Children are Safer
The TPPF take: The Legislature has worked to strengthen families.
“Recent data supports what family advocates have been saying for decades—it is possible to reduce the number of children removed into foster care and improve child safety,” says TPPF’s Andrew Brown. “The Texas Legislature is leading the nation in shifting the culture of child welfare practice toward prioritizing family integrity. What’s happening in Texas is revolutionary and should be a model for the rest of the nation. Children are safer and families are stronger.”
For more on child welfare, click here.
The Time is Now
What to know: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he now has the votes to pass a universal school choice bill.
The TPPF take: TPPF’s Mandy Drogin, writing in the Austin American-Statesman on Sunday, says it’s time to empower Texas parents.
“One of the premier polling institutions in Texas, the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, did an in-depth survey of every demographic in Texas and found that an overwhelming majority of Texans, 65%, support school choice, no matter what you call it,” says Mandy. “And it’s not just a partisan issue. A majority of Democrats, 55%, support school choice as well. Why? Texan parents feel that they do not have enough control over education.”
For more on school choice, watch this.
A Guilty Mind
What to know: Criminal intent matters when prosecuting crimes, studies show. Without clear mens rea standards, innocent people can be punished for accidental or technical violations of the law.
The TPPF take: Congress should reform the laws surrounding mens rea.
“While the number of criminal laws has grown, mens rea requirements have shrunk. This had led to overcriminalization and disparate outcomes,” says Right on Crime’s Rachel Wright. “Strengthening mens rea is key to remedying the larger criminal justice issues of overcriminalization and abuse of prosecutorial discretion.”
For more on mens rea, click here.