We still have a few weeks left in 2025, but Texas leaders are already starting to develop the state budget for fiscal years 2028 and 2029.
These budgets decisions will have a profound impact on the lives of Texas kids. They will help determine how many kids have health insurance, how many children stay with their families instead of entering foster care, how much support women have for healthy pregnancies, and much more.
The Legislature will write the budget during the 2027 session, but state agencies are already developing their budget requests — known as Legislative Appropriations Requests, or LARs.
The state’s Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) both asked for community input to guide the agencies as they develop those budget requests.
We recently submitted our recommendations to the agencies, highlighting the following priorities:
DFPS
- Extend the reach of the Texas Family First programs, which provide mental health services, substance use services, and parent skill building to families who are at risk of having their children removed and placed in foster care.
- Support funding to provide legal representation to families with Child Protective Services (CPS) cases. The funding would go through the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC).
HHSC
- Support Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) for infants and toddlers with disabilities and delays.
- Ensure the Medicaid enrollment and renewal system functions properly when families try to sign up for health insurance.
- Comply with requirements in HR 1 (the big budget bill passed by Congress this summer) for states to pay for a portion of SNAP nutrition assistance.
- Support women’s health by improving implementation of the 12-month postpartum health coverage bill passed in 2023.
- Ensure strong family support services, such as Family Resource Centers (FRCs).
- Support children’s mental health through the YES Waiver, Multisystemic Therapy (MST) , Family Functional Therapy (FFT), Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP), and Crisis Stabilization and Crisis Respite Services.
You can read more details in the recommendations we submitted to HHSC and DFPS:
We look forward to working with the state agencies, legislators, and our partners to ensure the next state budget supports strong, healthy kids and families!
