Katie Wang and Bee Moorhead with RCC Treasurer Rev. Brian Fesler and other DeRose-Hinkhouse 2025 Best in Class winners

Dear {name},

This week, Texas Impact was awarded the DeRose-Hinkhouse Best in Class Award by the Religion Communicators Council of North America for the YouTube series Faith in Democracy. The series was awarded Best in Category for Documentary/ Educational Series, and Best in Class for Video Shorts and Features.

Among the other awardees were several close colleagues of Texas Impact, including the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty; the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship; United Women in Faith; Women of the ELCA; and the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

Read more

Among the other awardees were several close colleagues of Texas Impact, including the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty; the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship; United Women in Faith; Women of the ELCA; and the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

Read more

Committee schedules were crammed this week as House and Senate committees work to hear as many bills as possible before legislative deadlines start to kick in. Texas Impact opposes many of the high-profile bills heard this week. We cover a number of these bills in other posts.

The Senate Public Education K-16 Committee took public testimony on SB 1798 to repeal in-state tuition for undocumented Texas students. The Senate passed SB 240, the new incarnation of the anti-trans bathroom bill, and SCR 42, which would state that it is the policy of the State of Texas to recognize two sexes, male and female.

WATCH: Sen. Molly Cook speaks on SCR42, state recognition of only two sexes. 

The House Human Services Committee took public testimony on HB 1106, which would prohibit the consideration of parents’ failure to affirm their children’s gender identity as child abuse.

WATCH: Testimony on HB 1106

The House State Affairs Committee took public testimony on HB 5510, which would ban access to abortion-inducing drugs in most cases in Texas, and HB 229, which would place strict limitations on gender identification on public documents.

Dianne Hardy-Garcia, Bishop Sue Briner, and Rev. Jody Harrison prepare to testify against HB 5510 and HB 229 in the House State Affairs Committee

It’s challenging to watch the Legislature advance increasingly extreme legislation targeting vulnerable groups and individuals. It’s infuriating to hear repeated references to religion as a justification for policies that hurt people, and it’s frustrating when our own faithful witness is dismissed.

But speaking at the DeRose-Hinkhouse award ceremony, RCC Treasurer Rev. Brian Fesler stressed the unique importance of religious communication in the current moment. “People are bombarded with news about how bad things are. We are here to remind them how good things can be,” Fesler said. “Your words have power.”

And so do yours. Thank you for your powerful words and work!

Love,

Bee Moorhead

Texas Impact Executive Director

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