TCDD at the Capitol:

An Update on Our Work in the

88th Texas Legislature
May 4, 2023
Presentation Outline

• TX Lege Basics
• Bills/Issues Under Consideration
• TCDD Legislative Resources
• TCDD Testimony
• Policy Fellows & Partner Organizations
• Questions?
TX Lege Basics
Just a quick refresher.
 The Two Chambers of the Texas Legislature

The Texas Senate The Texas House

is comprised of is comprised of
31 members and presided 150 members and presided
over by the over by the Speaker of the
Lt. Governor of Texas. House.

Members are generally Members are elected to 2-

elected to 4-year terms and Image Swiped From The Texan/Daniel Friend year terms and represent
represent over 940,000 over
constituents. 194,000 constituents.
 Lawmakers meet for 140 days every 2 years.

In 2023, the TX Legislature convened on

Tuesday, January 10th.

It will finally adjourn

on Monday, May 29th.

There are 25 days left in the regular session.

Question: Who can call the Legislature into special session,

and how long do they last?
Bills/Issues Under
Consideration
Psych! Saving that for PPC!
TCDD Legislative
Resources
What help have we been offering?
TCDD Resources

ID: Screenshot of the Texas Legislative Session page on the

TCDD website. Resources are (top to bottom) “Texas
Legislative News,” “Updates from the TCDD Public Policy
Director,” and “Bill of the Week.”
Weekly
E-Blasts
and
Postings
 TX Lege News
 Weekly Updates on  Process Info
What’s Happening
 Bill Filings
at the Capitol
 Upcoming Events
 Most Mondays
During Session  Bill Movement
 19 posts since  TCDD Testimony
November
 Hearings to Watch
 Staff Spotlights
 TCDD Bill of the Week

 Deep-Dive on a  Background Info

Disability-Related
 What the Bill Does
Bill
 Where it is in the
 Most Fridays
Process
During Session
 Who Supports/Why
 15 bills covered
since January  Who Opposes/Why
 Allows for  How Much it Costs
multiple
 Author Statement
touchpoints with
Lege offices
Bill of the Week
One-Pagers
TCDD Public Policy Priorities

Personal and Civil Rights

Accessibility

Early Childhood and Inclusive Education

Employment

Health and Safety

Funding for Services

Attendant Wages and Training

Bill of the Week in
the News
The Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities said the following of
HB 446:

“Although the phrase ‘mental retardation’ was once used as a medical

term, the “R-word” is now widely considered to be outdated and
offensive. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-5), released in 2013, officially shifted medical standards to instead
use the term ‘intellectual disabilities.’”
 Video
Updates
How to Use
Texas
Legislature
Online (TLO)
Legislative
Testimony
House Public
Comments
Portal
March 15: June XX:
Disability Priorities A Capitol Recap:
for the 88th Texas Disability Policy in the
Legislature 88th Legislature
 Additional TCDD Presentations

Texas Advocates
GCPD Effective IDD Council of
Testimony and
Advocacy Tarrant County
Advocacy

Policy Council
ACT LEND for Children and Raise Your Hand
Capitol Day Families Texas
(postponed)
Testimony
Made Easy
TCDD Testimony
We’ve had a lot to say!
The TCDD Policy Team has been
absolutely crushing it this session.

In 2021, we submitted comments

on ____ bills/topics.

For 2023, we have submitted

comments on ____ bills/topics.
 “TCDD is
established
by state and federal law
and is governed by 27 board members,
appointed by the Governor, 60% of
whom are individuals with
developmental disabilities or family
members of individuals with
disabilities.

“The Council’s purpose in law is to

encourage policy change so that people
with disabilities have opportunities to be
fully included in their communities and
exercise control over
their own lives.”
 Folks are paying
attention!
 House Research Organization
Summaries
 Legislative Study Group Bill
Reports
 Lege Council Bill Analyses
 And Changes to Bills!
Policy Fellows and
Partner Orgs
I don’t have friends. I got family.
Thursday Meetings of
Disability Advocates
TCDD Policy Fellows
Jennifer Toon
Coalition of Texans with Disabilities

She helped with educating and organizing formerly

incarcerated women about how to make public comments (both
in person testimony and written) and office visits.

Primary focus on these bills:

 HB 3739 and SB 1146 Medical Transport for Women in
TDCJ
 HB 967 Higher Education Programming for Women with
Disabilities in TDCJ
 HB 4356 Finish the Five (closing youth prisons)
 HB 1446 Emergency planning in TDCJ

Honored on House floor for her efforts (HR 1177)

Hannah Gill
NAMI Texas
Recently hosted NAMI Texas Mental Health Capitol
Day,
 A few hundred participants.
 Policy Briefings, presented on NAMI’s priority bills
 Rally on the South steps with lawmakers
 Scheduled around 100 office visits
Many days at Capitol for office visits/testifying
Bills of note:
 HB 727 Death Penalty Ban for Severe Mental Illness
 HB 4713 Group Health Benefit Plan Coverage for
Early Treatment of First Episode Psychosis
Dylan Bricker
Epilepsy Foundation
Central & South Texas
2 primary goals for session:
 Increase awareness of epilepsy in the Capitol and
give legislative staff information about the
resources that are available in Texas for their
constituents that are living with epilepsy
 Pass legislation (HB 3610/ SB 1506) to better
protect kids with epilepsy in schools. The bills
would increase the amount of information required
to be included on a seizure action plan provided to
school personnel by parents and doctors.
Additionally, working to add amendment to tighten
TEA enforcement of Sam’s Law (HB 684, passed
in 2019) by increasing the frequency of seizure
training that school personnel are required to take.
Texas Advocates Congratulating them for 40 years of
exemplary service to adults in Texas with
to be Honored by intellectual and developmental disabilities
and the members of their families.
Texas House
on May 9th
 Sign up for alerts at
the TCDD website:

https://tcdd.texas.gov/stay
-connected/
Questions?
What’d I Miss?

34
 Contact Information

Scott M. Daigle
Public Policy Director
Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities
6201 E. Oltorf, Ste. 600
Austin, TX 78741
M: 512-962-8770
scott.daigle@tcdd.texas.gov
www.tcdd.texas.gov