Our staff is testifying to subcommittees of the House Appropriations Committee on a number of funding priorities, including child care, children's health coverage, maternal health, ECI for toddlers with disabilities, student mental health, and services to safely keep kids with their families and out of foster care.
David Feigen testified on the need for the state to invest in bedrock funding to keep high-quality child care open and affordable for working families. David delivered his recent policy brief to the Subcommittee.
Diana Forester testified on the need for funding for the Family Planning Program and for 12-month postpartum health coverage for moms.
Hailey McMahon testified on the need for the Legislature to provide dedicated funding to school districts for comprehensive student mental health strategies.
Alec Mendoza testified on the need to invest in HHSC staffing and technology to ensure eligible children can enroll in Medicaid health insurance. He also testified on the need for additional funding for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) for toddlers with disabilities.
Kate Murphy testified on the need to invest in services that keep more kids safely with their families and out of foster care; kinship care to place more children with relatives rather than strangers in foster care; and foster care rate modernization. Our Policy Fellow, Zoë Jones-Walton, also testified about her personal experience in foster care and the need for foster care rate modernization.