Latest Contributions

• Fentanyl is dominating headlines, but there’s a more comprehensive drug problem happening in Texas

  By Stephen Simpson June 19, 2023

  Lawmakers are passing laws in an attempt to slow the rise in fentanyl overdoses, but drug advocates warn the opioid is mostly a booster for other illegal drugs. Full Story 

• How Texas’ plan to curb school violence was knocked down by a pandemic and little oversight

  By Stephen Simpson June 12, 2023

  Threat assessment teams were created to prevent the next school shooting. However, confusion surrounds how these teams operate and what they even do with a child exhibiting threatening behavior. Full Story 

• This year, Texas lawmakers zeroed in on existing health care programs, leaving bolder measures by the wayside

  By Stephen Simpson, Eleanor Klibanoff and Karen Brooks Harper June 8, 2023

  Pregnant moms on Medicaid will get health care coverage for a year, patients will get more detailed billing and nurses will get help with school loans. But efforts failed to gain steam for legalizing fentanyl test strips, increasing the pool of mental health professionals who accept Medicaid and expanding Medicaid benefits to more Texans. Full Story 

• Texas bill barring anonymous reporting of child abuse heads to Gov. Greg Abbott

  By Stephen Simpson May 18, 2023

  House Bill 63 is an attempt to reduce the amount of vindictive or false child abuse reports made to the state, but child advocates say it will deter valid reports, too. Full Story 

• Texas schools say it’s time to stop tying mental health funding to school safety money

  By Stephen Simpson May 15, 2023

  Federal pandemic aid helped build public school mental health services in Texas. School officials now brace for the expiration of those funds next year. They’re urging lawmakers to create a dedicated funding stream for mental health assistance in schools. Full Story 

• Greg Abbott says to stop mass shootings, Texas must improve mental health care. A $25 billion investment hasn’t been enough.

  By Stephen Simpson May 10, 2023

  Texas still lags nationally when it comes to mental health services and there have been seven mass shootings since Abbott took office in 2015. Full Story 

• When it comes to upping mental health services, Texas has a Medicaid problem

  By Stephen Simpson April 28, 2023

  Texas wants to expand mental health services, but many mental health providers do not accept Medicaid because of its lower payment rate. Full Story 

• For migrant children who cross the border alone, a new set of challenges getting health care awaits

  By Stephen Simpson April 26, 2023

  A report from the Migration Policy Institute and the American Academy of Pediatrics details the barriers undocumented children face in the United States. Full Story 

• Texas Senate approves $15 million bill to expand local mental health treatment options for children and families

  By Stephen Simpson April 13, 2023

  The proposal would offer hospitals and nonprofits grant funding to expand child and family mental health services. Full Story 

• Lawmakers’ attempts to tighten drug laws could saddle crime labs with an unsustainable workload

  By Stephen Simpson April 12, 2023

  Texas lawmakers want tougher criminal penalties for possession of delta-8 and fentanyl. But that would mean much more work for the crime labs handling most of the drug testing for the state’s 254 counties. Full Story