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Speaker Straus Applauds Signing of CPS, Foster Care Bills

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio applauded Wednesday the signing of bills that aim to improve Child Protective Services and the state’s foster care system.

Leading up to this year’s legislative session, high-profile and tragic incidents put a spotlight on problems at CPS. Much of the focus was on high turnover among caseworkers tasked with protecting children from abuse. As a result, legislators approved the hiring of more than 1,400 additional caseworkers and authorized higher salaries in order to reduce turnover and bring stability to the workforce.

Newsletter: The House Stands Adjourned

The 2017 legislative session ended Monday, and I'm proud of what we accomplished in the Texas House. We delivered results on a number of issues that are important to our community in Bexar County and the future of our entire state.

Texas House Concludes Productive Legislative Session

The Texas House adjourned sine die on Monday, wrapping up a 140-day legislative session in which the body took significant action on a number of challenges facing the state. 

 “The results of this session are going to make a real difference in Texans’ lives,” said House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio. “The House prioritized issues such as protecting children from abuse and improving mental health care, and we accomplished what we set out to accomplish.”

Texas House Approves Balanced Budget That Prioritizes Child Protection, Mental Health

The Texas House gave final and overwhelming approval Saturday to a budget proposal that keeps state spending flat while making significant investments in child protection and mental health care.
 
The budget, Senate Bill 1, appropriates about $107 billion in General Revenue and almost $1 billion from the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund. Including federal funds and other dollars, the budget totals $217 billion.

Straus Thanks House for Effort to Help Schools

Throughout the 2017 legislative session, Speaker Joe Straus and other members of the Texas House worked to begin reforming the state's school finance system. These reform efforts would have put $1.8 billion into Texas public schools and reduced the amount of local tax dollars shared through the Robin Hood system by $400 million over two years. These reforms were included in House Bill 21, which the Texas House overwhelming approved in April.