Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need

Family Ties

What to Know: The Pandemic is complicating the child welfare system—both for CPS employees and for families working to get court approval to reunite.

The TPPF Take: Don’t let COVID-19 keep Texas families apart.

“Arbitrary decisions to postpone critical hearings and cancel in-person visits in response to COVID-19 have caused unnecessary harm to children in foster care,” said TPPF’s Andrew Brown. “Children deserve to be with their families whenever possible. A major lesson learned from COVID-19 is that we need a more compassionate, pro-family child welfare system.” 

No More Wind

What to Know: A Washington state electricity provider says wind energy won’t help the state keep the lights on.

The TPPF Take: That energy provider is simply acknowledging what we’ve said all along.

“As the new report from the provider says, wind will ‘contribute very little to keeping the regional power grid reliable and will not help Benton PUD solve our seasonal energy deficit problems,’” points out TPPF’s Brent Bennett. “The simple fact is there are fundamental physical limitations in producing electricity from wind (and solar). There is a wide gulf between using wind and solar energy for marginal electricity production, as we are doing now in many places, and relying on it for the majority of our electricity.”

Reopen Texas

What to Know: TPPF held a lively Livestream (and in-person!) event on Monday exploring how best to fully reopen Texas.

“We’re trying to send a message to every policy-maker in this country,” says TPPF’s Kevin Roberts. “Texans and Americans are ready to open. That’s not a political statement and it’s not a partisan statement; it’s a statement about wanting to live our lives.”