Dear John,

There’s no other way to put it -- this was the strangest legislative
session in recent memory.

Between a global pandemic, a devastating ice storm and an intense sense of
partisan divide, we knew we were in for a tough time and tried to mitigate
our expectations. Aware that this session would concentrate on other
objectives, we wanted to ensure we didn’t go backwards with adolescent
reproductive health.

The legislature will return next month for a special session. While we
don’t anticipate reproductive health issues playing a role in the special
session, we’ll stay vigilant and look for ways to support or defend our
issues. In the meantime, here is a recap of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
during the regular session.

THE GOOD
The Texas Campaign led a coalition of public health groups to block or
amend several harmful bills that would have attacked the process by which
Texas school districts adopt sex education. One of the bills would have
even turned parent volunteer committees into governmental entities. On
another sex ed bill, we worked closely with the author to make significant
revisions, resulting in a bill draft that meets the needs of key
stakeholders.

In a partisan session, we turned to deeply wonky budget strategy, and
working with partners, were able to secure a budget rider (instructions in
the appropriations bill) that will improve continuity of care for young
people aging out of programs like CHIP or Medicaid.

THE BAD
It’s been a tough session for many advocates in the reproductive health
space. The bad news is that two of our top priorities -- closing the gap in
birth control coverage in the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and
allowing teen parents to consent to birth control and postpartum care --
failed to meet early legislative deadlines, despite our best efforts. These
common sense policies would have made a real difference for young Texans
trying to prevent unintended pregnancy -- and we’re committed to
continuing work on these priorities.

THE UGLY
As a nonpartisan organization, it is disheartening when elected officials
can’t reach across the aisle and find common ground to meet the needs of
the community. In a deeply divisive session, there wasn’t a lot of room
for the data to speak for itself. Supporting adolescent health shouldn’t
be a partisan issue.

With that in mind, legislative strategy is a long game, and we’re here
for it. We will keep working to advocate for our community and we
appreciate your support over the last several months. Thank you for sharing
our values and helping us achieve our mutual goals!

__

Onwards,

The Texas Campaign

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Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy P.O Box 10357
Austin, Texas 78766

[email protected] / 512-686-8305

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