The Texas Senate and House of Representatives have agreed on a $217 billion 2018-2019 budget, officially named Senate Bill 1. Though the dollar amount is about the same as the 2016-2017 level of support for public and higher education, health
Yesterday Gov. Abbott signed SB 507 into law, improving consumer protections related to surprise medical billing. Surprise out-of-network medical bills, sometimes called “balance bills,” happen when insurers and doctors fighting over prices jointly pass the buck to
You may have been watching the Saturday Night Live season finale, but I was watching the real show – the Texas Senate and House budget conferees rolling out a state budget compromise. The conferees adopted the major decisions that will
This session Chairman Garnet Coleman authored the Sandra Bland Act (HB 2702), a comprehensive bill that aimed to change the way civilians and law enforcement officers interact. Chairman John Whitmire of the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice filed the companion,
A committee substitute introduced on 5/11 added special ed vouchers to HB 21. Therefore we do not support this committee substitute. Here’s why vouchers are the wrong solution. Last month we were pleased to see the Texas House of Representatives
This post was updated on 5/17/17. Texas local governments – cities, counties, community colleges and hospital districts – provide vital services to their constituents. Locally elected officials decide how to provide these services and how to pay for them, an arrangement
Why talk about the 2020-21 Texas state budget when lawmakers are still deciding the 2018-19 budget? It’s because the decisions our state leaders make now will have dramatic effects on the ability of the next Legislature to support health care, public
Putting House and Senate Budget Cuts in Perspective Eva DeLuna Castro’s Comparison of the Texas Senate and House Budgets includes some of the high-level concerns about the major gaps in both chambers’ Medicaid-Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) proposals. This post
The Texas Senate and House of Representatives have each approved their state budget proposals for 2018-2019. As a conference committee prepares to iron out the details, CPPP highlights key differences in health care and education that must be resolved.
I have had the good fortune to engage in public policy advocacy alongside college students who care deeply about the future of our state. These young people are some of the smartest and most dedicated advocates I’ve known. They often
