Partnership for the

Common Good
Texas Impacts
Guide to the Issues 2013
Strategies for Building
Community Partnerships in 2013
Promote family nancial stability
Lawmakers in 2011 laid the foundation of basic regulation for the small-dollar consumer loan industry
(payday and similar types of loans) by requiring lenders to register with the state and report on their activities.
Industry reported data shows that unlike traditional lenders, restrictive payment options and high monthly fees
eectively prevent borrowers from making progress toward paying down loan principal trapping consumers in
a cycle of debt. In addition to cycle of debt protection, legislators also should identify and remove any barriers
preventing traditional community lenders from extending credit to disadvantaged Texans thus increasing price
and product competition in the small dollar loan market.
2
Improve access to healthy, aordable food
In a state where more than 18 percent of residents are at risk of hunger, the primary goal of food programs
should be to ensure food gets to those who need it. Restricting foods available to SNAP recipients discourages
stores from accepting SNAP creating barriers for individuals who already need help. Bureaucratic measures
such as drug testing for SNAP applicants create new costs and red tape that outweigh whatever other value they
may have. Instead, lawmakers should focus on making healthy food easier to get and more aordable.
Its particularly important to increase the use of privately owned land for agricultural production, especially in
and around population centers. e vast majority of Texas land is privately owned, so providing incentives for
large- and small-scale food production should be a key legislative goal.
1
Establish reasonable regulation of short-term loan products such
as payday and auto-title loans to ensure that Texans have access to a
well-regulated, competitive credit market.
Get the most out of SNAP: oppose restrictions on food purchases,
promote use of SNAP benets at farmers markets, and lift
unnecessary barriers to SNAP eligibility.
Get fresh produce to every community: provide incentives for farm-
to-school and farm-to-food bank programs and study registered
vendor issues for school gardens and farming non-prots.
Use Texas land and water to feed Texans: establish agriculture
valuation for urban farmers, allow unused or underused state-owned
land to be available for food production, and authorize incentives for
private land owners to allow gardening/farming on their property.
Texas faith communities know that government is essential, but for public programs to
be eective we need real partnershipsbetween local communities and state programs,
between concerned individuals and institutions, and between for-prot service providers
and the charitable community. Texas can prepare for the future by building robust
partnerships that ensure we are moving forward on a strong foundation, with an ethic of
shared responsibility and a true sense of community.
Legislators took positive steps toward community partnerships in 2011, and those steps are
bearing fruit. Faith and community-based organizations, local governments, business and
state agencies are coming together to feed hungry Texans, support at-risk youth, conserve
precious resources, and other strategies to advance the common good.
Texas Impact urges the 83rd Texas Legislature to continue its investment in community
partnership programs and policies. e following specic strategies will build the capacity
of all Texans to work in partnership for a vibrant, prosperous and healthy Texas.

About Texas Impact

A critic once took the late 19th century preacher Dwight Moody to task for his involvement in political and social af-
fairs. Are you not a citizen of heaven? the detractor asked. Yes, someday I shall be, Moody responded, but right now
Im registered to vote in Cook County, Illinois.
Texas Impact is a public policy information and advocacy center for Texas faith communities. Its task is to ad-
vocate, and help people of faith to advocate, the social witness perspectives and policies of their faith traditions.

Christianity, Judaism, Islam and other theological traditions teach that communities and individuals of faith
should be concerned about public policy. eologian John Calvin wrote, Civil magistery is a calling not only
holy and legitimate, but by far the most sacred and honorable in human life.
Ministry through public policy advocacy oers a chance to translate deep convictions about justice, peace and
freedom from words into reality. e political process is where decisions are made that help or harm people;
decisions that help to make the kind of world God intends.
Texas Impact sta members visit policy-makers and their stas, testify before legislative committees and facili-
tate the testimony of religious leaders. is involvement helps to clarify the moral and ethical issues at stake in
public policy.
Find out more at www.texasimpact.org
3
Ensure Texans have access to quality, aordable
health insurance
Texas has more to gain than any other state from the implementation of the Aordable Care Act (ACA): one
out of every four Texans is uninsured. e ACA includes a host of provisions to address specic health concerns
and nancial barriers to insurance, but for Texans to get the most out of the new law, Texas legislators must
make certain state policy changes. First, legislators should allow low-income adults to receive health coverage
through Medicaid. e ACA provides for a full federal subsidy for this coverage for the rst two years, with a
10 percent state contribution required after that. Opting-in to the new federal subsidy would reduce the burden
on local taxpayers and charitable organizations, which currently foot the health care bill for many low-income
adults including county jail inmates.
For individuals at moderate income levels, the ACA provides subsidies to purchase health insurance in the
private market and important new quality controls on health insurance products. Texans will benet from
these provisions as well, but they will benet far more if lawmakers direct the Texas Department of Insurance
to protect health insurance consumers by intervening in rate increases and to ensure that consumer health
insurance information is accessible and useful.
Strengthen Texas public education system
Public education is a core constitutional commitment. Legislators struggle regularly to maintain balance in our
growing state system, and in 2011 did not provide sucient funds to keep pace with enrollment growth. Now
Make all necessary state policy choices to ensure Texans complete access to
the health care benets provided for through the Aordable Care Act and
other existing federal health programs.
Move quickly to ensure full data coordination between current state health
programs and the upcoming Health Insurance Exchange.
Authorize the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) to stop a health
insurance rate increase it deems to be
unreasonable.
Promote competition by leveling the playing eld for all health insurers and
ensure TDI, and not only
federal regulators, is empowered to protect consumers in a changing market.
Get insurance to those who need it quickly and eciently through expanded
consumer assistance and information.
4
Restore funds cut from public schools in 2011.
Reject policy proposals that would divert public funds assessed to support
public schools to other education providers or services.
that Texas revenues have improved, a primary legislative priority should be to restore cuts to schools made in
2011, so that the system can move forward from the appropriate funding base. Maintaining the 2011 cuts would
put the school system permanently behind.
With public education funding already tight, Texas can ill-aord to consider additional costs that would
drain existing funding away from the public system. Vouchers and other programs for private schools or other
educational services that are funded with dollars previously allocated to public schools would only fragment and
further strain school system.
Build capacity for service in local communities
Texas faith and community-based initiative is a successful national model that is providing the opportunity for
public-private partnerships that would not otherwise be possible. In 2011, legislators established a 2-year Task
Force on Strengthening Nonprot Relationships to work with state agencies. Results indicate that a standing
advisory committee is needed to maintain a consistent relationship between the two sectors and leverage the
most benet from existing investments.
Improve law enforcement and criminal justice
outcomes for individuals with mental illness
In part because Texas invests relatively little in mental health treatment programs, the states criminal justice
system ends up the default mental health provider for many individuals with mental illness. In recent years,
increasing use of administrative segregation (a form of solitary connement) has presented a new mental health
challenge. Prolonged administrative segregation is counterproductive for individuals with existing mental illness,
and can produce mental illness in individuals who previously had no mental health concerns.

5
Establish a permanent advisory committee on improving nonprot-state
partnerships.
Restore funding for the Renewing Our Communities capacity-building
grant program for small nonprots.

6
Expand Serious and Violent Oenders Reentry Initiative Program.
Monitor and limit use of administrative segregation: require third party
review of administrative segregation placements in TDCJ, and restrict the
use of administrative segregation for youth under 25 in all state and county
facilities.
Establish a task force on adult and juvenile administrative segregation to
develop policy analysis and recommendations for the 84th Legislature.
Establish a task force to examine Texas progress in community-oriented
policing and recommend strategies for improving law enforcement
interactions with individuals with mental illness.

When individuals are released from administrative segregation, they frequently exhibit anti-social behaviors
and require re-acclimation to social life before returning to the community. Improving accountability and
transparency in administrative segregation practices and increasing support for individuals being released
from administrative segregation would improve successful reintegration and safety for the entire community.
Examining Texas community-oriented policing policies and identifying best practices in law enforcement
engagement with individuals experiencing mental illness could also help to make communities safer.
Promote clean, reliable, aordable energy
Texas continues to have more renewable energy potential than any other state, but clean energy discussions have
taken a back seat to concern about electric reliability. Texas families and communities need reliable electricity
as well as good health and economic security. Lawmakers should ensure Texas has a long-term plan for electric
reliability including a commitment ot clean energy which promotes long-term energy independence, human
health, and care for Gods creation.
e states focus on electricity supply has elevated interest in energy eciency and other demand reducing
measures. Lawmakers should place particular emphasis on consumer-directed eciency programs that yield
benets for the grid and the individual ratepayer. Too often, energy eciency programs take a one-size-ts-
all approach that rewards the heaviest users while minimizing the signicance of small consumers. Legislators
should arm that energy eciency is a community-wide eort, and craft policies that make energy eciency
attractive and eective for all ratepayers, including those who are low-income or otherwise disadvantaged.
Build an accountable-stewardship foundation
for water policy
Texas water future has come into sharp focus as a result of the recent drought, but addressing our long-term
water needs in a piecemeal, crisis-driven fashion risks our economic vitality and the stability of our communities.
In 2013, lawmakers should commit to a systematic approach to ensuring the safety, reliability and aordability
of Texas future water supply, beginning with an examination of current water-related funding streams and up-
to-date project priorities. Legislators should demand realistic, accountable water conservation measures across
the economy, andas with energyconsumer-directed conservation programs should honor the capacity of
every Texan, even very small or disadvantaged consumers, to be part of a collective strategy.
Take an appropriate and balanced approach to
immigration issues
After harsh and unproductive immigration policy debates in 2011, Texas legislators should understand that
immigration is a complex issue appropriately addressed at the federal level, and not an appropriate topic for
state legislative posturing. Lawmakers should focus on ensuring the safety and security of Texas communities
through adequate investment in law enforcement and building trust between law enforcement agencies and local
communities. Local charitable organizations such as faith communities can be key players in developing robust
community-law enforcement partnerships, but should not be deputized to perform immigration enforcement.
Strengthen the state revenue system
Over the past decade, legislators have cut billions of dollars from social services and education in response
to anticipated revenue shortfalls. In some cases, those cuts have been restored after months or years because
the anticipated shortfalls did not materialize; often the restorations have been bittersweet for individuals and
communities whose lives have been permanently disrupted. At the beginning of the 2013 session, lawmakers
nd themselves with a $10 billion Rainy Day Fund balance while school districts across the state are scrambling
to save teachers jobs and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has launched a private fundraising campaign
that competes directly with state and local nonprot donation drives.

Lawmakers should subject the Tax Code to Sunset review to identify opportunities for modernizing and
stabilizing the revenue system protecting the state from budget see-sawing. Lawmakers also should oer
Texans an opportunity to consider adopting a state personal income tax to reduce property taxes and volatile
consumption taxes.
7
Update Texas clean energy goals.
Ensure that Texas electric reliability plans include strong consumer-
directed energy conservation measures and that consumer-directed
programs are structured to provide accountability in their savings to the grid
and to consumers.
Ensure funds intended for low-income energy assistance are used for
their intended purpose, and that consumer-directed energy conservation
programs include measures to enable low-income and other disadvantaged
ratepayers to participate.

8
Align funding and programs with the most current data and strategies.
Ensure that any state investment in future water infrastructure sets clear
priorities, including strong demonstrated conservation.
Fully account for and create strategies to reduce use of water used in energy
production and vice versa.

9
Ensure that Texas law enforcement systems are dedicated to protecting
Texans, not to enforcing federal civil laws.
Insist that all people in Texas are treated with equal respect and compassion.
Reject proposals to co-opt faith and community-based organizations into
immigration enforcement.

10
Modernize the state tax system to stabilize revenues and prevent policy-
distorting budget swings.

Texas Impact Member Organizations

piscopal ioccsc ol Vcst Tcxas vangclical Luthcran Church in Amcrica: Northcrn TXNorthcrn LA Syn-
od, TXLA Gull Coast Synod, Southwcstcrn Tcxas Synod Prcsbytcrian Church (U.S.A.): Gracc Prcsbytcry,
Mission Prcsbytcry, Ncw Covcnant Prcsbytcry, Palo uro Prcsbytcry, Trcs Rios Prcsbytcry Unitcd Mcthodist
Church: Central Texas Conference, North Texas Conference, Northwest Texas Conference, Southwest Texas
Conlcrcncc, Tcxas Conlcrcncc Unitcd Church ol Christ South Ccntral Conlcrcncc Christian Church (is-
ciplcs ol Christ) in thc Southwcst Socicty ol Fricnds South Ccntral Ycarly Mccting Jcwish Fcdcration ol
allas !ntcrlaith Action ol Ccntral Tcxas San Antonio Community ol Churchcs Tarrant Arca Community
ol Churchcs !ntcrlaith Ministrics lor Grcatcr Houston Unitcd Mcthodist Vomcn Church Vomcn Unitcd
in Tcxas Muslim Frccdom and Justicc Foundation ol Tcxas National Council ol Jcwish Vomcn ominican
Sistcrs ol Houston Congrcgation ol ivinc Providcncc ol San Antonio
Texas Impact Sta Contacts
Bee Moorhead, Executive Director bee@texasimpact.org
Faith and community-based initiative, state budget, energy, health and human services
Joshua Houston, Legislative Counsel josh@texasimpact.org
Energy, criminal justice, immigration, payday lending, religious freedom
Sean Hennigan, Communications Coordinator sean@texasimpact.org
Legetv.org, video, media, open government
Cara Chiodo, Oce Manager cara@texasimpact.org
Events, presentations, membership

Texas Impact was established by Texas religious leaders in 1973 to be a voice
in the Texas legislative process for the shared religious social concerns of Tex-
as faith communities. Texas Impact is supported by more than two-dozen Chris-
tian, Jcwish and Muslim dcnominational bodics, as wcll as hundrcds ol local congrc-
gations, ministerial alliances and interfaith networks, and thousands of people of faith throughout Texas
.
Tcxas !mpact 200 ast 30th Strcct, Austin, Tcxas 78705 www.tcxasimpact.org 512.472.3903