Courts are in a unique position to help youth and adults move from illness to wellness, but for the promise of justice to be realized, we must take a closer look at how we see mental health and how we work together for meaningful improvement in the administration of justice for those affected by mental illness.
The anti-discrimination policies many institutions have in place are necessary, but not sufficient, to end harassment and abuse. Widespread sexual harassment has persisted even after decades of anti-harassment policy development, with particularly alarming prevalence among transgender and gender-nonconforming workers and students.
Across the country, allegations of misconduct have resulted in at least 18 male state lawmakers announcing their resignations or being stripped of leadership positions, and there are more than a dozen additional cases pending. Disappointingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, the Texas Legislature is not immune.
Texans should stand against any efforts that would cripple our thriving trade with Mexico. Mexico is not only a great trade partner but a friend that helps enrich the lives of Texans in many other ways. NAFTA has been good for the state for over two decades and will continue to be positive for us in the years and decades ahead.
Make it your New Year’s resolution to not fall for falsehoods online anymore. Here’s how to verify anything you read.
The internet is part of everyone’s modern life, whether it be through handling regular business or finances, kids accessing their homework, or connecting via social media. Which is why the regulation of the internet was handled in its inception the same way Texas regulates much of the electricity industry today.
The Texas Education Agency and students in special education across the state cannot afford any more disruption and failure. It is time for the agency to capitalize on whatever assets and opportunities it has at its disposal, and do so in a transparent, community-engaged process that rebuilds trust and a shared commitment with families to best serve all students.
There are many ways that communities can use water more efficiently and waste less of it. These strategies include repairing or replacing leaky infrastructure and installing meters that transmit real-time data so utilities can share information with consumers to help them track down problems.
Texans have made some progress in dialing back the testing regime. But punitive, high-stakes testing remains the tail that wags the public education dog in Texas. No other nation emphasizes standardized testing the way we do.
Youth homelessness is a serious problem in Texas, affecting urban and rural communities alike. The state’s failure to prevent it, or aid those experiencing homelessness, often leads to unnecessary and costly consequences, including academic failure and dropout, criminal or juvenile justice system involvement, foster care involvement and physical and mental health challenges.
The December 11 candidate filing deadline marked the official beginning of a set of Republican Party primary battles that are part of a GOP civil war that has been raging across the Lone Star State for over a decade.
If Texas does more to fund and coordinate efforts among its health agencies, care providers, and healthcare advocates, we can make some progress on the HIV problem in Texas. We would all do well to anticipate the 30th World AIDS Day in 2018 with a sense of purpose instead of with a mere nod to history.
As with any human endeavor, there will always be some bad actor out there that can provide fodder for anecdotal reports. But we don’t base public policy on anecdotes, we base it on facts — particularly when constitutional rights are at stake. That's the case with short-term rentals.
The cash bail system is outdated, discriminates against people without financial resources and fails to improve public safety. Momentum to eliminate cash bail in Harris County has been building for several years, but recent local attempts to undermine reform efforts and misrepresent reality threaten to derail one of the most important changes to Houston’s criminal justice system in decades.
We should not be distracted by political grandstanding and the divisive political agendas of a handful of zany donors who are out of touch with regular conservative Texans. Let’s get the Texas Senate back to business.
How disheartening it is for an old Marine to see this seeming lack of loyalty to our country in the passage of recent tax bills. Loyalty to party seems to prevail over consideration of our nation’s best interest. Congress should observe priorities and loyalties to country and to political party, in that order.
Providing teenagers with books that serve as both mirrors of themselves and windows to the outside world, as educator and scholar R.S. Bishop advocated for nearly two decades ago, is vital to their understanding of themselves and others in a world that is constantly changing and becoming increasingly complex. Katy ISD, by taking a book off the shelves, is missing a chance to do that.
Climate change is happening. Anyone who wants to debate it can go sit in the corner with the flat earth society. Larger, more destructive storms are coming, and it’s only going to get worse. Harvey was our wake-up call.
I’m a fifth-generation Texan. I grew up around guns, and my kids are growing up around guns. As I was exposed to guns, I was taught about the power firearms have to take lives, and how paramount firearm safety truly is. Part of being a responsible gun owner is making sure that people who pose a danger to our communities aren’t allowed to carry hidden, loaded guns across our state.
It’s high time we equip adolescent girls — particularly vulnerable and parenting youth — with the right to make decisions over their own bodies, just as they can for their own children. Adolescents can access contraceptive services without parental consent in 32 states, and an additional 14 states grant these rights to parenting teens, but not to all adolescents.
