The third special session of the 87th Texas Legislature convenes September 20. Gov. Greg Abbott's priorities for this special session include redistricting, vaccine mandates, and allocating $16 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
The Arc of Texas will continue to monitor legislation making its way through the session and provide updates on issues relevant to our public policy priorities.
The Arc of Texas joins Houston Area Urban League, Houston Justice, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, as plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit to challenge Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), a new
Texas law targeting voting rights. This is the same lawsuit approved by the Executive Committee in late May and discussed during the June Board of Directors meeting.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, argues that SB 1 violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act by imposing voting barriers that
will discriminate against voters with disabilities and deny people with disabilities full and equal opportunities to participate in the state’s voting programs.
The lawsuit challenges multiple provisions in SB 1, including:
- Limitations on early voting hours and a ban on 24-hour voting. The elimination of drive-thru voting centers.
- The prohibition of mail-in ballot drop-boxes. Limitations on the distribution of mail-in ballot applications.
- Limitations and possible penalties for voter assistants, including criminal felonies.
Leadership and Advocacy Coordinator Wendy Ward worked with board members Maggie Suter and Julie Ross to submit testimony on behalf of The Arc of Texas on August 30 in response to public education bills HB 141 and HB 164.
The Arc of Texas strongly opposed HB 141, which would have prohibited face covering
mandates for public school students.
The organization supported HB 164, which intended to provide board of trustees of school districts and
governing bodies of open-enrollment charter schools the flexibility to require individuals to wear face coverings to reduce the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
Both bills were left pending in Committee during the second Special Session of the 87th Texas Legislature.
The 2021 Partners in Disability Leadership (PDL) program wrapped up its final session August 26 and 27, featuring experts who delivered presentations on "Impacting IDD Public
Policy."
Emily Ladau kicked off the session with a presentation on advocacy and the power of storytelling to positively effect systems change from a policy perspective. Nicole Jorwic discussed the importance of coalitions both within and outside of the disability community and linked the importance of working with new and different groups to current and future policy proposals in Congress. Ari Ne’eman affirmed that to achieve
objectives regarding community integration and other dearly held priorities in disability policymaking, state leaders must consider not only policy but also political dynamics. Lastly, Leigh Ann Rodgers wrapped up the session with exercises that encouraged participants to identify key takeaways from PDL 2021 and next steps for their work going forward.
The Arc of Texas is hosting PDL Graduation today, Friday, September 17, with Rebecca Cokley as the featured keynote speaker.
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan announced Thursday the formation of the House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety for the Third Special Session of
the 87th Texas Legislature. Phelan says its creation is an effort to improve coordination of mental health services, education, juvenile justice and family and protective services for Texas youth.
“To mitigate the educational and mental health impacts that COVID-19 has had on Texas children, this select committee will tackle the substantive issues facing our young Texans,” Phelan said. “We must close the gap on learning loss, provide adequate mental health services, and prevent Texas kids from entering the criminal justice system.
The formation of this select committee continues our chamber’s commitment to addressing the lingering fallout of the pandemic on the health and well-being of Texas children, and I thank the members of this distinguished select committee for their service to our state on these important issues.”
The House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety will be comprised of the following Texas House members: J. M. Lozano (chair), Ann Johnson (vice chair), Steve Allison, David Cook, Harold Dutton, James Frank, Stephanie Klick, Jeff Leach, Eddie Morales, Victoria Neave and Toni Rose.
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Boots & BBQ is on September 24, 2021 at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. Tickets are still available at thearcoftexas.org/bootsbbq.
The Arc of Texas is facilitating a new Virtual Support Group hosted by people with disabilities for people with disabilities. This new initiative is
spearheaded by The Arc of Texas member Courtney Pugh, who brought the idea to the Programs Committee and will play a key role in its implementation. The first meeting will be October 1, 2021, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. CT. Registration and more information is available at thearcoftexas.org/virtualgroup.
The Arc of Texas is pleased to announce the official launch of Texas Partners for Inclusive Access, a joint collaboration among state agencies,
university research centers, and community-serving organizations across the state to reduce barriers for Texans with intellectual an developmental disabilities to accessing health care and other resources where they live.
The partnership was initiated in June 2021 by TCDD, Disability Rights Texas, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, Texas Advocates, The Arc of Texas, and the Texas Department of State Health Services. Efforts, including providing direct support and case management, sharing educational resources, and conducting grassroots
outreach, are funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with the Administration for Community Living (ACL). The Texas partnership continues to grow to include other state and local partners. More information is at inclusiveaccesstexas.org.
The Arc of Texas Board of Directors Meeting is next Saturday, September 25, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m CT at The Arc of Texas office and
via Zoom.
A professional photographer will be on site Saturday to take headshots for our website and as yours to keep. If you are not able to attend in person, Manager of Operations Evelyn
Aguilar can assist in coordinating alternative options.
The Arc of Texas's newest University of Texas at Austin work-study student Izzy Abuhamad is starting work on Tuesday, September 28, for the Fall 2021 semester.
She will be under Finance Coordinator Kyle Michael’s leadership and available to assist all departmental administrative needs.
Fieldwork for the 2020 audit is well underway and we are currently responding to the audit selections.
The TARC Group Home is at 100% occupancy.
As of September 17, the Master Pooled Trust assets totaled more than $133.9 million.
Master Pooled Trust will be continuing its Future Planning 101 project with the Blind Children’s Program. Future Planning 101
outlines the basics on future planning, person-centered planning, transition, community, benefits, trust, and guardianship.
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| | Local Chapter Leadership Meetings
| September 24
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Austin
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