Recent Articles
Civic Engagement
“At Least Our Voices Were Heard:” Interim Hearings Are Underway
This week, interim hearings started in the Texas Senate. On Tuesday, the Subcommittee on Higher Education met to hear testimony on three interim charges: “Monitor the Ban on Discriminatory DEI Policies;” “Combating Antisemitism on Texas College Campuses;” and “Campus...
International Religious Freedom: Fighting for the Common Good
Guest blog post by Rev. Mel Caraway and Rev. Phil DiekeWe had a great meeting today with a delegation from Tajikistan on "International Religious Freedom." Their visit was sponsored by the Department of State and the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. ...
March 5: Where Do We Go From Here?
For ten years, the Texas Legislature has been a divided body. The extreme wing of the Republican Party controlled the Senate and the traditional wing of the Republican Party controlled the House. That ended on Tuesday. A House Speaker’s job is to “protect the...
Climate Justice
Building Resilience Experts Talk Hazards and Insurance
In a recent article on Climate Connections, meteorologist Jeff Masters stated plainly what is at stake for the housing market if we fail to prepare for climate change impacts in the United States:“In the U.S., the most likely major economic disruption from climate...
PUC Announces Finalists for Texas Energy Fund
Yesterday the Public Utility Commission announced the selection of the project proposals which will receive funding from the Texas Energy Fund. The Texas Energy Fund is public money set aside by SB2627 for the Public Utility Commission to issue loans to support...
Lawsuit Calls for Humane Conditions in Overheated Texas Prisons
A lawsuit filed by a cohort of Texas prison-rights advocates against the executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice accuses the department of creating inhumane conditions inside Texas prisons by failing to air condition the facilities. The lawsuit...
Economic Justice
Tell the Texas Medical Board: No Guessing Games on Emergency Abortions
Next Texas Medical Board Meeting: March 21-22, 2024 Courts, doctors, and patients all are asking the Texas Medical Board to clarify when a threat to the life of the mother creates an exception to Texas laws that ban abortions.The TMB has both the authority and the...
Reproductive Health Policy
Reproductive Health Policy Texas has a long history of short-changing women's health, especially for women of color and low-income women. Recent extreme bans on abortion have created an environment of fear and anxiety that is impacting all of women's...
Texas Public Schools Are Still Safe for Every Faith
Since last summer, our members have been urging their local school boards not to create a “new school chaplain program” as required by SB 763. Overwhelmingly, Texas school boards have agreed. Today is the deadline for school boards to vote, and we are pleased to...
Human Rights
This Weekend: Zurawski v Texas Virtual Watch Party
The wait is over: Zurawski v Texas is coming to the big screen next week, and to celebrate the producers invite you to a Weekend Watch Party. The film will be available to watch on Sat, Oct 26th, and Sun, Oct 27th, with a special panel on Sun 27th Oct, 7pm ET....
A Healing Crisis?
This week, just as early voting was starting, the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee held an unprecedented hearing on the case of Robert Roberson, who was scheduled to be executed last week. Roberson was convicted of murdering his 2-year-old daughter, but in...
Invitation to Learn, Discern, and Reflect on Immigration with our Courts & Ports Program
We currently have a complex immigration system of laws and policies at our border that function to ensnare people seeking safety into a further labyrinth of confusion and suffering. While there are also built in regulations and procedures to safeguard the human rights...