¡Attención!

SAVE THE DATE!

Training Opportunities:
Post Ike: Youth Services Respond to Crisis
Holly Bell, Amy Dunn, Jack Nowicki
December 16, 2008
Houston

Rethinking Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Frank J. Kros
January 16, 2009
Austin

and

Youth In Action
February 4, 2009
TNOYS & Texans Care for Children partner to hold Youth In Action/Children's Advocacy Day
For more information click here

Advocacy Tips and Tools

Interim Charges

Between legislative sessions, the House and Senate issue “interim charges.”  Interim charges pinpoint specific policy areas that the House and Senate interim committees will study in preparation for the following legislative session.  They are important because they offer a glimpse of what issues the next legislature may address. 

House Interim Charges pertaining to at-risk youth and families
 Senate Interim Charges pertaining to at-risk youth and families
 All House Interim Charges
 All Senate Interim Charges

Texas Budget Process

During each legislative session, a General Appropriations Bill is passed to set the budget for the entire State.  It is important that advocates participate in the budget making process because the state budget determines the amount of funding that each state agency and program will receive for the next two years.  The Legislative Budget Board (LBB) is the state agency charged with drafting the budget, and its website is http://www.lbb.state.tx.us.       

The following articles by the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) provide an overview of Texas’ budget process and offer insight into what our state’s budget will look for the 2010-11 biennium:

“A Better Budget for Texas in 2010 and 2011” by Eva DeLuna Castro, CPPP

“Building Texas: The 2008 Tax and Budget Primer” by Eva DeLuna Castro and Dick Levine, CPPP

Additionally, several legislative agencies have published reports that explain our state’s budget process in more detail.  These reports have not yet been updated for the 81st legislative session so their projections pertain to 2008-09, but they are still helpful.

“Writing the State Budget” by the House Research Organization, Texas House of Representatives

“Budget 101: A Guide to the Texas Budget Process” by the Senate Research Center, Texas Senate

Legislative Committees

Following are listings for the committees that are responsible for considering the issues TNOYS will track this session.  All listings are Adobe PDF documents.

Senate Committee List
 House Committee List

Committees of the Texas Senate

Committees of the Texas House of Representatives

Other committees and their members can be found at Texas Legislature Online.

Advocacy Tips

View a hand-out from one of our previous “Advocacy Do’s and Don’ts” workshops titled “Effective Policy Advocacy.”