Testimony to the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Article II
Texans Care for Children is committed to ensuring that the state adequately invests in children so they can stay healthy, grow up to achieve their goals, and help build a bright future for Texas. We thank the Legislature for its continued commitment to Texas’ women’s health programs that ensure more Texas mothers and babies are healthy and are critical for the state’s fiscal health. Key improvements are needed in the Article II budget – including Medicaid, CHIP, and Early Childhood Intervention – to make sure vital programs are sustainable through the 2018-2019 biennium. Underfunding programs that are critical for kids and pregnant women is an unwise step that puts access to services at risk. Continued investment in these programs saves the state money by preventing poor outcomes, such as premature birth, birth defects, pregnancy complications, and by helping young children with disabilities and developmental delays meet their goals and be prepared for school.
We appreciate the opportunity to testify to the House Committee on Appropriations – Subcommittee in Article II and thank the Committee members for their hard work on the difficult task of writing the state budget. We would like to address two critical issues in Article II: Texas’ Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program and vital maternal and child health programs.