The 82nd Texas Legislative Session proved challenging to elected officials and advocates. Due to the budget shortfall, several vital programs and services that positively impact children were cut or eliminated. CHILDREN AT RISK worked hard and spoke loudly to ensure children were not ignored and that Texas leaders were mindful of the future. Despite the challenges and severe cuts to programs some progress was made in the area of human trafficking, food, access to health care, juvenile justice reform, early education, and transparency in public education data. Here is a quick overview of some of the positive gains this session.
Human trafficking issues moved quickly during this 82nd Legislative Session! Several bills were filed to combat human trafficking. Because of bipartisan leadership, there is zero tolerance for traffickers, pimps, and johns who prey on children; restitution services for child victims will be provided for rehabilitation; penalties for employment harmful to children were increased; prostitution is included in the behavior listed that constitutes a need for supervision; and the sealing of records is prohibited for child victims that have been arrested for prostitution.
Recognizing the importance of food programs that meet the most basic needs of children, CHILDREN AT RISK advocated diligently for increased access to benefits for eligible children. There were positive strides around food, including the implementation of the Summer Nutrition Program (unless given a waiver) for at least 30 days of summer in school districts where at least 50% or more children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, and also with the elimination of finger imaging for individuals enrolling in financial and supplemental nutrition assistance programs.
CHILDREN AT RISK continued to raise awareness on the importance of community-based and prevention services. Despite considerable budget cuts to important physical and mental health programs and services, legislators passed a bill which expands the work of trained volunteers and explores the opportunity to maximize the benefits of community health care workers, which will help to improve the health of community participants while saving Texas taxpayers money. There were also advancements regarding immunizations that require students to show a record of the meningitis immunization in order to go to college, and there will be increased community education regarding pertussis.
Juvenile justice received a lot of attention during the 82nd Legislative Session, particularly in the area of reform. Legislation passed which merges the Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission and creates, in their place, a single juvenile justice agency, the Texas Department of Juvenile Justice. The mission is to focus on cost-effective, community-based youth service, emphasizing rehabilitation instead of incentivizing incarceration. Other bills that passed focus on sealing juvenile records, limiting circumstances when youth can be certified as an adult, and several bills addressing juvenile justice involvement in school discipline.
The public policy team at CHILDREN AT RISK paid extremely close attention to the budget debates in the House and Senate around education. Several decisions were made that will present significant challenges to students and teachers; however, some needed advancements passed in the areas of early education and extended learning time. The minimum training hours for employees, directors, and operators of child care facilities increased in an effort to better protect and educate children in early education settings. Houston ISD was successful, with the assistance of CHILDREN AT RISK and other advocates, in passing a bill that allows extended learning time for schools by allowing instruction time to begin earlier in the year.
CHILDREN AT RISK will continue to advocate for children, monitor the implementation of new laws, and be active during the interim. The CHILDREN AT RISK 82nd Texas Legislative Report will be released in late July. Please register for the Houston, Dallas, and Fort Bend Legislative Summary Conference at www.childrenatrisk.org to learn more about legislation that impacts our children.