CTD 2025 Legislative Priorities Attendant Wages The Legislature has settled on funds in the state budget to increase the base attendant wage to $13 an hour. It's not the figure we were hoping for ($14.28), but an increase nonetheless, and more than the lower figure that had been proposed ($12.44). Like last session (when lawmakers increased the hourly wage from $8.11 to $10.60), it's a pretty big jump, compared to the raises of a few cents they've given historically. These efforts build on the work of many, many organizations and individuals over the years, and we want to recognize and thank all members of the Attendant Wage Coalition in particular for getting us to $13. The state budget takes effect on September 1, 2025, but we're unclear on when attendants will start to see the increase on their paychecks (in 2023, it wasn't until October). CTD will be among those working in the interim to prepare to push for a more meaningful increase in 2027. School Vouchers CTD has been a vocal opponent of a voucher or education saving account (ESA) system for years. After a lot of resistance from many stakeholders over the past couple legislative sessions, a voucher bill, SB 2 (Creighton), did finally pass this spring. It has been signed by the Governor and will take effect September 1. CTD and our partners will be monitoring the rollout and looking for ways to support students with disabilities. Special Education We're glad to report these positive outcomes around special education funding this session: - $8.5 billion for public school funding in the state budget
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HB 2 (Buckley), a major school funding bill, will add $7.7 billion in public education funding over the biennium through a variety of provisions: increasing the basic allotment, shifting to a new intensity of service model for special education, and raising the small- and mid-sized district adjustment. HB 2 has passed both chambers, and the Governor has said he will sign it. Early Childhood Once again, the inclusive child care bill we were working on, HB 174 (M González), failed to pass, as it never received a hearing. HB 175 (M González) would have created an optional certification that a child care provider may obtain to enhance their rating under the Texas Rising Star program for child care providers who provide for the inclusion of children with disabilities with their typically developing peers. This bill only made it out of the House. School Discipline HB 6 (Leach), the school discipline bill we've been opposing, has been sent to the Governor. One particular provision we had been working to remove remains in the bill: a repeal of Section 37.001(b‑1) of the Texas Education Code. The repeal of this TEC provision means that school districts will no longer be required to delay disciplining students with disabilities (specifically, changes in educational placement) pending an ARD committee meeting. That safeguard—for preventing premature placement changes before a formal review—is eliminated as HB 6 takes effect. An early pickup bill, HB 2292 (Allen), never received a hearing. HB 1405 (Reynolds), which would have strengthened protections against bullying and harassment in our public schools, never made it to the House floor. Healthcare Access HB 46 (King) will expand the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP), improving Texan’s access to medical cannabis. The bill expands the state’s list of medical cannabis qualifying conditions to include chronic pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Crohn’s disease, and other inflammatory bowel diseases, while also allowing end-of-life patients in palliative or hospice care access to medical cannabis. The bill also adds 12 new business licensees (up from three) and a wider range of cannabis product types to the program, including patches, lotions, suppositories, approved inhalers, nebulizers, and vaping devices. HB 46 is awaiting the Governor's signature. HB 139 (Dean), the junk insurance bill, missed a key deadline in May and died. The bill author has already committed to bringing it back in 2027, we'll be working to oppose it. Several bills we supported that never got a hearing: - SB 959 (Perry) would have banned the harmful practice of medication switching.
- SB 1287 (Hughes) / HB 4673 (V. Jones) would have banned the harmful insurance tactic of copay maximizers.
- HB 2994 (Guillen) would have created a Medicaid eligibility determination study, to report on why someone lost their coverage, when they lost it, how quickly they can get reinstated.
Voting Election bills were a mixed bag this go round. 2 voting bills we opposed failed to make it through the process: HB 2738 (Isaac), which would have changed the forms of ID accepted to vote, potentially removing state IDs from that list, and SB 76 (Hall), which would have ended countywide polling places. SB 16 (Hughes) would have added a citizenship check when registering to vote. We opposed this bill because of barriers it would create for many groups of voters, including nursing home/ assisted living facility residents and people with limited access to transportation. Fortunately, it didn't make it to the House floor. On the other hand, some bills we did support also failed to get hearings: HB 3162 (Leach), this session's accessible mail in ballot bill, and HB 2082 (Bucy), which would have increased voter accessibility. HB 521 (Guillen), a curbside voting bill, could have had negative unintended consequences as originally written. The intent is to lessen abuse of curbside voting by people who don't need it as an accommodation, which definitely happens. CTD and partners worked with the bill author to clarify language and protect voters with disabilities, and while we had to make some compromises, it is better now. It has been sent to the Governor's desk. Criminal Justice Multiple bills were filed to require the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to install air conditioning units in all of its facilities. None of them passed, but on this issue, we still have the lawsuit in progress that could bring about the same results. (If you've missed it, CTD is a co-plaintiff in this lawsuit against TDCJ, on the grounds that the lack of air conditioning in state-run prisons creates conditions that amount to unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment. We joined this suit because a significant number of incarcerated Texans have a disability or chronic condition that puts them at higher risk of adverse health events, or even death, when the temperature gets too high.) Other priorities - HB 1941 (Campos) would have established a peer support program under Medicaid. It was left pending in the House Human Services committee.
- HB 3048 (Allen) would have added disability history to public school curriculum for seventh graders in Texas. It never received a hearing.
- Senior Keys to Independence (SKIP) is a program that helps older Texans with vision loss each year acquire skills they need to stay independent in their homes and communities. A budget rider to increase SKIP funding made it into the final state budget! CTD member (and a founder!) Larry Johnson led this advocacy effort, thanks Larry!!
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