89th Regular Legislative Session Concluded: Moving Forward as an Empowered and United CASA Network
Dear Friends,
With the Governor’s veto deadline behind us, the 89th Regular Legislative Session has officially concluded. Thanks to the Texas CASA Public Policy Team and CASA legislative advocates across the state, we moved forward on multiple fronts with new laws, critical funding and long-overdue accountability measures that will make a difference for children and families.
Texas CASA Priority Bills Passed
This session, we championed SB 2165, so courts can no longer dismiss a child’s case just because they’ve gone missing or ran away. We advocated for SB 1398, which strengthens oversight of Community-Based Care and gives communities a formal voice in the process. We pushed for HB 4655, which expands the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) curriculum and adds real-life financial tools like credit score education, budgeting guidance and fraud prevention — something our young adults have needed for a long time.
There’s more: HB 694 speeds up notifications to parents, CASA and other legal parties on CPS cases. HB 1211 gives youth who have aged out of care more time — until age 27 — to lock in their tuition waiver. And HB 908 ensures law enforcement acts fast when a child goes missing.
Funding
Texas CASA worked alongside our partners to help secure full state funding to cover the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding shortfall through HB 500, and Texas CASA received an additional $1.5 million in SB 1 to help CASA programs meet new background check requirements so we all can stay focused on what matters: showing up for kids and families.
Atención comunitaria
This session, legislators funded the expansion of Community-Based Care (CBC) into the remaining four Department of Family and Protective Services legacy regions: Region 7A (Central Texas/Waco), Region 7B (Capital Area), Region 11A (South Texas/Corpus Christi) and Region 11B (Rio Grande Valley).
While Community-Based Care oversight improved this session, with several CBC oversight bills passing, Texas CASA believes that successful implementation will take everyone in each community paying attention and staying engaged locally.
What’s Next?
Finally, as we look to the next session, we’re not letting our guard down. The Department of Family and Protective Services and the Health and Human Services Commission are going under Sunset Review, and we will be actively participating in that process by providing feedback on what is working well and what could be improved in those agencies. Over the next two years, we plan to work with our local CASA programs to build relationships with their legislators, spread the message about CASA’s needs proactively and prepare for the next legislative session. Those conversations have already begun.
Finally, I want to say that I’m proud of the Public Policy Team’s work over this last year — they provided more than 65 hours of training and information sessions between the events and meetings they hosted before and during the 89th Legislative Session. They are planning on doing even more as we move forward as an empowered and united CASA network towards the 90th Legislative Session in 2027.
Mis mejores deseos,
