Millions of Texans rely on Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) for their health care coverage. Unfortunately, the 2014-15 state budget fails to undo the deepest cuts made to
As the third called legislative session begins, legislators are still finalizing the highway funding part of the Texas state budget for 2014 and 2015–the two-year budget period that begins September
By Eric Bybee Texas has the fourth-highest rate of teen pregnancy in the nation, with a total of 48,586 teen births in 2010. Parenthood is a leading cause of school
As predicted, this session’s debates around school choice were used as a distraction from discussing real solutions to the state’s education challenges. Fortunately, all the different voucher proposals, which would
The biggest news with health insurance in the 2013 legislative session is what did not pass. Before it started, I hoped the session would help prepare Texas for big changes to
Mental health has received a lot of well-deserved attention this legislative session after the recent violent tragedies in our nation. Texas legislators deserve praise for recognizing that all Texans benefit
The 2013 Legislature brought big changes to the Adult Basic Education (ABE) and literacy system in Texas. SB 307 by Sen. Joan Huffman, effective September 1, transfers oversight of ABE programs
Back in January, I noted that the most sweeping Medicaid issue of the 2013 session—with over a million uninsured Texans, billions of federal dollars for our economy, and hundreds of
This session, the Legislature give higher priority to tax giveaways than to fully restoring public services to their pre-recession levels. Three major tax giveaways, plus renewal and expansion of the
The 2013 regular legislative session ended without the passage of any payday and auto title lending reform. As a result, the Legislature missed a critical opportunity to protect Texas consumers from
