Registration is open for the 40th Annual United Women in Faith Texas Legislative Event!
We welcome all who are committed to justice, freedom, and opportunity for all people. Presented in partnership with Texas Impact, the event includes three days of speakers, inspiration, workshops, and legislative visits.
Rep. Donna Howard shares insights on the current Texas political and policy landscape at the Texas Impact Leadership Council's legislative retreat
Dear {name},
This week, the Texas Impact Leadership Council convened at Trinity Church of Austin for their biennial legislative retreat, where the Council members drafted a set of policy priorities for the upcoming legislative session. We’ll be rolling that agenda out next week, but before we unpack the issues I wanted to share some background on how Texas Impact’s process works and why we engage the issues the way we do.
Texas Impact was established in 1973 as an arm of the Texas Conference of Churches. Although the Texas Conference of Churches was a Christian ecumenical body, they established their advocacy arm as the “Texas Interfaith Commission on Human Priorities.” They also incorporated it as a 501(c)(4) with the specific intent to lobby the Texas Legislature because, according to its founders, people of faith “are called to minister to the whole person--to respond with compassion to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of all people.It has become increasingly clear that such a ministry cannot be performed adequately without a concern for basic social problems at the state-government level.”
The specific source of the “increasing clarity” for Texas faith leaders was the Sharpstown stock fraud scandal and subsequent fallout that rocked the Texas Capitol in 1971-73. Across the country, 1973 proved to be a politically pivotal year that energized grassroots and public interest advocacy on a wide range of issues.
I’m excited to issue Texas Impact’s legislative agenda. In this time when faith voices seem to be in the spotlight, I believe Texas Impact’s legislative agenda will provide a window into the vision our members have for Texas.
We are calling for the repeal of HR. 1 (known as the One Big Bill Act) and renewal of the federal government’s commitment to justice. Legislators, policymakers, and candidates must repeal this immoral law and replace it with legislation reflecting our shared values: feeding the hungry, healing the sick, protecting the environment, and treating migrants with dignity.
Weekly Witness
This week, Scott was joined by Leadership Council member Dianne Hardy-Garcia, Director of Community Engagement and Advocacy at St. David's Episcopal Church in Austin.
Prior to joining the staff at St. David’s, Dianne served as a social worker and legislative staffer at the Texas Capitol. She reflected on her journey and made a compelling argument for Texas to fully fund SNAP. Watch on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform.
NOTE: Texas Impact membership includes access to all our Substack content. If you are already a member of Texas Impact and need help accessing our Substack, please email members@texasimpact.org and we’ll get it sorted. Not a Substack reader? Find our posts on the Texas Impact website.
