Well Done! HB3995 is Moving Forward.

 

To all Texans:
 

Great news, I just received a call from Rep. Romero who advises that Chairwoman Crownover told him that the House Public Health Committee voted HB 3995 favorably from committee on a vote of 9-0!!  We have been advised that once the bill gets reported out of committee, HB 3995 will go to the Local Calendars Committee for floor action.  To get this result so quickly, is surely a testament to the groundwork of our author, Rep. Romero, our discipline on witness testimony, and the huge volume of support delivered by the TAMFT, TCA and other groups and individuals weighing in!!   A special thanks to those who called and emailed in support of HB 3995 as we were told that over 1000 calls were made in support of HB3995. An even bigger expression of gratitude is due to Rep. Romero’s strong commitment and hard work since the bill was voted out of the House Public Health Committee on the same day it was heard, which is incredible!!   With only 27 full days remaining in the state’s regular legislative session, there is just one week left before some very real procedural deadlines begin to thwart passage of many stand-alone bills.  We are fortunate that we have a favorable vote on HB 3995, but the time-lines are going to very tight. Today’s vote on HB 3995 goes a long way to meeting that deadline, giving ourselves a good chance to be legislatively succeed. In this political process there are times for a large showing and times for a more subtle approach. For the moment we need to hold off on making calls but we will be reaching out at the opportune time in the near future and will need as strong an outreach as we have had thus far. We are making ground and are making a strong showing in support of all mental health providers across Texas.  You can begin to prepare by learning who your Representatives are.  Reaching out to your particular Representative as a constituent will carry more weight. You can also line up family and friends to prepare as well.  Remember that you do  not need to be a mental health professional in order to weigh in on this important piece of legislature.  If you are a Texas citizen your voice will count when the time comes to make the calls.

Be proud of our progress and success.  Hold tight as we navigate the political process and be prepared to take action when the time comes. While we still have a ways to go we are headed in a good direction.

WELL DONE!!!

 Respectfully,

Peter D. Bradley, PhD, LMFT, LPC
President – Texas Association for Marriage & Family Therapy