Abbott signs bills aimed at addressing crisis in child welfare system
Two days after the end of the legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott held a public ceremony to sign four major child welfare bills into law. Full Story
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Marissa Evans
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Marissa Evans reported on health and human services policy for the Tribune from 2016 to 2019. Before the Tribune she reported for CQ Roll Call in D.C., where she covered state legislatures and health care issues. Her reporting has appeared in Civil Eats, NBC BLK, Cosmo for Latinas, Kaiser Health News, The Seattle Times, The Washington Post, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Star Tribune and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. She is a 2013 alumna of Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Past Contributions
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![Gov. Greg Abbott signs four bills aimed at reforming Child Protective Services, at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services headquarters in Austin on May 31, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Child welfare overhaul bills await Abbott's signature
Texas legislators cast final votes Sunday evening on a pair of bills overhauling how the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services works with and finds homes for abused and neglected children. Full Story
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Sweeping anti-abortion bill heads to governor's desk
Texas senators voted Friday to send a bill banning the most common second-trimester abortion procedure and changing how health care facilities handle fetal remains to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. Full Story
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![State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on March 27, 2017. The committee is consider several bills related to long-term care facilities including S.B. 1130 by Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa and others.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Texas Tribune -
Texas legislators pass bills aimed at maternal mortality, postpartum depression
Both chambers passed bills on Tuesday aimed at curbing postpartum depression and the alarming rise in Texas mothers dying less than a year after giving birth. Full Story
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Senate backs making child welfare department an independent agency
Texas senators unanimously approved a bill that would make the Department of Family and Protective Services its own standalone department. Full Story
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![Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Hank Whitman testifies July 12, 2016, to the House Committee on Human Services about his plans to reform the agency.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate approves monthly payments for relative caregivers of abused children
Texas senators voted unanimously on Monday to increase money given to kinship care families. Full Story
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Senate passes religious protections for child welfare agencies
Texas state senators voted to allow child welfare providers to be protected from legal retaliation if they assert their “sincerely held religious beliefs.” Full Story
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![A father holds his child in a public health clinic outside of McAllen, Texas.]()
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Texas House approves new abortion restrictions
GOP House lawmakers took a sweeping approach to anti-abortion legislation on Friday, passing a measure that would ban the most common form of second-trimester procedure and change how health care providers dispose of fetal remains. Full Story
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![State Rep. Cindy Burkett, R-Sunnyvale votes on an amendment in the Texas House on May 19, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes child welfare reforms
The Texas House on Thursday passed a package of sweeping measures aimed at addressing a crisis in the state's child welfare system. Full Story
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Texas wants to renew federal women's health funding it lost over Planned Parenthood
With a Republican president in the White House, Texas health officials are seeking to restore federal family planning funding they gave up under the Obama administration to take a stand against Planned Parenthood. Full Story
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![The Women's Health Advisory Committee took testimony from the public regarding the Healthy Women Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver application. Blanca Murillo, a former UT student, gives testimony on her experience with Planned Parenthood at the Health and Human Services Commission Brown-Heatly building in Austin on May 15, 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune