looking to build a Texas that leads the country with a strong economy, we must ensure we’re giving children strong starts. Separating children from their families will not only inhibit children’s healthy development but incur long-term costs to Texas citizens for untreated mental health issues.
TXMPA is proud to educate the general public on the history of the media industry in Texas and support a strong community of industry professionals.
It’s almost too late to start a statewide passenger rail network in Texas. Rail projects here have no dedicated source of revenue; no statewide projects are being considered by TxDOT. Future generations may regret that our elected leaders only focused on more highway development and left passenger train service on a dead-end track.
Despite study after study concluding that this high-speed train is bad idea, supporters insist on railroading Texans with a $10 billion project that they don’t want, don’t need and won’t use. It’s time for local and state officials to give high-speed rail the big Texan cowboy boot.
For a psychiatrist who is a U.S. graduate with impeccably clean paperwork, transferring a medical license to Texas can take nine months or longer.
Regardless of one’s policy views, it’s important to understand that border wall litigation will be protracted and expensive, driving up the ultimate cost of the wall, likely to be borne by American taxpayers. Indeed, no matter the results of each trial, the government will owe money to the landowner — the question is just how much.
There is an opportunity in Texas to focus on the role that these providers play in promoting wellness and shaping our youth, and a benefit to recognizing for licensed providers that are committed to promoting evidence-based standards.
There are approximately 55,000 active guardianships in Texas today, with $5 billion in assets under the control of guardians and the courts. And the numbers are rising.
