Urgent Advocacy Asks: Please reach out and express: 1) support for peer support specialists, 2) support for increasing community attendant wages, and 3) opposition to school vouchers.
HB 4702: Thank
you to everyone for their advocacy on IDD Peer Supports legislation thus far this session. The Arc of Texas supports HB 4702 because people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities living in the community need peer supports. Peer support services focused on mental health and substance abuse disorders are already a proven successful Medicaid-billable service. The bill would build on this model for peer services specific to and for the IDD population. Next week will be the LAST opportunity for HB 4702 to advance in the Texas Legislature! Take action and call the Senate HHS Committee.
Community attendants/direct care worker pay: Community attendants are
the backbone of the Medicaid long-term services and supports system. The long-term services and supports system in Texas would simply not exist without a workforce of direct care workers. The Texas House and Senate have passed their budgets and are now in conference committee to finalize Texas' budget for state fiscal year 2024 through 2025. The Senate version of the state budget raises attendant wages by almost 40 percent. And while it is still not the $17 per hour we were initially asking for,
it would still be a considerable and impactful increase for the countless Texans with disabilities who rely on direct care workers everyday to remain in their community rather than institutions.
Please take time to call:
SB 8: A hearing will be held for SB 8, the school voucher bill in the House Public Education Committee, this coming Monday, May 15 at 8 AM. That hearing will only be for invited testimony, so our fellow advocates at the Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition (TLEEC) are asking you to share your story and tell the committee why they should vote no on
vouchers.
- SB 8 would take money away from public school students
- SB 8 would require parents enrolling their student in the private voucher program to waive their federal and state education protections, including for special education
- SB 8 does nothing to help
the teacher workforce, close achievement gaps or address the needs of individual students
- SB 8 takes away parent and community access to school decisions
Click the link below to record your video testimony. They will share these videos on social media and tag committee members.
English Version
Spanish Version
Thank you for your advocacy!
