Let’s take back our COUNTY

Texas Democrats believe government exists to achieve together what we  cannot achieve as individuals and that government must serve all people.  A representative democracy is only truly representative if every single  citizen is guaranteed the inalienable right to vote in fair and open  elections. 

Texas Democrats believe in equal opportunities and freedom for all human  beings no matter a person’s race, disability, religion, gender  identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic or immigration status. 

Texas Democrats believe in a fair criminal justice system serving all  people; robust public and higher education opportunities are critical  for our future; and our economy must benefit all Texans. 

Texas Democrats believe healthcare is a right; women’s rights are human  rights; we owe future generations a clean and healthy planet; and a  strong social safety net creates opportunity for all Americans. 

Texas Democrats believe democratic government exists to achieve as a  community, state, and nation what we cannot achieve as individuals; and  that it must serve all its citizens.

We believe every Texan has inalienable rights that even a majority may not take away:

• the right to vote;
• the right to fair and open participation and representation in the democratic process;
• the right to health care; and
• the right to privacy.

We believe in freedom:

• from government interference in our private lives and personal decisions;
• from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin,  disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or  any other improper grounds;
• to exercise civil and human rights; and
• of religion and individual conscience.

We believe in responsibility:

• that religion and individual conscience can never serve to excuse hatred and discrimination;
• that people are responsible for their actions;
• that we, who have benefited so greatly from our state and country,  have a responsibility to support and give back to all our communities  and public institutions; and
• that corporations are not people and should not be used to shield individuals from the responsibilities of their actions.

We believe in equal rights:

• guaranteed in Section 3 of the Texas Bill of Rights;
• equality under the law guaranteed in Section 3a of the Texas Bill of Rights; and
• that no state may deny any person equal protection of the laws or  due process under the law as guaranteed in the 14th Amendment to the  U.S. Constitution.

We believe in equal opportunity:

• to receive a quality public education, from childhood through college;
• to find a good job with dignity;
• to buy or rent a good home in a safe community;
• to breathe clean air and drink clean water; and
• to have our voices heard and not be drowned out by the power of unlimited money to influence or buy elections and legislation.

We believe a growing economy should benefit all Texans:

• that the people who work in a business are as important as those who invest in it;
• that every worker should be paid a living wage of at least $15-an-hour;
• that good business offers a fair deal for customers;
• that regulation of unfair practices and rates is necessary;
• that the burden of taxes should be fairly distributed;
• that government  policy  should  not  favor  corporations  that   seek  offshore  tax  shelters, exploit workers, or pollute our  environment; and all people, including those with disabilities.

We believe that our lives, homes, communities and country are made secure:

• by appropriately staffed, trained and equipped military, law enforcement and emergency services;
• by retirement and pension security;
• by responsible gun ownership;
• by encouraging job security where it is possible and providing appropriate assistance and re- training when it is not;
• by the preservation of our precious natural resources and quality of life;
• by ensuring that families have easy access to good food with clear  understanding of the food quality and source, so they may make informed  decisions on their family’s health and well-being;
• by compassionate policy that offers a safety net for those most vulnerable and in need; and
• by family values that are promoted through policies that value all our families.

We believe in America:

• made stronger by the men and women who put their lives on the line  when it is necessary to engage our military to secure our nation; and
• made more secure by competent diplomatic leadership that uses the  moral, ethical, and economic assets of a powerful, free nation to avoid  unnecessary military conflict.

We believe in Texas:

• made stronger by the individual strengths of our diverse population;
• blessed with opportunities provided by agriculture, “old” and “new”  energy sources, renowned medical and research institutions and high tech  industries;
• and we believe in the need for an honest, ethical state government  that serves the public interest, not the special financial interests of  those who “pay to play.”

Texas Democrats believe that our  criminal justice system should be transformed and focused on barriers to  justice, root causes of crime, and alternatives to imprisonment. We  must address the institutional and implicit biases that lead people of  color and low-income people to be prosecuted more harshly than whites  arrested for the same crimes, as well as laws and practices that are  unfair and failing. We also support restorative justice, proposals to  reduce mass incarceration, and justice for the most vulnerable in our  society – particularly people with mental illness and intellectual or  developmental disabilities, immigrants, veterans, and the LGBTQ  community. As Democrats, we cannot accept a criminal justice system that  is ineffective at reducing violence, preventing recidivism, or  addressing the root causes of crime. Texas Democrats are committed to  accountability and crime reduction as the necessary response to Texas’  expanding prison industrial complex. We support programs that provide  training of law enforcement, legal professionals, and victim service  professionals to address barriers to justice for impacted individuals.  In lieu of incarceration, Texas Democrats support practical solutions of  diversion, rehabilitation, and the use of screenings to correctly  identify disabilities and that provide fiscal benefits to our state and  our communities.

The Texas criminal justice system  discriminates against the poor and people of color. Studies have  revealed irrefutable evidence of racial and ethnic disparities  throughout the criminal justice system, beginning with the initial  contact with a law enforcement officer and arrest, proceeding through  charging and bail and culminating with sentencing and appeal. Systemic  racism and discrimination in the criminal justice system leads to  disproportionate differences in rates of arrest, detention, conviction,  and length of prison sentence.

Counties throughout the state  maintain pretrial justice systems that process arrested persons in an  assembly-line manner. Money, or the lack thereof, determines whether  these pretrial detainees will be released or held in custody.  County  jails are overcrowded and poorly funded.  People who cannot afford to be  released on money bail languish in deplorable conditions for months on  end while their case proceeds slowly through the court system. This  often causes defendants who maintain their innocence to seek plea  agreements and to plead guilty simply to be released from jail so they  can return to their families and employment.  

On any given day, thousands of people  who are charged with misdemeanors and nonviolent crimes are housed in  the nation’s jail system who have not been convicted of a crime, and are  in jail for no reason other than they cannot afford the money bail they  required to be released pending disposition of their cases. 

These  people are disproportionately poor and people of color, and pose no  public safety risk to the community.

Across the country, criminal justice  reformers are moving to reform the pre-trial release system and replace  money bail with a system that relies on risk assessment tools. As of  2017, twenty-nine cities and states have adopted computerized  risk-assessment bail systems that determines an individual’s flight and  safety risk scores, primarily based on a defendant’s age, criminal  history, and nature of the charged offense.  A risk-assessment bail  system allows judges to release low or medium risk defendants on their  own personal recognizance by adding conditions specifically calculated  to ensure the defendant will appear in court.

The State of Texas should join the  states, counties, and municipalities across the nation that have soundly  rejected the excruciatingly unfair money bail system and replace it  with risk-assessment bail systems. A risk assessment bail system would  save Texas taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in pretrial  detention costs, and would remove corruption from the pretrial criminal  justice system caused by a money bail system.

The bail system in Texas must change.  Justice should not be measured by wealth and privilege. Fairness, due  process, and equal protection should be the overriding goals of the  criminal justice system. The Texas Democratic Party believes that all  people must be afforded the same access to justice regardless of  socio-economic status, race, religion, country of origin, or sexual  orientation.

The Texas Democratic Party Supports  amending Texas Constitution Art. 1 § 11, § 13 and Texas Code of Criminal  17.01 and 17.02 to create a pre-trial release system that:

• presumes release on personal recognizance for people charged with non-violent offenses who have little or no criminal history;
• requires  immediate release of low-risk defendants under the least restrictive  conditions necessary to guarantee appearance at court proceedings; 
• requires  judges to use an automated, pretrial risk assessment system designed to  release low-risk, non-violent detainees on personal recognizance bond as  soon as possible; 
• requires judges and magistrates to make detention decisions within 48 hours after arrest; and
• requires judges and magistrates to determine “clear and convincing evidence” of risk when they deny bail.

The Texas Democratic Party supports:

• enacting  legislation that requires people suspected of minor, non-violent  misdemeanors be issued summons to appear in court rather than placed  under arrest;
• enacting  legislation requiring counsel at all initial pre-trial release hearings  in which a person will not be immediately released on personal  recognizance;
• legislation  requiring staffed pretrial release service programs tasked with  preparing initial entry risk assessments for hearing officers,  prosecutors, and defense counsel;
• enacting  legislation requiring all pretrial release hearings be held in public,  open courts with a meaningful opportunity for defense counsel to present  information supporting pretrial release under the least onerous  conditions;
• enacting  legislation that will require pretrial release on personal recognizance  pending trial under the least restrictive conditions necessary; 
• therapeutic  jurisprudence approaches to criminal and juvenile justice, including  the utilization of treatment programs and deferring adjudication to  avoid permanently criminalizing or incarcerating individuals; and
• the  establishment of diversification courts, commonly referred to as “drug  courts” and “veterans courts” whose jurisdiction includes veterans,  juveniles and nonviolent drug offenders.

Texas Democrats support programs that  decrease recidivism by providing ex-offenders with a pathway back to  productive participation in society. Texas Democrats support reducing recidivism by:

• restoring  funding that Republicans have cut from the state prison system’s Windham  School District and from programs for inmates to take higher education  courses, and expanding access to those courses;
• increasing  access to rehabilitation and re-entry programs, with a special emphasis  on reducing drug use among people released from prison, including the  reversal of policies that deny student loans and grants to those who  have completed sentences for drug felonies; and
• allowing appropriate partnerships with faith-based programs that address re-entry preparation.

Texas Democrats support policies that:

• provide  sensitive treatment for the victims of crime, and stronger emphasis on  compensation to crime victims by the criminals themselves;
• reform  probation to more closely supervise probationers in their communities  and provide alternate means of punishing them, such as local jail time,  house arrest, additional counseling, and self-help programs, without  sending them to a state prison or imposing excessive registration  requirements which prevent re-entry;
• significantly  reduce the number of people re-incarcerated for technical violations of  parole or probation, such as missing an appointment with a supervisory  officer;
• staff the Parole Division to achieve the 60:1 ratio of parolees to parole officers; and
• enforce  existing laws that reinstate an ex-offender’s right to vote once they  have paid their debt to society. We support expunging the criminal  records of defendants successfully completing deferred adjudication  supervision in nonviolent misdemeanors and felonies.

Texas has the 5th highest  incarceration rate in the United States. Though the U.S. accounts for  only about 4 percent of the world’s total population, we have about 22  percent of its prison population.  Texas spends more than $60 million  each year to incarcerate drug users, not traffickers and the net result  is a 63% re-arrest rate. Revocations from probation are also a leading  cause of mass incarceration and continue to contribute to significant  number of new intakes. 

Our criminal justice system is  failing Texans and as a result, our law enforcement is forced to jail  individuals who would be better served with substance abuse or mental  health treatment.

Though drug offenses are the major  driver of the incarceration rate for federal prison populations, most  inmates in state prisons are there for violent crimes. Simply stated,  the most significant driver of incarceration overall is the length of  sentences in state prisons. So-called “three strikes” laws, mandatory  minimums, “truth in sentencing” laws, and other changes in recent  decades have increased the average time actually served for a crime.  Texas Democrats support:

• reducing  the number of people entering jails and prisons by eliminating the  extreme laws and policies that drive extraordinarily long prison terms;
• streamlining  our parole and probation systems so that the small number of  individuals who pose little or no risk can be safely allowed to reenter  their communities;
• allowing judges to use discretion to reduce sentences where the specifics of the situation justify it;
• ending the practice of sending poor people to jail or prison for inability to pay fines and court costs;
• revising sentencing guidelines to eliminate mandatory minimums for all non-violent offenders;
• repealing  “three strikes” legislation and “truth in sentencing” legislation that  limits eligibility for parole. Texas currently requires that at least  50% of a sentence be served before eligibility;
• eliminating prosecutorial abuse, where the emphasis should be on justice rather than on conviction rates;
• expanding evidence-based opportunities for release that promote safety and success for those returning to their communities;
• eliminating  incarceration as a penalty for low-level, non-violent offenses,  especially when these offenses are the result of mental illness, drug  addiction, or first-time offenses;
• ending the practice of arresting individuals for offenses that call for a citation;
• treating drug use as a public health challenge rather than as a crime;
• reducing  possession of small amounts of controlled substances, per the prescribed  schedules in the Controlled Substances Act, to a misdemeanor, even when  it is a repeat offense;
• accessible, affordable, community-based outpatient care and insurance for mental health treatment;
• incentive  programs to expand psychiatric residency programs and increase the  availability of trauma-informed mental health services for the poor and  veterans;
• redirecting  mentally ill offenders from the criminal justice system to treatment  programs when the risk to public safety is low; 
• using the  savings on prison and jail costs to fund mental health services, drug  treatment programs and rehabilitation programs; and
• ending the  practice in Texas of using jails as the largest providers of mental  health services, as the practice is inhuman, ineffective, and expensive.

Texas Democrats are dedicated to  reforming the methods by which discipline is imposed in the public  school system. We adamantly oppose all policies that lead our children  from the steps of the schoolhouse directly to the halls of the juvenile  criminal justice system. The school-to-prison pipeline is a concept that  describes how “zero tolerance” educational policies dictate severe  consequences for minor infractions. Texas Democrats support:

• an increased budget for counseling services to assist student at all of our Texas school districts;
• including  comprehensive training of school district, administration, staff and law  enforcement (school resource officers), including training for  Children’s Crisis Intervention Training (CCIT), trauma-informed care  (TIC) and restorative justice (also known as restorative discipline);
• creating  more recovery-oriented educational supports, such as School-Wide  Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (SWPBIS) and  classroom-based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL);
• using positive behavioral interventions and support on a school-wide basis;
• discontinuing  the use of extreme measures such as restraint and seclusion, as well as  any measures that cause the physical, emotional, or psychological pain  of students, with or without disabilities, for any reason;
• reducing  the use of punitive discipline, up to and including police arrests, as  manifest in the “school-to-prison pipeline,” in which  students–disproportionately African American–are alienated from academic  pursuits and become increasingly subject to the criminal justice  system;
• expanding  the use of proactive, trauma-informed, equity-driven approaches that  lead to more positive behavioral outcomes, including but not limited to  Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Social  Emotional Learning (SEL);
• repealing  traditional, exclusionary approaches to discipline, such as expulsion  and suspension, which disproportionately affect racial and ethnic  minority students, as well as special education students;
• repealing  the use of any measures that cause the physical, emotional, or  psychological pain of students, with or without disabilities, for any  reason, such as the use of extreme measures, such as restraint and  seclusion.

Juveniles are presumed to be less  culpable for their crimes than adults and therefore have a  constitutional right to be treated differently. Current neuroscience  tells us that a child’s brain continues to develop into the  mid-twenties. Prison-style incarceration does young offenders more harm  than good. The use of tasers and pepper spray at Texas Juvenile Justice  Department (TJJD) facilities, recent scandals related to sexual assault  by staff on youth, and issues of understaffing require that we start to  finally close our largest most dangerous facilities and finish the  process of moving youth closer to home. Community-based juvenile justice  prevention and intervention programs can ultimately reduce adult crime,  Texas’ high incarceration rate, and the need for prison construction.  Texas Democrats support:

• ensuring  that the primary goal of juvenile justice is to rehabilitate youth – not  to create a feeder system for privatized for-profit, adult prison  facilities;
• raising the age of criminal prosecution from 17 to 18 years of age; and
• further  reducing the incarceration of youth in large state facilities to ensure  that youth are housed in smaller, better staffed, child-focused,  family-centered facilities closer to home, with the ultimate goal of  eliminating the warehousing state facilities all together.

Texas Democrats believe that our law  enforcement agencies should embrace and reflect the diversity within  their ranks and the communities that they serve. The most vital element  connecting law enforcement and the people they protect and serve is  trust. Unfortunately, poor relations between community members and law  enforcement officers have created feelings of distrust, anger, and fear.  For far too long, a disproportionate number of citizens have been  subjected to violations and injustice suffered at the hands of those  sworn to serve and protect. Over the last few years, the advent of  social media has revealed numerous tragic events as they unfolded in  real time, exposing the rest of America to what persons of color have  experienced far too often. 

Law enforcement must engage the  communities they serve, and establish relationships with their citizens  based on mutual respect and trust. The mantra “to serve and protect”  must be applied equally to all communities, and we applaud police  departments who have moved from a “warrior” to a “guardian” ethos in  training and policies. 

Democrats believe in a  community-policing based on best practices that support communities  rather than outmoded “broken windows” theories of justice that lead to  the over incarceration of adults and youths, and destroying families.  Texas Democrats support restoring trust between police and our  communities by:

• creating a  statewide comprehensive education and training program for Peace  Officers on civil rights, racial sensitivity, implicit bias, and  cultural diversity;
• establishing  policies and procedures, with the cooperation of police officers and  the community, to create guidelines for dealing with implicit bias and  cultural diversity;
• instituting appropriate disciplinary actions for officers who violate these departmental policies;
• implementing community policing strategies where the officers and the community work as partners;
• recruiting  police officers from the community to create a more diverse law  enforcement agency and work on retention and advancement of the  officers;
• providing  training to officers throughout the state and in jails on responding to  persons with mental and developmental disabilities, and support local  initiatives to move mental health first response to teams made up of  health care, EMS, and social workers where the goal is assessment and  treatment and jail is not the final destination;
• preventing  officers, who have been terminated for violating civil rights and using  unwarranted and excessive force, from moving to another police  department within the state;
• requiring  officers to get written or recorded consent prior to conducting a search  during traffic stops and require them to inform people of their right  to decline to give such consent;
• expanding statewide use of force reporting to include all incidents resulting in injury to either an officer or a civilian;
• establishing de-escalation as a norm in both policy and training for all departments; and
• supporting peace officers with the bests equipment, technology, and training to balance their dual role to serve and protect;
• rejecting  further militarization of our state and local police forces and the  continued receipt of restored, surplus military-grade weaponry provided  under the Pentagon’s 1033 program;
• creating  independent crime labs so that scientists evaluating evidence are  impartial and the conviction of innocent people is reduced;
• ending  racial profiling in searches and traffic stops and allowing racial  profiling data to be used as evidence in lawsuits alleging racial  profiling;
• ensuring  that any use of firearms or Tasers is carried out only when necessary to  prevent loss of life or serious bodily injury; 
• ensuring civil asset forfeiture only upon a criminal conviction;
• requiring  independent or special prosecutors to investigate police officer  involved actions that result in fatalities among citizens; and
• supporting independent police oversight and review programs at every government level.

Texas leads the nation with the most  people incarcerated in its 35 private prisons operated by five private  companies. The goal of a private prison is not to effect individual  rehabilitation or any other widely-recognized way to prevent recidivism.  The objective of a private prison is to house inmates and to make a  profit. In contrast, state-operated corrections facilities understand  that 95 percent of prison inmates eventually return to society. Part of a  state operated institution’s mandate is to expend the effort and  resources necessary to facilitate a successful reentry back into the  community for their discharged inmates. Private prisons make profit off a  confined inmate, not a discharged one. These profit-driven corporations  benefit when released inmates fail in society. Their recidivism  generates more profit for shareholders. By treating prisons as profit  centers, for-profit prisons are incentivized by mass incarceration and  aggressively lobby law-makers for more inmates. In 2016, the U.S.  Department of Justice discontinued its use of private prisons to house  federal inmates. The decision to eliminate the use of private prisons  came after the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General issued a  scathing report that found private prisons to be both less safe and  less effective than government run facilities, all without offering  significant savings on cost. Texas Democrats support:

• ensuring the primary purpose of incarceration should be rehabilitation, reasonable punishment and public safety;
• ending the business model of incarcerating individuals for long periods of time for profit, which is unacceptable and immoral;
• amending  the Texas Constitution to require state and local governments to  directly operate and perform all core services at prisons, jails, and  detention facilities within the State of Texas, and expressly prohibit  the use of private prisons, jails, and detention facilities within the  State of Texas;
• supporting  legislation that bars state and local governments from contracting with  private prisons, jails, and detention facilities; and
• denying  corporate status, licenses, permits, and tax incentives to companies  that operate private prisons, jails and detention facilities.

Texas Democrats believe that the  primary duty of prosecuting attorneys, including any special  prosecutors, not to convict, but to see that justice is done.  Prosecutorial misconduct is a blight on the fundamental notions of  fairness, transparency and due-process that must be demanded of the  criminal trial process. For the criminal justice system to regain trust  and respect among those communities it serves, it must rededicate its  mission to ensure that the interests of justice are served.

In 2012, The Innocence Project  researched the cases of prosecutorial misconduct heard by Texas  appellate courts. The research revealed 91 criminal cases between 2004  and 2008 in which prosecutorial misconduct was confirmed, yet not one  resulted in any disciplinary action against the prosecutors involved. 

Attempts to pass legislation in Texas  that would prevent prosecutorial misconduct have failed.  This stems  from prosecutors’ almost absolute immunity from state civil suits and  federal civil rights claims that occurred from actions taking in a  prosecutor’s official duties. In addition, disciplinary actions from  district attorney’s offices and the State Bar of Texas remain rare.

The State of Texas should follow what  California lawmakers did in 2016 an make it a felony crime for  prosecutors to intentionally withhold exculpatory evidence. Prosecutors  who violate this law are subject to 3 years in prison. The new law  addressed intentional prosecutorial misconduct with both criminal  sanctions and enhanced ethical requirements. Texas Democrats support:

• requiring  prosecutors disclose all material and evidence that the prosecutor  knows, or reasonably should have known, that would cast doubt on a  prosecution witness’s testimony;
• holding  prosecutors accountable for disclosing evidence discovered by law  enforcement and ensuring that all such evidence is disclosed by law  enforcement to prosecutors; 
• holding  prosecutors accountable for disclosing evidence discovered by any  non-lawyer personnel or agents (such as investigators) in the  prosecution’s office;
• encouraging prosecutors to follow the highest ethical standards that ensure the release of the innocent; and
• criminalizing  intentional prosecutorial misconduct to further improve both the  quality and integrity of the Texas criminal justice system.

Texas Democrats believe that a healthy democracy is based on free,  fair, and transparent elections; that our constitutional right to vote  should be protected at all costs by elected officials who exhibit  ethical public service.

We must adopt policies to eliminate the barriers to voting and  encourage full participation in elections. As Texas Democrats, we  support:

• repeal of the highly restrictive Texas photo Voter ID law;
• automatic voter registration upon age 17 years and 9 months for all persons who meet Texas voter registration requirements;
• same day voter registration;
• online voter registration;
• voter outreach and education efforts, especially for youth and underserved communities;
• existing voter protection policies under the federal Voting Rights  Act and the Texas Voting Rights Act, and restoration of the federal  preclearance policies in the Voting Rights Act that were overturned by  the S. Supreme Court;
• protect extended early voting periods;
• instituting no excuses vote by mail for all elections, federal state and local;
• public ownership of all election processes, software and equipment;
• the creation of a nonpartisan redistricting commission to end gerrymandering in our redistricting process;
• robust auditing procedures that include absentee ballots; and
• a constitutional amendment to eliminate the electoral college and  award the presidency to the winner of the nationwide popular vote, and  failing that, urge all states to join the National Popular Vote  Interstate Compact, so that candidates must campaign everywhere and not  just in swing states.

Texas Democrats believe money should not determine who wins and loses  elections. Campaign spending limits and keeping corporate money out of  politics is essential to a healthy, responsive democratic system that  can be trusted by voters. We support:

• overturning, by  Constitutional Amendment if necessary, the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission that allows corporations to give unlimited amounts of money to  political campaigns, and to clarify that corporations are not persons  and constitutional rights are for natural persons only, and to end the  doctrine that money is speech;
• legislation to move towards public campaign and election financing;
• full disclosure of funding sources for political advertisements,  including the largest major funders of all political television, radio,  print, slate mailer, and online advertising for ballot measures,  independent expenditures, and issue advocacy; and
• the reinstatement of the federal Public Service and Equal Time  requirements, so that companies given monopoly use of public television  and radio frequencies cannot limit access to only candidates that can  afford the high costs of advertising.

In a healthy democracy, officeholders must adhere to the highest  ethical standards and be accountable to taxpayers by avoiding real or  perceived conflicts of interest. No elected official is above the law.  We believe that:

• state employees should be free to do their job free of political considerations and oversight with only the public good in mind;
• Texas officials should not be exploiting public funds to pay for personal or political activities;
• corporations should not be writing legislation as proxy to  legislators, as occurs, for example, with the American Legislative  Exchange Council;
• we should end the double-dipping of retirement for elected officials;
• the abuse of personal leave policies and bonuses by state officials should be eliminated; and
• too often, political considerations outweigh sound policy, violating  ethical standards in contracting and the use of public funds.

Good Jobs Build Strong Communities

Texans want to work in order to  support their families and invest in their future. They need jobs that  provide good wages, benefits and safe working conditions.

• Texas  Democrats oppose all forms of forced or coerced labor, such as human  trafficking. We also support the payment of a living wage. For example,  we support requiring a minimum wage that is at least $15-an-hour and  that is indexed to inflation. 
• Texas  Democrats support a ban on sub-minimum wage i.e. Fair Labor Standards  Act (FLSA) 14 (c).  No hard-working Texan should be paid poverty-level  wages that require him or her to rely on public benefits to make ends  meet.
• We support unions and the value they bring to the American worker and state economy.
• We support  the right of employees to negotiate collectively with their employer.  We oppose union-busting proposals, such as so-called “right-to-work”  laws and prohibitions on payroll deduction of union dues.
• We support the payment of prevailing wages for public projects.
• We support equal pay for equal work.
• We support paid sick leave for all Texas workers.
• We support  equal access for women of all ages to training, jobs and promotions,  and the right to sue for equal pay, capital, equity and contracts.
• We support  the expansion of workplace rights such as flex time, compensatory time,  and paid family leave in all employment contracts, and workplace time  for child nursing.
• We support the funding and expansion of pre-apprenticeship programs in order to prepare workers for high-skill building trades.
• We support policies that strengthen existing protections and create meaningful consequences for employers who commit wage theft.
• We support  an immediate study, followed by policy proposals, to address the effect  of new technologies, such as automation, robotics and artificial  intelligence, on jobs and the economy.
• We support  the protection of workers’ retirement pensions and savings. All working  Texans should have access to a decent retirement.
• We support  capital and government investment in modernizing our infrastructure,  such as roads, bridges, utilities, internet services, schools, ports,  parks and public buildings.
• We support  free and fair trade deals that support our economy and workers, and  oppose deals that outsource American jobs to lower wage countries. We  support a re-negotiated NAFTA that protects workers’ rights and raises  wages and labor standards for workers in the United States and Mexico.  Trade policy must protect worker health and safety, combat child and  slave labor, environmental degradation, and other practices that turn  global trade into a race to the bottom. 
• Democrats  support modernizing the TABC’s 3 tier system because Texas’s craft  breweries create jobs, encourage tourism, grow the economy, revitalize  communities and add incremental tax revenues. Democrats support  legislation allowing craft breweries to enjoy the same rights as their  competitors in every state that allow them to sell and market their  products directly from their breweries to consumers for take-home  consumption, and ensure fairness in distribution across the state.
• Every  American should have a right to a job; therefore, federally funded jobs  paying at least a living wage with health insurance and other typical  benefits on projects selected by the states and local governments must  be available in or near every community.
• The civil  rights of labor organizers, campaign workers, and those working to  improve workers’ rights should be protected. Violations of those rights  should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Texas Democrats believe a world class education system is a moral  imperative and an economic necessity. Every child should be provided the  opportunity to succeed – not just a select few. Achieving student  success requires an unwavering state commitment to provide every Texas  child the opportunity to receive a quality education from pre-K through  college or career programs. The changing demographics of the Texas  student population pose new challenges that must be met to keep the  Texas economy strong and our communities prosperous. Owing to inadequate  investment in public education, minority and economically disadvantaged  Texas students continue to suffer from a persistent achievement gap.  Every child should have access to an educational program that values  highly skilled teachers and encourages critical thinking and creativity,  without the harmful impact of high stakes standardized testing.

The Texas Constitution guarantees the right to a suitable free public  education for all Texas children. Texas Democrats condemn the unanimous  decision by Texas Supreme Court justices and the Governor who declared  “victory” when the Court refused to enforce the constitutional right  that guarantees a free public education for every Texas child. The  Republican legislative majority has shortchanged education funding every  session since taking control of both houses. In 2011, Republicans cut  public school funding by $5.4 billion despite having more than enough in  the state “Rainy Day Fund” and still haven’t fully restored those  funding cuts. Correcting the deficiencies in funding Texas public  education must be a legislative budget priority. Texas Democrats  believe:

• the state should establish a 100% equitable school finance system  with sufficient state revenue to provide every child the opportunity to  learn in an exemplary program;
• the state should equitably reduce reliance on “Robin Hood” recapture;
• state funding formulas should fully reflect all student and district  cost differences and the impact of inflation and state mandates; and
• the federal government should fully fund all federal education mandates and should fully fund the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Texas Democrats support the Constitution’s “duty of the legislature”  to provide suitable support for a system of “free public schools” and  prohibition on using public school funds for the support of “any  sectarian school.” Texas Democrats believe:

• oppose the misnamed “school choice” schemes of using public tax money for the support of private and sectarian schools;
• believe “school choice” is a deceptive marketing frame that purports  to advocate something that already exists – school choice – but whose  true purpose is to divert public school funds to vouchers on tax credit  systems supporting private and sectarian schools;
• That adoption of any vouchers or tax credit scheme would unavoidably financially and academically damage public schools in

• a  moratorium on new charter schools and on the expansion of existing  charter school networks and a thorough study of charter school impact on  students and taxpayers;
• strengthening  state oversight and academic and financial standard for charter schools  to provide the same level of transparency and accountability required  of neighborhood schools;
• requiring charter schools that receive public funds have elected boards that meet in public;
• requiring that property purchased by charter schools with public funds be declared to be public property; and
• prohibiting publicly-funded charter schools from contracting with for-profit management companies.

Early childhood education is essential to help students from all  backgrounds begin to cultivate the skills that will last the rest of  their lives. We believe:

• every eligible Texas child must have access to high-quality, full-day Pre-K and kindergarten;
• the Texas Education Agency should establish appropriate quality  standards for Pre-K programs to insure that students are receiving the  highest quality instruction;
• schools and teachers must be equipped with resources and effective  techniques to ensure that every child performs at grade level in  reading, social studies, math, and science by third grade;
• state support should be provided for family literacy programs that enable parents to assist their children; and
• resources must be provided to reverse the loss of teachers’ aides due to the 2011 cuts.

Half of new teachers leave the profession within five years, leaving  many students taught by teachers who are not certified to teach the  subjects they are teaching. Early career educators are driven from the  profession by low teacher pay, the constraints placed on them by high  stakes testing, and inadequate funding that forces teachers to spend  hundreds of dollars from their own pockets for for their classrooms.  Democrats believe we must work to attract the best teachers and keep  them in our classroom:

• Bring Texas teacher pay in line with the national
• Increase the state contribution to health insurance for educational  employees, which has remained stagnant for 14 years while premium costs  have eaten away at take home pay for teachers and other school
• Guarantee early acceptance to college and a teaching job to high  school students in the top 20% of their class who commit to a teaching  career upon
• Enhance the Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Program by tying loan  forgiveness to years of teaching service, opening the program to all  fields of study and allowing current teachers to go back to school to  get additional certification in critical needs fields.
• Restore funding for the Educational Aide Exemption to help teachers’ aides go back to school to get certified as full-time
• Prepare high school students for careers in teaching by creating an educational endorsement pathway specific to teaching
• Restore, respect and safeguard the rights and benefits of education
• Guarantee that every class has a teacher certified to teach that
• Recruit and train teachers who reflect the state’s
• Provide a mentor or master teacher for every novice
• Oppose test-based performance
• Respect support personnel by providing them due process employment rights and a salary schedule.

Crowded classrooms and an overreliance on high stakes standardized  tests that stifle creativity and leave little time for genuine teaching  and learning. Smaller class sizes improve student performance, but class  size waivers are all too common. Teachers have sued TEA over plans to  increase the testing stakes by imposing a statewide test-based “Value  Added Measure” as a teacher evaluation metric, despite research that  demonstrates such measures are not valid. Parents have sued TEA over  numerous flaws in the STAAR test. There is a better way to create an  excellent classroom learning environment to help students think  critically and succeed. Therefore, Texas Democrats support:

• extending appropriate class size limits to all grades and enforce those limits;
• replacing high-stakes tests that effectively punish students,  teachers and schools, with multiple measures designed to diagnose  student needs and improve instruction;
• a prohibition on awarding taxpayer dollars to corporations to develop high-stakes tests;
• rejecting efforts to impose a corporate-designed test-based “Value  Added” teacher evaluation system and base teacher evaluation on multiple  measures designed by practicing educators;
• ending inappropriate testing of students with disabilities whose  individual education plans call for alternative assessments of their  educational progress;
• providing free, accurate and updated instructional materials aligned  with educationally appropriate, non-ideological state curriculum  standards and tests, including ethnic studies and environmental  education programs;
• equipping classrooms with free computers, high-speed internet access and digital instructional materials; and
• adequately defining and funding programs targeted to increase  student proficiency in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics  (STEM).

Parental and community involvement in neighborhood schools has long  been the hallmark of successful public schools. The community school  model, engaging parents, educators and community in designing and  implementing school improvement plans, offers a proven blueprint for  restoring excellence in public education. This model provides real local  control and accountability that detached, corporate-run schools simply  cannot match. Democrats believe Texas should:

• require every school to meet high standards and repeal “home rule”  and “innovation” statutes that allow standards to be reduced and serve  as a pathway to privatization;
• oppose A-F school ratings, which serve only to stigmatize schools  and undermine struggling communities while doing nothing to improve  children’s education;
• oppose the creation of a statewide so-called “achievement” or  “recovery” school district that would grant control of a neighborhood  school to Austin-based bureaucrats who could contract with private  operators to run neighborhood schools without local accountability;
• utilize existing statutes and encourage expansion of neighborhood  charter schools that are run by parents and teachers who establish  curriculum and policy within state standards;
• strengthen state oversight and academic and financial standards for  charter schools to provide the same level of accountability required of  neighborhood schools;
• strengthen state oversight of homeschooling; and
• reject efforts to provide state funds for and shift students into  for-profit, low-quality, unaccountable “virtual schools” at taxpayers’

Many children who enter school with unique needs have extraordinary  potential, if we simply address their needs and provide them an  opportunity to succeed. Democrats believe Texas should:

• reject efforts to destroy bilingual education;
• promote multi-language instruction, beginning in elementary school,  to make all students fluent in English and at least one other language;
• support Title IX protections for gender equity in public education institutions;
• support child nutrition acts that provide for free school  breakfasts, lunches, and after school snacks, as well as summer lunch  programs;
• ensure that every student has access to appropriate academic  counseling services, as well as psychological and social services  provided by competent and licensed professionals;
• provide and appropriately fund high-quality career and technical education programs;
• provide arts and music education in all schools;
• ensure that every school has a fully funded and staffed library,  fully equipped with both print and electronic media, that is regularly  open and accessible to students and faculty;
• provide universally accessible after-school programs for grades pre-K-12; and
• develop peer-reviewed curriculum for mandatory ethnic studies  classes, such as Indigenous, Chicano, and African-American studies.

To make the promise of educational opportunity a reality for students  at risk of dropping out or failing academically, we believe the state should support:

• school-community collaboration that brings educational and social  services together under one roof to help at-risk students and their  families;
• dual-credit and early-college programs that draw at-risk students into college and career paths while still in high school;
• equitable distribution of highly qualified teachers, to change  practices that too often match the most at-risk students with the least  experienced and least prepared teachers;
• Focus efforts to close the academic achievement gap through the  equitable distribution of high qualified teachers, eliminating  disproportionate administration of disciplines impacting  African-American and Latino students, and advocating culturally relevant  learning and wraparound services to meet students’ social, emotional,  and health needs;
• comprehensive age-appropriate sex education programs with a  contraception component, to reduce dropout rates due to unintended  pregnancy; and
• access to affordable programs for adults who have dropped out of the education process.

Most retired teachers worked for years with inadequate pay and have no Social Security. Texas Democrats support:

• protecting the TRS defined benefit pension system against attempts  to turn it into a risky 401-k plan that could put most retirees’  pensions at risk;.
• providing a regular COLA for every retired teacher;
• repealing the federal government pension offset and windfall  elimination provisions that unfairly reduce Social Security benefits for  Texas educational employees; and
• improving the TRS-Care health insurance program for retired educators.

All too often, extremists on the State Board of Education have made a  laughingstock of our state’s process by approving curriculum standards  and textbooks that violate the integrity and reliability of mainstream  science and social studies, leading even conservative think tanks to  call our social studies curriculum standards a “politicized distortion  of history.” Texas Democrats believe the State Board of Education should:

• develop curriculum standards and textbook requirements based on  peer-reviewed research and written by subject matter experts, not the  opinions of partisan extremists;
• adopt instructional materials that preserve and teach the methods  and content of professional science and social studies experts without  censorship or illegitimate editing;
• insist on the exercise of sober fiduciary responsibility for the Permanent School Fund;
• expose and prohibit conflicts of interest; and
• insist on due diligence in the screening of charter applicants and  quickly rescind the charter school applicants and quickly rescinding the  charters of schools that violate Texas public school education  statutes.

Students, teachers and school personnel should be safe from acts of  violence and must be protected from bullying, including cyber-bullying.  We support fair enforcement of disciplinary standards, early interventions and mediation which support the success of every child  regardless of their current socio-economic circumstances.

• School campuses and functions must be weapon-free and drug-free.
• Teachers deserve support when they exercise their statutory right to  remove a disruptive student from class as guaranteed in the Texas  Education
• Full compliance with Title IX implementing regulations regarding a  student’s gender identity and with the DOE and DOJ directive to school  principals contained in the document “Examples of Policies and Emerging  Practices for Supporting Transgender ”
• Implementation of systematic programs should be utilized to identify  instances of bullying and implement school-wide positive behavior  interventions and supports, to prevent violence, disruption, bullying,  and harassment:
• Eliminate disparities in discipline based on race, ethnicity,  national origin, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender  identity/expression or any other improper grounds.

In light of Texas current discriminatory suspension and expulsion  rates, Texas Democrats have taken the lead in passing legislation to  eliminate disparities in discipline based on race, ethnicity, national   origin,  disability,  gender, sexual  orientation,  gender   identity/expression,  or  any  other improper grands. The Texas  Education Agency should be directed to investigate and correct any  patterns of apparent discriminatory enforcement or non-enforcement of  discipline standards, including standards for out-of-school suspension.

Texas Democrats have enacted and will work to implement measures to  stop indiscriminate use of misdemeanor ticketing for minor infractions  on campus and indiscriminate expulsion or placement of students in  disciplinary alternative education programs for trivial misconduct.  Students referred to disciplinary alternative education programs should  continue to receive strong academic instruction. When a student’s  misconduct is serious enough to warrant disciplinary placement, the  state should make sure the disciplinary setting offers a full array of  educational and social/behavioral services to help that student get back  on track.

Texas Democrats believe all Texans should have the opportunity and be  encouraged to pursue affordable higher education at public  universities, community colleges, and technical schools. Today, too many  students are saddled with a mountain of debt when they graduate from  college, and Republicans have made damaging cuts to formula funding,  deregulated tuition and restricted financial aid, policies that threaten  our ability to meet state “Closing the Gaps” goals essential to our  economic future. We believe the opportunity of higher education to be a  right of all those that may seek it, regardless of race, gender, sexual  preference, socioeconomic, or immigration status. We support policies  that provide opportunity, free from debt, and a vision for tuition-free  higher education system for college students, including:

• restoration of formula contact hour funding, adjusted for inflation and student growth;
• rollback of tuition and fees to affordable levels to reflect the restored funding;
• federal income tax credits for college tuition, fees and books;
• increased funding of TEXAS Grants and reforming the mismanaged state  Prepaid Tuition Program, to provide higher education to more Texans  without excessive debt burden;
• programs to develop alternative repayment plans for students  struggling under significant debt burden by capping monthly payments  and/or refinance existing loans to a lower rate tied to the current  prime rate;
• legislation to reduce the inordinately high costs of college textbooks, technical manuals and other instructional materials;
• an increase in the maximum allowable financial aid set-asides;
• adequate compensation, security, professional status, and benefits for all faculty and fair market wages for college employees;
• higher education research funding to spur economic development and  locate a Tier 1 public research and teaching university in every region  of the state;
• collaborative public/higher education partnerships from pre-K to  completion of bachelor’s degree to enhance learning and teacher  preparation;
• enhanced, equitable funding for Prairie View A&M and Texas  Southern University and for higher education in South Texas and all  border communities;
• efforts to place a voting student regent on the appointed governing  board of each state- supported four-year institution of higher  education;
• the continuation of the Texas DREAM Act and passage of the federal DREAM Act;
• pay and working conditions sufficient to attract faculty, including adequate pay and reasonable workload for contingent faculty;
• equitable pay for part-time faculty; and
• the fundamental principles of academic freedom, equality of opportunity, and human dignity.

Texas Democrats recognize and support the essential role of Texas  community colleges, where the vast majority of Texas’ post-secondary  students are enrolled. By combining affordability, high quality and  responsiveness to community needs, these institutions provide an  education to those who would be otherwise excluded.

State funding for community colleges has been drastically reduced and  that burden has been shifted onto students, their families and property  taxpayers. In addition, state funding for community college employee  benefits has been cut, adding that burden onto tuition and local  property taxes. The resulting, reduction in per student state funding  has been exacerbated by cutting formula funding for community colleges  by an additional 10% to fund a “performance funding” scheme. To maintain  community colleges’ role in providing job skills lifelong education, we endorse:

• providing tuition-free community college to Texas high school graduates;
• full formula funding of the cost of instruction and the growth in student enrollments;
• requiring that any “incentive” funding be on top of formula funding  rather than funded at the expense of the actual cost of operations;
• sufficient financial aid to cover eligible community college students for whom aid is not available;
• fully state-funded full time employee group health insurance and  proportional health benefits for part-time instructors and restoration  of funding for employee retirement;
• funding for new campuses and program expansions;
• funding for community colleges to assist local school districts in  development of programs for the new career and technology endorsements  and applied mathematics curriculum;
• requiring establishment of rules to ensure full transferability of community college credit hours to four-year institutions;
• sufficient funding for Adult Basic Education to fully cover the demand for services; and
• elimination of financial aid rules that penalize students who transfer to universities from community colleges.

To prevent further erosion of community colleges’ ability to serve their communities, Texas Democrats oppose:

• shifting the basis of formula funding away from actual costs and
• “incentive” programs that would discriminate against colleges and  programs serving disadvantaged and non-traditional students or against  non-degree skill-building and retraining programs.

Texas Democrats support innovative approaches to ensure diversity and  safety in every Texas institution of higher education. We strongly support:

• maintaining the “Top 10% Rule” established by Democrats that  guarantees access to our universities for the best students from all  communities and regions of Texas;
• encouraging universities to offer culturally competent and  culturally diverse curricula, student activities, and student  recruitment policies that promote understanding, respect and acceptance;
• strict enforcement of policies that prohibit discrimination or  harassment in any Texas institution of higher education against any  person on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin,  ancestry, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender  identity/expression, citizenship or military status;
• repealing campus carry policies for public university and community college campuses; and
• comprehensive programs to combat the campus sexual assault crisis.

Good Jobs at Home

Hardworking Texans have the right to good jobs to support their  families and invest in their future. Texas Democrats understand we must  have an economy that works for all, not just the wealthy. The Texas  Republicans reckless reductions in state funding for education at all  levels will leave us vulnerable in attracting the jobs of the future. To  this end we propose the following as the correct approach to providing the jobs to make our communities strong and resilient long into the  future:

• We support requiring a minimum wage that is at least $15-an-hour  that is indexed to keep it from eroding again. No longer should  corporate profits be subsidized by letting corporations pay  poverty-level wages that leave the taxpayer footing  the  bill  for   public benefits to their
• We support the ability of individuals to come together collectively  and negotiate their wages, healthcare and work conditions to improve job  safety and eliminate the stagnation of wages and reduction of benefits.  We oppose anti-union laws and policies, such as so-called  “right-to-work” laws, and support laws and agencies that protect the  safety of workers and the payment of prevailing wages for public
• We support working with our friends in Labor to maintain the social  safety nets that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid provide, stop  attacks on public sector workers and assist in the fights to restore a  sound banking system, reinstate Glass-Steagall, and make homes,  healthcare and college affordable
• We oppose discrimination in employment and support the Employment Non-Discrimination
• We categorically oppose the Trans-Pacific
• We also categorically oppose so-called “free trade” proposals which  hurt American jobs and workers, the environment, and the American  consumer. We support fair trade deals to bring back and protect Texan  and American jobs. Trade policy must combat child and slave labor,  sweatshops, environmental degradation and other practices that turn  global trade into a race to the bottom. Trade policy should “level up”  wages and working conditions by ensuring that foreign workers share in  their country’s economic gains and become customers for American
• We support eliminating tax policies that reward businesses for  shipping jobs overseas and encourage reform that strengthens investment  in domestic job creation and
• We support strengthening small business by replacing the Republican “margins tax” with a fair business
• We urge our energy sector to transition to a much needed balance between fossil and renewable
• We support appropriate regulation of utilities, banks and insurance to assure affordability and stability;
• We support holding individuals in Wall Street, big business and  government personally accountable to prevent mortgage, antitrust, loan  and insurance abuses and to protect workers’ retirement pensions and  savings;
• We oppose foreign practices that effectively restrict access to markets for American businesses;
• We support promotion of and assistance for the arts and music:
• We oppose foreign-owned U.S. toll roads that require Americans to  contribute to the balance-of-trade deficit when they travel on local
• We support a complete overhaul of our infrastructure to bring roads,  bridges, utility and internet services, schools, ports, parks and  public buildings up to appropriate standards and the capital investment  needed for such an
• We support the U.S. space program, including both manned and  unmanned flight using the U. S.-developed and built CST-100 Space  Transportation System, and the revitalized International Space
• We urge governmental entities to “Buy Texas” and Buy America” and we  support investigation into the speculative manipulation of food, fuel  and metal markets.

The Texas Democratic Party asserts  that healthcare is a human right, not a privilege for the few. Texas  Democrats recognize that the health and well-being of Texas residents  cannot be based on decisions made by non-healthcare professionals whose  primary concern is the financial well-being of a corporation rather than  the well-being of an individual.

Texas Democrats support an  affordable, high-quality, universal health care that would provide  privately-delivered, publicly-funded healthcare for all residents of  Texas. In order to address comprehensive healthcare and guarantee that  all Texas residents will have access to quality healthcare. Texas  Democrats support the passage of legislation [The Healthy Texas Act of  2019] that provides guaranteed access to affordable universal  comprehensive healthcare through a system that would cover:

• medical, dental, hearing, and vision care treatment including primary and preventive care;
• prescription drugs;
• surgical care;
• gender-conforming surgery;
• emergency services;
• hospitalization;
• outpatient services;
• mental health and substance abuse counseling;
• treatment and reproductive health services that respect a woman’s right to choose;
• physical therapy and rehabilitation;
• latest assistive technology including Complex Rehab Technology (CRT);
• chiropractic care;
• home health care; and
• long-term care.

Effectively crafted legislation would:

• replace insurance premiums, deductibles and co-pay with progressive stable financing;
• allow patients to choose their providers;
• continue  the long-term care benefits of Medicaid while expanding those benefits  with an emphasis on community and home-based care giving;
• eliminate co-pays for Medicare Part B;
• lower prescription drug costs;
• include funding for community-based and telemedicine health services;
• expand the advances made by the Affordable Care Act; and
• eliminate exclusion from coverage for pre-existing conditions.

The underlying philosophy of the  Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is to move our country  forward to a preventive based system where a priority is placed on the  health and wellness of all Americans. Democrats support the  legislation’s elimination of copayments for preventive services, as well  as plans to expand community health centers and the number of primary  care physicians and healthcare practitioners. Texas Democrats support  promoting vaccinations and immunizations, increasing K-12 education  about nutrition and healthy living, and expanding opportunities for  physical activity in schools.

Texas Democrats join a long list of  Texas business associations and local governments in support of a Texas  Solution for Medicaid expansion. We believe that accepting the billions  of federal dollars for the state’s Medicaid program can provide coverage  to those working Texans that fall between the cracks and are denied or  cannot afford private coverage. It would keep those working Texans out  of the emergency room where they often cannot afford to pay their bills  and would stop those costs from being passed on to Texans through higher  insurance premiums and property taxes.

In order to protect and improve  Medicaid, Texas Democrats advocate restoring Texas Medicaid to a  fee-for-service model and reject privatization of Medicaid via managed  care that denies, delays or restricts access to healthcare services. We  further:

• reject attempts by Republican officials to cut, cap, or block grant existing Medicaid services;
• support increasing reimbursement rates for physicians;
• believe  cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates for children’s therapy services  like physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy limit  our ability to provide care to children who need it most;
• oppose  discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and believe that Texans  with disabilities and chronic illnesses should have access to coverage  at an affordable price;
• believe  that insurance companies should not be allowed to violate the  protections of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by finding  ways to deny coverage;
• support  working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to  transition away from the 1115 waiver towards real long-term funding  solutions;
• require  all nursing care facilities do accept Medicaid to prevent the eviction  of nursing residents after Medicaid qualification spenddown;
• authorize  the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices on  behalf of Medicare and Medicaid patients, and authorize the state to  negotiate drug prices on behalf of Medicaid patients;
• support  for EMPOWER Care Act which allows certain Texans who are eligible for  Medicaid and living in nursing facilities to transition to a least  restrictive community-based setting of their choice, and receive  services and supports;
• support  the enforcement of the U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead decision and call for  the closure or consolidation of State Supported Living Centers (SSLC)  to allow people with disabilities the civil right to choose where to  live;
• support the inclusion of a “Single Payer Option” as an addition to the plans currently offered under the state exchange systems;
• support  changes to the Affordable Care Act in relation to the “Cadillac Tax”  language to be a credit as opposed to a deduction, which would provide  for tax relief as opposed to a floating type deduction;
• support  the rights of workers to be able to collectively bargain for good  dependable healthcare for its members, members’ families and retirees;
• support  the inclusion of severe penalties on corporations and businesses who  would manipulate costs on healthcare contributions could being used as  financial revenue stream; and
• oppose any work requirements for Medicaid eligibility.

Texas Democrats support the security  for seniors that the Medicare programs has delivered for decades.  Democrats support the Medicare provisions in the Patient Protection and  Affordable Care Act that provide improved quality of care, increase  services to rural areas, crack down on waste and abuse and ensure more  money goes to benefits and not insurance providers. We reject the  backdoor privatization of Medicare. Democrats support the Medicare  reforms enacted by Democrats in Congress to close the costly  prescription drug “donut hole” that burdened seniors. 

Texas Democrats support the parity  for mental health coverage and treatment for alcoholism and substance  use disorder. We support the coverage allowed for by the Affordable Care  Act for mental health and substance use disorder services and encourage  Texas to accept the federal Medicaid dollars so as to deliver coverage  to those Texans living in the coverage gap care that has so far been  denied coverage by Republican leaders. Texas Democrats:

• support a  robust continuum of care that offers choices in community-based supports  that meet the range of needs that individuals with mental health needs  present with, including peer operated services, community drop in  centers, psychosocial rehabilitation, and access to a range of  vocational supports such as supported employment and supported housing;
• support ways to eliminate stigma surrounding mental illness, alcoholism, and substance use disorder;
• support education awareness and health services to further suicide prevention;
• support  increasing access to mental health and substance use disorder services  by increasing the number of treatment facilities while ensuring their  financial viability;
• support increasing psychiatric and psychological follow-up care session times beyond what Medicare currently allows;
• support  federal government initiatives increasing Medicaid funding for substance  use disorder treatment–both medication assisted and counseling–which  allow individuals to have access to outpatient treatment and allows  intensive outpatient treatment to become more cost effective;
• encourage more “reality-based” substance abuse education at all school levels;
• encourage  courts to allow outpatient treatment including counseling and medication  management as the first option for drug offenders when appropriate, an  option which is less costly than incarceration;
• support community-based mental health services for children and adults;
• support funding for needle exchange programs in at risk communities;
• support  qualitative evaluation of all treatment modalities, interventions,  agency and individual providers so that proven, efficacious treatments –  administered by the most qualified providers – are utilized to improve  significantly the lives of service recipients; and
• support  sufficient private non-profit, state and federal funding for evaluation  research and provider training to rank Texas number 1 in mental and  behavioral health and substance use disorder services in the nation.

Texas Democrats support increased  education initiatives and services to address prevention and treatment  of communicable diseases, such as Viral Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, Sexually  Transmitted Diseases, and Tuberculosis. Effective treatment and therapy  for all communicable diseases improves the quality of life and  encourages a return to the workforce. Texas Democrats:

• support  coordination with federal officials toward a goal of expanding the Ryan  White CARE Act and the Act’s attendant and complementary programs, such  as AIDS Drug Assistance Program and Housing Opportunities for Persons  With HIV/AIDS;
• support  the elimination of the outdated ban on non-celibate gay men donating  blood and apply a uniform, non-discrimination policy;
• support  former President Barack Obama’s national HIV/AIDS strategy to expand  access to mental health and substance use disorder services;
• oppose cuts to support restoration of HIV service funding;
• oppose Congressional reductions to discretionary funding for such programs in any future budget.

Health studies have long indicated  disease and mortality does not uniformly impact everyone in our state.  Millions of Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Pacific Islanders, Indigenous  Peoples, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ persons, living in America  should not be disadvantaged by income, gender, region, immigration  status, and discrimination. Texas Democrats:

• support  efforts and programs focused on educating the community through early  detection, highlighting the benefits of an active lifestyle and a  healthy diet, and routine medical checkups to increase the likelihood of  early detection;
• support legislation and efforts to combat the state’s maternal mortality crisis;
• support  efforts to ensure women are educated and have proper access to the best  medicines, state-of-the-art prevention and treatment and detection  techniques;
• oppose any  politicization of providers of reproductive health services and  closures to further limit health care access to women; and
• support  research, policy, and legislation to eliminate health disparities among  racial, ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic, disability status, and other  groups in order to enable all Texans to live longer healthier, and more  productive lives.

Texas Democrats believe in the  fundamental American values of freedom, privacy and personal  responsibility. We believe in the right to make sound, responsible  personal healthcare choices for ourselves and our families. Texas  Democrats:

• trust  Texans to make personal and responsible decisions about whether and when  to bear children, in consultation with their families, physicians,  personal consciences, and/or their faith;
• believe  parents have the right to raise their children in safe and sustainable  communities free from individual and state violence;
• oppose  TRAP (targeted regulation of abortion providers) legislation, which  create dangerous restrictions on Texans’ access to abortion care;
• support using sound, mainstream medical science and evidence-based data to guide reproductive health care policies;
• support  targeted efforts to reduce high rates of teen pregnancy and repeat teen  pregnancy in Texas, including the provision of evidence-based, accurate  and effective, comprehensive age-appropriate sex education programs with  an abstinence and contraception component and information about  communication, consent and healthy relationships; and support the rights  of adolescents to access and provide their own consent to contraception  and other reproductive health care;
• recognize  the product of a joined egg and sperm has no independent status,  standing, entitlements or rights that would in any way usurp or  supersede the rights of the mother or woman which are paramount;
• support  individuals’ rights to acquire all forms of contraception, including  long-acting reversible contraception, abortion care, or other  reproductive services through their health insurance provider without  additional premiums;
• support resources for pregnant and parenting teens while encouraging them to continue their education and career development;
• support  family planning funding for pregnancy prevention and preventive health  care by all qualified providers in regulated, licensed medical  facilities, including Planned Parenthood;
• remove  funding for crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) whose misrepresentations and  arguably fraudulent customer acquisition and service practices draw  unsuspecting young women through their doors;
• fund research and counseling for postpartum depression;
• support access to affordable prenatal care, including pregnancy insurance and prenatal vitamins;
• support access to contraception, including long-acting reversible contraception, in the immediate postpartum period;
• support access to accurate information about reproductive health, adoption and related resources; and
• support affordable, quality childcare.

Cannabis legalization reform can  improve public safety, boost the economy, reduce mass imprisonment and  stigmas to our citizens, and generate revenue for the state budget.  Cannabis prosecutions has disproportionately affected our youth, people  of color and the poor. America’s prison population is now the largest in  the world. A criminal record can destroy a young life forever. Texas  Democrats support: 

• Texas  legislation to legalize possession and use of cannabis and its  derivatives and to regulate its use, production and sale as is  successfully done in Colorado, Washington and other States;
• Due to the  increased impact of the enforcement of the prohibition of cannabis,  ensure grants and priority of licenses shall be created to ensure  economic empowerment for cannabis businesses, their patients, and the  communities most affected by the war on drugs;
• The  immediate legalization of medical cannabis use, and ensure coverage for  medical cannabis through universal health care options;
• Support  federal legislation to remove cannabis as a Schedule 1 Controlled  Substance and to remove all criminal penalties for use and possession of  cannabis;
• Appropriate employment and benefit protections for users of cannabis;
• In the  interim, urge the President and the Congress to support legislation that  the Federal Government will not interfere nor attempt to enforce  federal cannabis laws in states that have legalized cannabis;
• The  immediate release of individuals incarcerated for possession of cannabis  and expungement of criminal records of persons convicted or receiving  Deferred Adjudication for misdemeanor cannabis offenses; and
• In the interim in Texas, urge use of pre-trial diversion programs for all cannabis offenses.

The Texas Democratic Party supports  the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We also recognize the  immediate need for a balanced approach between upholding and respecting  our fundamental constitutional rights and protecting the rights of  Texans from those seeking to cause harm. Gun violence has reached  epidemic proportions in our State and in our country, as evidenced by  the Sutherland Springs and Santa Fe High School shootings and by the  high number of deaths by suicide where a firearm is involved. We believe  in a comprehensive approach recognizing gun violence as both a criminal  justice and public health issue. 

In the Heller v. DC case,  conservative Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in his decision for the  majority that the government has the right to regulate & make laws  to prevent certain weapons. “We think that the limitation is fairly  supported by the historical tradition of prohibiting the carrying of  ‘dangerous or unusual’ weapons,” Justice Scalia wrote. We strongly support:

• Strengthening  and reforming current laws that require passing a background check  prior to the purchase of a firearm by requiring a sufficient waiting  period to provide adequate time for law enforcement officials to conduct  a mandatory, background check;
• Closing loopholes that allow guns to be sold or traded without passing a mandatory and thorough background check;
• Strengthening  the national background check system to incorporate all necessary  records, including criminal, domestic violence, and mental health  records, for both dealers and purchasers;
• Enacting  legislation to require all individuals charged with domestic violence,  human trafficking, sexual assault, domestic or foreign terrorism,  stalking or any violent felony to temporarily surrender all weapons and  ammunition in their possession to law enforcement pending adjudication  of their case(s);
• Enacting  legislation empowering law enforcement officials to confiscate all  firearms and ammunition in the household or in the possession of a  suspect arrested for domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual  assault, domestic or foreign terrorism, stalking or any violent felony  pending adjudication of their case(s);
• Enacting  legislation requiring magistrates to make it a condition of any bond  being granted that any individual charged with domestic violence, human  trafficking, sexual assault, domestic or foreign terrorism, stalking or  any violent felony be prohibited from possessing by either owning,  borrowing or using a firearm during the pendency of their case(s);
• Enacting  sensible gun laws to curtail the availability of weapons with extended  ammunition magazines, including rapid-fire, magazine-fed, military-style  assault weapons;
• Enacting  legislation prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or possession of bump  stocks, binary trigger systems and trigger cranks that increase the rate  of fire;
• Repealing laws that allow the open carry of handguns and assault rifles;
• Outlawing the personal possession of use of body armor and armor piercing bullets;
• Gun free zones;
• Improving training and licensing requirements for all Texans wishing to carry a firearm;
• No Congressional prohibition which limits the CDC research on gun violence;
• Allowing  families to anonymously request pre-emptive, judicial action restricting  the possession or purchase of firearms for loved ones in crisis  threatening harm to themselves or others;
• Repealing federal legislation granting immunity from civil liability to manufacturers and marketers of firearms;
• Encourage the research, development and marketing of weapons utilizing “smart gun” technologies;
• Establishing  a statewide firearms education and public safety campaign – with an  emphasis on safely securing guns in the home and denying unsupervised  access to minors;
• Appropriately  enforce criminal penalties for individuals who negligently fail to  control access to firearms in homes where minors and others are present;  
• Requiring manufacturers to develop and sell childproof handguns;
• The  accepted standard of care allowing physicians and mental health  professionals to discuss the presence and safe storage of guns with all  patients and parental guardians;
• Fully  funding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives so that  it may conduct more frequent inspections of FFL dealers; and
• Allocating  a portion of funds collected from state License to Carry Fees toward  programs dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of gun  violence victims and their families

Texas Democrats believe violence and  abuse affects Texans of all demographics and effective programs must be  established at the individual, family and community levels to combat  this scourge on our society.  We understand that interpersonal violence  and abuse – including child abuse, sexual assault, human trafficking,  and family and domestic violence – are crimes that affect all genders,  races, ethnicities, and classes. Violence and abuse often involve  cyclical, generational patterns which affect the safety and well-being  of all Texans. These issues cannot be adequately addressed without  simultaneously improving access to housing, protections for workers and  students, access to affordable medical and mental health care, and  criminal and civil justice responses. Texas Democrats’ believe that we  must do everything in our power to end these crimes, they will continue  to damage not only the social fabric of this generation but of future  generations. We support:

• Strong  enforcement of Texas laws to hold offenders accountable and increase the  likelihood that victims will come forward to report these crimes;
• Early  prevention efforts focused on youth to decrease the incidence of sexual  and domestic violence prior to victimization or perpetration;
• Requiring  school districts to include evidence-based programs in schools (such as  the Expect Respect program) to promote social emotional learning, safe  and healthy relationships, and age appropriate sex education as a part  of their curriculum – this should include fully implementing Section  37.0831 of the Education code that was established by HB 121 with a  focus on dating violence awareness and prevention education for  teachers, students, parents and the whole school community;
• A strong  statewide initiative to reduce child abuse and neglect through  investment in effective early prevention and positive parenting  programs;
• Training  programs for law enforcement, prosecutorial, judicial, healthcare,  mental health and education professionals to promote increased  understanding of and improved response to the crimes of domestic  violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, child abuse, and human  trafficking; these programs must emphasize the importance of starting  interactions by believing victims;
• Ensuring  swift and just responses to sexual harassment, with acknowledgment that  sexual harassment occurs not only in the workplace, but also in schools,  on the street, and in the community at large;
• Sexual  harassment policies adopted by the Texas House & the Texas Senate,  with significant penalties for elected officials, including censure or  expulsion;
• Increased  funding for family violence shelters and non-residential programs,  including increased funding for counseling services and expanded housing  options including supportive housing for survivors of violence and  abuse and their families;
• Ensuring  state managed resources are directed to historically marginalized or  vulnerable communities – immigrants, LGBTQ, disability, elderly, etc.;
• Providing  resources to support service providers in incorporating best practices  that address the intersections of Racial/Economic Justice with domestic  violence and sexual assault;
• Requiring  every defendant charged with a domestic violence crime placed on either a  probation, deferred adjudication, or deferred prosecution program be  ordered to complete a Battering Intervention & Prevention Program  (BIPP);
• Requiring  Battering Intervention & Prevention Programs (BIPPs) be established  in every county in Texas (including on-line options for counties with  populations under 50,000) and ensuring that all state-funded BIPPS  adhere to minimum standards of practice and trainings developed by  allied partners in the domestic violence field;
• Ensuring  every county and district attorney’s office in the state, upon the  victim’s qualification and request, must file a protective order on  behalf of victims and represent the victims before the court;
• Ensuring resources to support state agencies to upload bond conditions and protective orders into TCIC;
• Establishing Domestic Violence High Risk teams in all counties to systematically reduce the likelihood of fatality;
• Ensuring the CPS system is responsive and sensitive to needs of families affected by domestic violence;
• Expanding  existing support services and funding currently targeted at sex  trafficking of minors to include adult survivors of trafficking;
• Allowing  every survivor of sexual assault access to comprehensive sexual assault  examination and treatment provided by either a certified Sexual Assault  Nurse Examiner (SANE) or a licensed physician and increasing access to  the same;
• Ensuring  all costs of the sexual assault examination and treatment including  medications are covered through the Crime Victims Compensation Fund and  do not become the financial responsibility of the victim, regardless of  whether the victim chooses to report to law enforcement;
• Covering  all costs for the performance of strangulation exams and domestic  violence medical forensic exams through the Crime Victims Compensation  Fund; and
• Enacting  legislation criminalizing the act of touching, for the purpose of sexual  gratification, another person’s breast, anus, or any part of their  genitals, even though clothing, without the effective consent of that  person.

Death penalty exonerations have  revealed deep flaws in the Texas criminal justice system. Despite 13  death row exonerations in Texas in the last 11 years, the death chamber  and its machinery are still fully operational in Texas. Evidence,  including scientific evidence, extensive studies by Innocence Project,  major newspapers, and university research, strongly suggests that Texas  has already executed innocent defendants including Carlos DeLuna, Ruben  Cantu, and Cameron Todd Willingham. We must take every step to ensure  there is never another innocent person executed. Texas Democrats support and urge:

• The  passage of legislation that would abolish the death penalty and replace  it with the punishment of life in prison without parole;
• Strong opposition to the expansion of death penalty laws at the state and federal levels; 
• The  election of district attorneys who prioritize justice over convictions  and duly exercise their discretion with regard to charging and  sentencing options; and
• The Texas  Legislature to impose a moratorium on capital punishment in order to  conduct an unbiased and objective study of the entire process, from  arrest, conviction/sentencing, appeals at all state levels, and the  execution process itself is shown to be reliable and without such  grievous failures as have been evident in the recent past.

Texas Democrats recognize that  climate change is a real and serious threat that is causing drought,  crop failure, heat waves, more extreme hurricanes, torrential storms,  and extreme climate events. Recent events have shown how these extreme  climate disruptions are ravaging our economy and environment, and it is  time for Texas to become a leader in combating climate change. We  recognize that Texas has some of the dirtiest coal plants in the nation,  and our residents are at great risk from the health effects of carbon  pollution and climate disruption. We also recognize that drought, crop  failure, famine and disease caused by climate disruption can lead to  political instability and violence throughout the world. To mitigate  these risks, we recommend statewide and national clean energy and  transportation policies that will spur economic development and reduce  carbon emissions in Texas and the nation through the use of renewable  energy and energy efficiency.

Texas has long been a world energy  leader, and Texas can continue that dynamic leadership in a transition  to diverse, clean, abundant energy as we tap our wealth of alternative  energy sources – solar, wind and geothermal resources, and work to  increase energy efficiency. We support:

• the EPA’s  historic carbon pollution reduction initiative, the Clean Power Plan,  and the proposed rules to cut carbon dioxide emissions from existing  power plants  by  30% (below 2005 levels) by 2030, and the EPA’s  Regional Haze Rule and Methane Rule, all of which the current  administration is seeking to roll back;
• rejoining the Paris Climate Accord;
• institution  of a revenue neutral fee on the CO2 content of fossil fuels, with the  revenue returned to households on a per capita basis, and a broader  adjustment to protect American jobs;
• development  of technical and academic programs and research in renewable energy,  green building technologies and energy storage at  state post-secondary  institutions;
• public education programs that promote methods and benefits of energy conservation;
• requiring  all electric utilities to offer homeowners and business owners fair  value for on-site solar and wind energy, either through a net-metering  or value of solar agreement;
• energy efficiency standards and green building policies;
• financial  incentives for the manufacturing of American-made equipment for  alternative energy production, for the development of energy storage  technologies and for both homeowners and landlords to invest in  conservation and energy efficiency;
• actions  that cut fossil fuel emissions, choosing instead to embrace a cleaner,  cheaper, more reliable and more desirable future with renewables,  injecting billions into the economy, empowering people to make  independent energy choices, spurring innovation and building demand for  low-carbon consumer products;
• the  investigation and resolution of the deleterious effects of fracking,  including the increased incidence of earthquakes from the disposal of  liquids into injection wells; 
• a  transportation policy that encourages the development of affordable,  fuel efficient vehicles that can run on electricity and alternative  fuels and wider use of public transportation; and
• continuation  of the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) to offer incentives to  cleaner vehicles and infrastructure, including electric vehicles, and of  the Low Income Vehicle Repair and Replacement (LIRAP) Program, which  are key to developing  new technologies and to cleaning our dirty skies.

Science has shown that large  quantities of methane are released in fracking operations, and that such  releases are much more powerful in heating our climate than carbon  emissions. Therefore, an aggressive phasing out and the end to the  ecologically destructive extraction method known as hydraulic  fracturing, commonly known as “fracking” in the state of Texas and  throughout the world is necessary. Texas Democrats support:

• a moratorium on new fracking wells;
• the  retraining of workers from an industry that is damaging to the  environment to an industry that is beneficial to our environment; 
• set a goal of shutting down existing fracking wells by 2026;
• set a goal of ending the practice of injecting wastewater by 2023;
• incentivizing the cleaning of water that is used in fracking;
• incentivizing the use of recycled water;
• the rights  of local governments and voters to regulate oil and gas operations  within their communities, including the right to establish setbacks and  bans on hydraulic fracturing near residences, businesses, schools and  hospitals;
• the  establishment of industry standards for industrial water users who  pollute community water sources to provide restitution for community  efforts to clean water impacted by relevant operations; and
• strengthening and enforcing regulations to significantly and rapidly reduce methane emissions from oil + gas operations.

Texas Democrats understand that  global climate change has accelerated and that Texas water resources are  being impacted by this development, a situation which calls for  enhanced water conservation, management and protection. Clean Water from  publicly managed resources is critical to our future and our health.  Access to clean drinking water is a human right. Therefore, we support:

• access by all Texans to clean and dependable water supplies;
• implementation of aggressive water conservation and reuse practices;
• a well-funded state water education campaign to inform Texans of the sources of their water and how to conserve and protect it;
• development and implementation of effective drought response plans by water suppliers;
• protection of Texas bays, estuaries, in-stream flows, and wetlands;
• enhanced  authority and resources to groundwater conservation districts coupled  with well-funded research on groundwater resources and the hydrologic  connections between groundwater and surface water;
• expanded  testing of fish and shellfish for mercury, radionuclides, and other  contaminants and public notification of health risks from water  pollution;
• a  comprehensive effort to reduce and manage flooding that emphasizes  floodplain management, advance planning, and low-impact development; and
• actions to  prevent depletion and exploitation of water resources, including  banning the use of non-brackish water for fracking, prohibiting  speculative water marketing, and acquiring open space to protect  aquifers and watersheds.

The purpose of government is to  promote the common good and the protection of all, not the exploitation  of resources for the profit of a handful of individuals and  corporations. To that end, environmental protection, regulation, and  enforcement is essential to preserve the health of our people, the  quality of life, and to secure long-term economic growth. It is vital  that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) protect the  health and welfare of Texans through environmental stewardship. We  support:

• Texans’ right to know if hazardous chemicals and materials are being stored in their communities;
• Implementation  of the Chemical Safety Rule, which the current federal Administration  has attempted to roll back, even as we see the impacts that failure to  require such a rule can have during events like Hurricane Harvey;
• For major  hazard facilities, the implementation of risk assessment and mitigation  requirements that take natural hazards into account;
• the State of Texas fully enforcing environmental laws instead of ceding its responsibility to protect Texans’ health;
• TCEQ and  the EPA making human health and quality of life paramount when deciding  whether or not to grant either an air or wastewater permit;
• retiring  the oldest, heavy-polluting, coal burning Texas power plants that are so  outdated that pollution controls are not an economically viable option;
• ending the destruction of our forests, water, and other natural resources by  coal strip mining;
• the enforcement of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act for all industries;
• strengthening the violation penalties so that it does not pay to pollute;
• EPA’s rule  to reduce emissions of toxic air pollutants from power plants,  specifically mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) for power plants  that will reduce emissions from new and existing coal- and oil-fired  electric utility steam generating units;
• requiring  TCEQ to protect the health of Texans by enforcing the Clean Air Act and  analyzing cumulative pollution impacts on downwind communities before  making permitting decisions;
• the rights  of all citizens to participate in the permitting process and contested  hearing in order to protect their property, health and the environment,  including reversing recent efforts by the Texas Legislature to make it  more difficult for citizens to participate in contested case hearings;
• the  enactment of laws and regulations to protect low-income communities and  communities of color from environmental racism and environmental  injustice;
• halting  the plan to import high-level radioactive waste for consolidated storage  or disposal in Texas due to risks of water contamination, security  concerns and transportation accidents, and  we oppose transport of  high-level radioactive waste on our highways or railways;
• requiring  green completions of wells by requiring excess gases to be captured;  stricter limits on flaring, a sustainable yield permit for water  withdrawals and recycling or appropriate disposal of tainted water; and a  prohibition of known carcinogenic or toxic chemicals used in this  process;
• efforts to  protect our cities, towns and communities from the dangers presented by  the dramatic increase in shipments of highly flammable oil and gas  products by train; and
• the  appointment of new TCEQ commissioners who will enforce state and federal  laws that protect our air, water, and land from those who pollute for  profit.

The Texas Railroad Commission has  been tasked with overseeing the operation of Texas’ natural gas wells.  However, they have become little more than a rubber stamp for businesses  that damage air and water supplies in the name of profit. We support  the Sunset Commission’s recommendations to improve the functionality of  this agency as it relates to transparency, conflict of interests, ethics  and changing the name of the agency to better reflect its role and  jurisdiction. We believe that:

• the  members of the Railroad Commission should use their regulatory power as a  means of protecting the health, welfare and property of Texans, rather  than using it as a political tool;
• statutory  jurisdiction should use require the Railroad Commission to use using  scientific, peer-reviewed research to consider quality of life factors  and seismic activity when evaluating drilling and disposal permits;
• the  Railroad Commission should adopt newer, stricter rules on injection  wells to prevent earthquakes and provide more safety for underground  water supplies and nearby communities;
• the impact of methane emissions on climate should be recognized and controlled;
• political contributions to Railroad  Commissioners  from the oil and gas industry should  be banned;
• penalties  levied by the Railroad Commission should be significant enough to deter  energy production practices that cause pollution;
• the  Legislature should review the ethics and rule of conduct of the Railroad  Commission’s elected offices as it relates to its recusal policy and  revise as necessary to ensure the commissioners’ awareness of, and  compliance with, these requirements;
• legislative  action should be taken to require the Railroad Commission to implement a  transparent process to confirm that entities declaring common carrier  status for pipelines are actually operating as common carriers and not  as private entities. Such legislation should also establish a process  for landowners to contest a determination by the Railroad Commission  that an applicant is a common carrier;
• legislative  action should be taken to direct the Railroad Commission to ask for  expanded authority over intrastate pipelines to inspect, monitor and  review pipeline safety and maintenance to assist the Pipeline and  Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in its federal regulatory  responsibilities; and
• legislative  action should be taken to require the Railroad Commission to establish a  searchable, downloadable web database so the public can access  information about inspections, enforcement and compliance with  environmental rules and regulations.

The preservation of recreational and open spaces is essential to a healthy Texas. We support:

• increased  funding for the upkeep, maintenance, and acquisition of state park land  and for the protection of state park land in the event of natural  disasters such as the recent drought-caused wildfires;
• rewarding those who voluntarily protect endangered species on their lands through Safe Harbor Agreements and similar measures;
• encouraging  the large-scale planting of native trees and drought hearty species to  absorb greenhouse gases, improve wildlife habitat, and promote  beautification; and
• strong  enforcement of laws that provide full public access and  restoration  of  public lands, parks, beaches, and waters. We affirm the Texas Open  Beaches Act and the Texas Constitution’s guarantee of public access to  beaches. We oppose any actions that endanger this right.

Reducing the use of natural resources is the best option, followed by reuse and then recycling. Texas Democrats support:

• programs that encourage the reduction of use of unnecessary single use plastics;
• retailer  take-back programs for electronics that will keep e-waste out of the  waste stream that does not merely ship the problem to other countries;  and
• financial and other incentives for communities to provide residential recycling. 

We oppose any attempts by the Texas  Legislature to stifle efforts of municipalities to regulate litter and  pollution through city ordinances and regulations that ban bottles,  bags, Styrofoam, or other wasteful packaging. Municipalities should be  allowed to address waste reduction locally without state interference  and allowed to enact ordinances to combat the problem that may be more  restrictive than state laws if it is of the will of the local community.

Texas Democrats believe responsible,  accountable and progressive state budget policy is necessary to restore  trust between taxpayers and elected officials in Austin. Earning that  trust requires leaders who will talk straight about the challenges  facing Texans today and in the future – unlike Republican politicians  who have created short-term and long-term budget problems and then have  blocked solutions.

These Republican budget policies  intentionally created a long-term “structural deficit” by cutting school  property taxes while not providing the substitute revenue they promised  from business taxes. At the same time, they have refused to use the  Texas Economic Stabilization Fund, popularly called the “Rainy Day”  Fund, for its intended purpose – ensuring continuation of appropriate  services during economic downturns.  They have even failed to use it to  recover from our recent truly rainy days and other natural disasters.   The price for these irresponsible state fiscal policies has fallen  squarely on the backs of hardworking Texans for more than a decade.

Drastic state budget cuts in  education, healthcare and other areas have shifted the tax burden to  local governments, often requiring cities, counties and school boards to  cut services or increase local property taxes or regressive sales  taxes. As Texas Democrats, we support:

• Reversing  the $5.4 billion in cuts to public education that were made in 2011 and  the additional $1.7 billion cut made in the recent legislative session,  which have caused many public school employees, including teachers, to  lose their jobs while more students were crammed into crowded  classrooms;
• Restoring  funding for proven services in the women’s health programs, where cuts  left millions of women without basic preventive care and screening  services;
• Adopting  the Medicaid expansion provided under the Affordable Care Act so that  billions of our federal tax dollars will come back to Texas, improving  the health of our citizens, saving our rural hospitals from closure and  reducing the property tax burden that currently pays for indigent care;
• Supporting  college students and their parents, who have been hit with tuition  rates that have doubled at the same time Republicans made significant  cuts in state financial aid;
• Forward-looking traffic and mobility solutions that address traffic congestion;
• Long-term funding solutions for the state water plan;
• Ending debt, diversions, and deception in the state budget process;
• Fully funding our state park systems to ensure all Texans can have access to the natural beauty of our great state;
• An update  for state emergency services, including 911 systems that allow  communities to manage crisis situations that can arise from floods,  hurricanes, and tornadoes; and
• Appropriate assistance to Texans and Texas communities attempting to recover from Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters.

State government must invest wisely and  efficiently to meet the needs of our rapidly growing population and  develop the human resources that are the key to our economic future.  Texas must reform state fiscal policy and develop reliable revenue  sources that grow with the economy to provide essential state services  for a growing population. Texas Democrats support policies to restore  responsible state fiscal policy, including:

• a progressive tax system based on the principle that all taxpayers should pay based on their ability to pay;
• the end to Republican policy that provides tax breaks to the wealthy at the expense of the vast majority of working Americans;
• enacting a  constitutional amendment to prevent extending the sales tax to food and  Medicine, while opposing Republican efforts to impose a sales tax to  replace local property taxes with a tremendous increase in state sales  taxes;
• reforming the business “margins tax” policy to provide fairness to all economic sectors, especially small businesses;
• eliminating  tax loopholes and unproductive special breaks, such as Chapter 313   agreements, to simplify the tax system and provide revenue for  essential services;
• the federal government discouraging economic incentive policies that pit one community against another;
• reforming  the property tax appraisal system to guarantee  uniform  appraisals and  eliminate the loopholes that allow business, mineral and commercial  properties to be taxed at far below market value, which shifts the  burden onto homeowners;
• structured  property tax relief to benefit all homeowners fairly and prevent  families from being taxed out of their homes when land values rise  inordinately,  and  extend the benefits of property tax relief to  renters when landlords receive the full benefit of those reductions;
• requiring  proposed revenue policy to be clearly established in a transparent  process and determined by open, public debate and votes cast by elected  representatives;
• stabilizing  trauma center funding by repealing the Driver Responsibility Program  fees, which many Texans cannot afford and never pay, and replacing the  funding other budgetary means;
• requiring state government to spend taxes and fees for the reason they were collected;
• adopting  strict guidelines requiring that procurement contracts and  taxpayer-funded incentives to businesses must target, when possible,  small businesses, including minority-, women-, veteran-owned businesses,  and prohibit such awards to companies that export jobs or utilize tax  loopholes to avoid state or federal taxes; and 
• enacting  and enforcing regulations to prevent the continued use of the Texas  Enterprise Fund as a corporate slush fund that rewards businesses owned  by political cronies and contributors, despite their failure to meet  hiring targets and other program requirements.

Under Republicans, Texas has entered  into a series of questionable contracts with private companies that have  reduced and harmed state services. Therefore, we support:

• state agencies hiring state workers at adequate levels to ensure timely and accurate delivery of state services;
• regular audits of state contracts to ensure services are delivered properly and on time;
• enforcement  of fines for corporations and entities receiving contracts that fail to  deliver on services outlined in state contracts;
• legislation  that would close contractor and trade secret loopholes in the Texas  Public Information Act, while providing due process protections for  private companies wishing to keep trade secrets private; and
• ending and banning any agreements with any contractor that has relocated outside the United States to evade taxes.

Texas Democrats support initiatives  to ensure the security of our families. Every parent should be able to  provide housing, nutrition, clothing and health care for his or her  family. Families have a right to strong and healthy communities,  including the right to produce, process, access, distribute, and eat  healthy food and to understand the sources, quality, and nutritional  value of their food regardless of race, class, gender, ethnicity,  citizenship, ability, religion, or community.

Many Texas state agencies – including  the Department of Family Protective Services, Health and Human Services  Commission, and Department of Child Protective Services – play a direct  role in ensuring Texans’ health, safety, and security. Abuse within the  CPS system, failed managed care contracts overseen by HHSC, and  questionable practices by DFPS are all the direct result of a  Republican-led state government that have prioritized profits over people. Texas Democrats support:

• Greater oversight of private and state facilities and institutions that serve children and vulnerable adults;
• An end to privatization of the Department of Family Protective Services;
• Sufficiently  funding CPS to reduce caseloads, ensure compliance with federal  guidelines for caseworker/client meetings and adequately compensate  experienced caseworkers to reduce turnover;
• Child  protective programs that provide safe, secure environments for children  and ensure there is no discrimination in the foster care system;
• Adoption  of children by loving qualified parents regardless of marital status,  sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and the rights of  families created by those adoptions;
• A stronger  managed care system that ensures medically fragile Texans have access  to the complete care they need, as well as the option to be served  through Medicaid; and
• Allow a  state inspector general to review complaints from parents and families  regarding the quality of care from managed-care companies, with the goal  of improving patient outcomes.

Texas Democrats believe that elderly  and disabled Texans of all ages should have access to long-term services  and supports that promote independent living in the most integrated  setting possible. We believe the state must comply with the Americans  with Disabilities Act. Therefore, we support:

• transitioning  the long-term care system to focus on home and community based services  (HCBS) where funding for services “follows the person”;
• providing  elderly and disabled Texans with choices about where they want to live  and receive support services, and protecting individual homesteads from  repossession when recovering the cost of long-term care;
• coordination of accessible, affordable, integrated housing and other support services;
• establishing  a registry of direct service and providers and developing a training  and certification program that interfaces with similar initiatives; and
• access to non-medical services to contain cost and allow greater individual control;
• appropriate Medicaid reimbursement rates for long-term care.

Texas Democrats believe that we must  maintain the promise of Social Security and keep the system strong and  certain for all working Americans. Therefore we support:

• That all  Americans who have paid (or whose family members have paid) into the  system should receive the benefits those payments should entitle them to  regardless of other systems they may benefit from;
• A more  level playing field that requires raising or removing the income caps,  since the vast majority of earners pay into the system from the first to  last dollar earned;
• Using CPI-E for calculating cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for the elderly;
• Maintaining of smaller town Social Security offices; and
• Maintaining Social Security as a program of the federal government.

Millions of workers have invested in  public or private pensions to secure their retirement. We believe it is a  legitimate role of government to protect the position of stakeholders  in these pension systems. Therefore we support;

• legal protections for participants in any retirement system for the full amount to which they are entitled;
• automatically  freezing funds of companies filing for bankruptcy or encountering legal  problems to keep funding for the pension plan in place;
• putting in  place time limits to allow the expedient transfer of pensioners’ funds  to the pensioner within the confines of IRS regulations;
• state Retirement Systems be preserved as defined benefit systems consistent with the  Texas Constitution; and
• federal  employees retiring under Federal Employee Retirement System be treated  the same as Civil Service retirees for purposes of sick-leave credit.

Democrats believe that Texans must  have access to insurance protecting our homes and businesses at an  affordable rate. Therefore we support:

• strict enforcement of policies requiring companies to justify rates or roll them back;
• providing the Insurance Commissioner the authority to deny or approve rates;
• eliminating unfair underwriting practices such as redlining, the use of credit scoring and other discriminatory practices;
• outreach  and education efforts to homeowners on the proper home insurance  necessary to protect against major disasters, including floods and  hurricanes; and 
• greater consumer representation on the Insurance Commission.

Democrats understand that Texans must  have affordable utilities and deregulation has failed to drive down  rates and has produced an always confusing and often times misleading  marketplace. Therefore we support requiring the Public Utility  Commission to construct policies that force all providers to display all  products using the same language terminology and industry measurements,  including cancellation policies, and to describe those products so that  they might be easily understood and compared.

Texas Democrats believe quality,  affordable housing strengthens families and revitalizes communities. As  the population of Texas continues to grow, the importance of housing  policy extends beyond the critical value of shelter. Chronic  homelessness is on the rise. Quality, affordable housing improves school  performance, diminishes health problems for both children and adults,  and decreases psychological stress – among other benefits. We support:

• increasing  investment of public funds to expand the supply of housing that is  affordable and accessible to lowest income households;
• establishing  housing stability as the primary purpose of low-income housing policy,  which views allowing Texans to live in the neighborhood of  their   choice as foundational to good health, employment, educational  achievement, and child well-being;
• continuing and improving programs that promote concrete resources to advance the dream of homeownership for all Texans;
• legislation such as property tax circuit-breakers, that prevent people from being taxed out of their homes; and
• ensuring  the housing needs of our most vulnerable Texans, including persons with  disabilities, persons experiencing homelessness, persons living with  HIV/AIDS, seniors, youth, children, and families, is a priority in all  housing policy decisions.

Texas Democrats recognize that the  United States is a vibrant nation of immigrants. We value those who come  from different countries and cultures. Immigrants add prosperity and  resilience to this great country. They  hold professional jobs, own businesses, build our homes, and work in  several other industries. We believe in fostering better bilateral  relationships with all nations including our southern neighbor whom we  share an extensive border with. Importantly, viewing immigrants through a  lens of fear and prejudice only hurts our nation and Texas. Our  government’s failure to enact meaningful, long-term immigration reform  has left us with the broken system we have today. Through a more fair and equitable immigration system our county is strong. We therefore:

• strongly  oppose the Trump Administration’s policy abusing children by of  separating children from their parents at the southern border and  denounce housing children in tent cities;
• strongly oppose “tender age” shelters for infants and small children;
• strongly oppose the Trump Administration so called “zero tolerance” approach to immigration;
• strongly  oppose the Trump Administration’s policy to no longer recognize asylum  claims or Temporary Protected Status for refugees fleeing forced gang  recruitment and violence perpetrated by gangs and refugees fleeing  domestic violence;
• support securing and protecting our border, while treating asylum seekers humanely;
• strongly oppose any type of bans based on religious affiliation or country of origin;
• strongly  oppose efforts to build a border wall of any size and the unrealistic  claim, and possibly abandoned claim, that a foreign country will pay for  a border wall;
• strongly oppose Section 287g programs of the Immigration and Nationality Act which allow memorandums of understanding between  ICE and local law enforcement agencies to act as federal immigration officials;
• strongly  oppose the immigration detention facility bed mandate that creates  perverse incentives to increase deportations for private profit;
• strongly oppose and call for the shutdown to all family detention centers;
• strongly oppose efforts to grant child care licenses to family detention centers;
• strongly oppose efforts to limit and interfere with established federal, state, and faith-based refugee programs;
• denounce  all xenophobic, racist, vigilante, and bigoted efforts which  scapegoat   immigrants including any efforts in which dog whistle words are used;
• strongly oppose Senate Bill 4(the “Show Me Your Papers” law) and call on the Texas Legislature to repeal Senate Bill 4;
• strongly  oppose any efforts by DPS to share information and statistics of the  legal status of any person stopped for a traffic offense; 
• strongly  oppose efforts by cities and local law enforcement agencies to enforce  federal immigration laws prohibited by preemption;
• support comprehensive immigration reform, including an attainable path to citizenship;
• support  the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”), its expansion, and  Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents  (“DAPA”) programs and denounce the Republican and Trump Administration  efforts to end DACA;
• support the passage of a clean DREAM Act;
• support the expansion of visa availability in order to expedite family reunification and lessen visa wait times;
• support the 14th Amendment provision of the U.S. Constitution which makes all persons born in this country citizens of this country;
• support expanding the Affordable Care Act to cover undocumented immigrants;
• call on  Congress to clarify that the Childhood Status Protection Act allows  pending visa applicants to retain their place for visas if they aged  out;
• support providing equal housing opportunities to all immigrants and denounce all xenophobic or racist conduct that denies equal housing to immigrants;
• support the lawful and humane treatment of immigrants by all law enforcement and correction officers;
• support  strict enforcement and appropriate punishment against those who exploit  undocumented workers rather than targeting the workers themselves;
• support providing everyone, especially children, individual legal representation in front of immigration judges;
• support  reducing the current backlogs in U.S. Immigration Court by adding  sufficient judges and providing individual legal assistance to those who  come before the court;
• support law enforcement agencies disseminating information and assisting immigrants who  are victims of crimes or human trafficking and may be eligible for U  and T visas and including efforts to reduce turnaround time for  certification requests;
• support  the abolishment of re-entry bans for nonviolent legal permanent resident  applicants and increase the approvals of hardship waivers;
• support increasing U Visa availability;
• support allowing all Texas residents to obtain a driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status;
• support counties and Sheriffs who end the voluntary cooperation with ICE;
• support efforts which prevent law enforcement or others from inquiring about immigration status for malicious purposes;
• support  the current in-state tuition statute which  allows undocumented students to obtain a higher education and denounce  all repeal efforts; and
• support the fair and just treatment of all people in immigration proceedings regardless of race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other characteristics..

Like most Texas road-users, Democrats  support fully funding transportation projects to alleviate congestion  and improve the safety of our roadways.  No funding source should be  eliminated and each community should decide which projects are the most  important to that community. The positive growth of population and  business in Texas has had a negative effect on our traffic congestion –  raising concerns about air quality, traffic safety and lost productivity  from commute wait times. Texas Democrats support:

• investing  state dollars in mass transportation projects with public support and  the potential for matching federal funds and incentives for increased  usage of mass transportation;
• transportation  projects to encourage building safe sidewalks, curb cutouts for  accessibility to people with disabilities, and bicycle lanes;
• reviewing creative programs like telecommuting and buses on shoulders of  major  highways to encourage mobility;
• improving para-transportation services to meet the needs of Texans with disabilities;
• preventing infrastructure built with public funds from being used as private entities;
• allowing  optional toll-managed lanes, private/public partnerships and other  creative means of financing to complete large transportation projects  with a minimal impact on the state budget, the taxpayers, businesses  along the project and residents who access those roads;
• legislation to demand transparency in how toll roads are financed and how funds are managed; and
• the  development of a state rail plan for increased participation in  intra-state rail projects that do not harm the environment or infringe  upon property rights.

Texas Democrats believe government  has a responsibility to protect the people from dangerous products and  fraudulent, unfair and discriminatory business practices. Therefore we  support:

• repealing  laws and regulations that restrict redress for buyers of new homes that  discover shoddy work after the purchase is completed;
• protection of consumers’ private data and accountability for companies that manage it;
• stricter laws targeting unscrupulous telemarketing, internet marketing and price fixing;
• the rights of communities to provide public utilities at their discretion including “wi-fi” internet access; 
• the enforcement function and authority of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus;
• repealing the cap on mass tort liability to allow for appropriate damages tempered by the current legal process;
• allowing class certification related to credible product liability and personal injury claims; and
• the elimination of predatory lending practices particularly payday loans and sell/lease back transactions.

The Texas Democratic Party recognizes  Texas women are strong, independent and powerful. Texas is the proud  home of pioneering women who have blazed new trails in business,  entrepreneurship, culture, and politics. The Texas Democratic Party  seeks to address persistent inequalities that make women’s economic,  physical and legal well-being subject to circumstance, prejudice, sexism  and antiquated views of women’s role in society. 

The Texas Democratic Party  demonstrates its commitment to Texas women through women’s leadership at  all levels of party activity and by working for policies, laws and  elected officials that share our commitment to women’s full, equal, and  essential role in Texas’ future success. As the Party that truly values  Texas women and their families, the Texas Democratic Party will:

• support and affirm equal rights for all women, and oppose any attempts to limit those rights; 
• address disparities in health care, criminal justice, and education experienced by women of color and transgender women;
• support  affirmative action, the rights accorded to women in Title IX, the U.N.  Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against  Women (CEDAW), and the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)  to the U.S. Constitution;
• preserve  confidential, unrestricted access to affordable, high quality,  culturally sensitive health care services, including the full range of  reproductive services, contraception and abortion, without requiring  guardian, judicial, parental, or spousal consent;
• opposes any and all attempts to overturn Roe v. Wade;
• promote  health insurance and medical coverage of the full range of mental health  services, including Planned Parenthood, and treatment for women,  including early screening and intervention for postpartum depression;
• increase  parenting and job skills for women through available, comprehensive  education and training for women who were formerly incarcerated;
• strive to get more women elected to better reflect and represent the population of women in Texas;
• promote  the engagement of young women in our political process in order to  develop a pipeline for new leadership with diversity of experience  within the Texas Democratic Party; and
• support the right of a woman to report hostile and abusive work environments without retribution.

Texas Democrats support and welcome  all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or  gender expression. We recognize that lesbian, gay, bisexual,  transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Americans continue to encounter  discrimination and must be treated as fully equal in all areas of life.

We therefore support:

• the immediate passage of the Equality Act by Congress;
• the right  of all people to use facilities and participate in all aspects of life  in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity or expression,  irrespective of the gender they were assigned at birth;
• the classification of discrimination against transgender individuals as discrimination on the basis of gender;
• streamlined  processes for transgender individuals to obtain legal documents  consistent with their gender identity, including state IDs, regardless  of surgical status;
• the  inclusion of gender confirmation surgery in Medicaid; and fully  inclusive transgender healthcare coverage in employer-based insurance;
• municipal, state, and federal nondiscrimination laws which protect LGBTQ  individuals in all aspects of their lives including housing,  employment, adoption, education, commerce, healthcare and  public accommodation;
• a ban on so-called “reparative” therapy and recognize its practice as abuse;
• the use of  best practices in the delivery of services to all Texans regardless of  sexual orientation or gender identity by social, healthcare, and public  service professionals;
• the factual inclusion of the LGBTQ movement and individuals in history and social studies classes in public education;
• the right of all students to learn in a bullying and harassment-free environment;
• programs to combat suicide and homelessness among LGBTQ youth;
• programs to provide inclusive and comprehensive housing and healthcare for LGBTQ seniors; and
• the  Constitutional protections afforded to all people in the United States  which guarantee the full and equal treatment of the laws.

Furthermore, we oppose:

• efforts to  defy the U.S Supreme Court decisions which guaranteed marriage equality  and the full benefits of marriage to all couples; and
• the use of  hate speech, disguised as free speech and religion, that fosters and  promotes bigotry and violence against LGBTQ citizens.

Texas Democrats believe in the right  of every Texan to lead a productive life, enjoy liberty, and to pursue  happiness. Texas Democrats want all Texans with disabilities, including  veterans, to ensure their right to live independently in the community  in the most integrated setting of their choice. Disability rights are  civil rights and no person should face discrimination based on  disability status.  

Texas Democrats believe that this is  not only a civil right, but is also part of the economic vitality and  interest of Texas. This requires increased access and availability of  affordable, home and community-based long term services and supports.  

We support necessary changes to  preserve and enforce all state and federal disability rights laws,  particularly the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the  Olmstead decision. Olmstead, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling based on the  ADA that affirms that people with disabilities have a qualified right to  receive state funded supports and services in the community rather than  institutions. Due to lack of enforcement, supportive legislative  policy, and sufficient accessible, affordable housing, thousands of  Texans with disabilities, ready to transition to a home and  community-based setting, are stopped from relocating because they cannot  get access to vouchers or to accessible, affordable, and integrated  housing options. 

Access to affordable accessible  public and private transportation is essential to the employment,  safety, health and well-being of Texans with disabilities. Due to age  and/or changes in health status many people with disabilities do not  drive or have surrendered their licenses. In addition, Texans with  disabilities are not always involved in transportation planning and  budgeting of transportation, with the focus being on roads vs. mass  transit, tolls vs. no tolls. Paratransit and taxi vouchers are often the  only forms of transportation for Texans with disabilities. Voters with disabilities are denied the right to vote in person due to the onerous photo ID requirement. Texas Democrats support:

• Reversing  the priority of Medicaid funding from state supported living centers  (SSLCs, institutions for the developmentally disabled) to home and  community-based services;
• Reducing  the decade long waitlists for home and community based services by  increasing the number of subsidized housing vouchers and ensuring  sufficient available, accessible, and affordable housing for 1.8 million  Texans with disabilities;
• Paying caregivers a $15/hour minimum base wage, essential to maintaining independence;
• Removing the roadblock to voting by eliminating the photo ID requirement;
• Enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for public and private organizations;
• Ensuring  that students with disabilities receive an appropriate early childhood,  secondary, and postsecondary education in the least restrictive  environments, including access to the full range of services and  supports called for in their individual education plans at all learning  institutions;
• Supporting  the Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities, its expansion  and ongoing mission to deliver quality support to all Texans with  disabilities; and
• Resisting burdensome work requirements to receive SNAP benefits as it relates to people living with disabilities.

Texas Democrats believe that our  veterans should be given the benefits they have earned and they have  been promised, honored for their service, and accepted back into society  with open arms. Providing  education benefits to veterans for their service enables them to be the  next generation of leaders, business owners, and highly skilled workers.  Historically, empowering returning veterans to obtain education, at any  level, has benefited America as a whole, and ushered in eras of  prosperity. Texas Democrats wish to see this continue, and will do so by:

• Preventing the privatization of the veterans administration, and instead fund it more fully;
• Supporting  and maintaining dedicated women’s health care services and clinics,  including OB/GYN doctors, to ensure women veterans have access to the  care they need, as well as women’s clinics to ensure increased access to  care through VA services;
• Supporting the VA to combat opioid abuse;
• Supporting and maintaining the Post 9/11 GI Bill for those who separated before 1 Jan. 2013 (Chapter 33) in its entirety;
• Supporting the new GI Bill which eliminates the 15-year time limit to use their GI Bill;      
• Supporting the full funding of the VA MISSION Act, to ensure the 33,000 unfilled positions at the VA are properly staffed;
• Enabling the direct translation of military job training – such as EMT, vocational. Communications, and helmets-to-hardhats – be recognized by the states and federal programs;
• Working to  ensure successful transition successful transition into civilian  employment, including increased funding for companies that employ  veterans, trade school programs, and mental health care that includes  mindfulness meditation amongst other performance enhancing practices;
• Supporting  the full state funding of the Hazelwood Act entitlements, and allow the  transfer of those entitlements to dependents, and study allowing  non-Texas enlistees to use those entitlements;
• Supporting  and encouraging school cooperation with veterans struggling with  physical disabilities and PTSD and provide reasonable accommodations;
• Encouraging every school, public and private, to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program;
• Allowing for the transfer of remaining Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 entitlements to dependents, regardless of time in service; and
• Allowing Basic Allowance for housing (BAH) to be collected in both Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 programs.

Veterans put both their bodies and  their minds on the line when they answered their call to service. Many  return home with physical wounds, and many more return home with wounds  invisible to their fellow citizens. Texas Democrats know that the death  of even one veteran on the home front, be it self-inflicted or by lack  of access to healthcare, is a tragedy to the entire nations, and having  veterans live on the street is shameful. Texas Democrats wish to remedy  this by:

• Extending  the Operation Enduring Freedom/ Operations Iraqi Freedom coordinator  program to all separated service members, regardless if they served in a  conflict;
• Increasing the Combat Related Special Compensation entitlement payments; and
• Extending  Tricare Standard /Extra / Prime health insurance eligibility to all  service members who served in any conflict or hazardous duty area.

Texas Democrats understand the  obstacles faced in rural Texas, and we are committed to providing our  rural communities with the tools necessary to maintain their quality of  life and create enhanced opportunities for future generations of rural  Texans.  All areas of Texas need access to natural and economic  resources to grow and thrive, yet rural communities’ assets are under  increased pressure from forces beyond their control.  We support rural  communities in their efforts to protect the materials necessary for  their economic livelihood.

Water is a necessity for private  individuals, agricultural businesses, and emergency management in rural  areas.  In the face of climate change, ongoing droughts, and threatened  aquifers, we support:

• Preparation of a substantive plan to mediate the threat of mega droughts that is plausible and environmentally sensible;
• Establishment  of programs for industry, agriculture and individuals to limit  non-essential water use in times of extended drought;
• Preservation of our environment from damages resulting from well development;
• Protection of groundwater recharge areas and enhancement of groundwater recharge;
• Actions to ensure that rural areas will have the water resources they need to sustain their people and their economies;
• Construction  of desalination plants using renewable energy, employing  state-of-the-art salt water concentrate disposal, such as reverse  osmosis, and operated by well-trained staff;
• Promotion of rainwater collection and graywater systems to use water more efficiently;
• Control of storm water runoff in order to slow erosion and keep water systems healthy;
• Encouragement and facilitation of recycling of water used for fracking; and
• Efforts to address flooding issues in rural as well as urban areas.

Texas Democrats understand that the  backbone of our food supply is and should be local, family owned farms.   There can be a healthy balance between ensuring a nutritious,  affordable, and reliable food supply for consumers, safe working  conditions for farmers and farmworkers, protecting our environment and  using modern, conventional production techniques to ensure good crop  yields, healthy livestock and economically sustainable farms.  There  must be a concerted effort by the Teas Department of Agriculture to  support the local family farmer, reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides  and fertilizers.  In order to do so, Texas Democrats will work to:

• decrease the cost and administrative burdens associated with USDA Organic Certification;
• engage  conventional agribusinesses in finding alternatives to the use of  petrochemicals and synthetic pesticides on produce, especially those  that are most susceptible to absorption (strawberries, tomatoes, etc.);
• pass a  farm bill that provides accessible safety-net programs for small and  diversified farmers and imposes reasonable limits on subsidies to  corporate mega-farms;
• support the legalization of hemp for agricultural purposes;
• establish  consistent policy with respect to support for land conservation  easements to allow rural landowners to access private foundations and  government matching funds for preservation of open space and family  holdings;
• work with  the Texas Parks and Wildlife and USDA to manage the wild hog population,  and provide small scale farmers with support to establish  site-appropriate management plans;
• in  coordination with the Texas Department of Agriculture, establish  effective global and local marketing programs using updated technology  to promote and sell products;
• create a  cost-share program to supplement farmers’ expenses related to compliance  with the Food Safety Modernization Act and GLOBAL.A.P. Certification;
• pass legislation to improve certification, monitoring, and compliant responsiveness for fuel pumps and market scales;
• support  USDA efforts to toughen meat industry antitrust laws to protect the  small scale independent farmer from marketplace inequality;
• strengthen and support OSHA health & safety regulations in the industrial meat-packing industry;
• protect  family farms from predatory lending, and allow a greater ability for the  individual to refinance farm related business debt;
• establish  agricultural property tax valuation guidelines that accommodate  small-scale and diversified farm operations and encourage farm ownership  among first time farmers;
• establish protections that safeguard farmers from inadvertent use of patented and or proprietary seeds;
• expand programs that incentivize consumers to use WIC and SNAP benefits at farmers markets;
• uphold the  restriction on the sale of horses to Mexico for the purpose of  consumption and ban the round-up of wild horses for slaughter;
• establish  evidence-based regulation of pesticide to limit the negative impact on  non-target species and the environment in general, including a ban on  neonicotinoids, a pesticide chemical linked to massive honeybee  die-offs.

Access to quality healthcare in rural  Texas is critical; many areas in rural Texas are underserved or have  their current service threatened because of the failure of Republican  leadership to either expand Medicaid under the ACA or provide  alternative funding mechanisms and/or stronger incentives to protect  rural health care delivery. In order to remedy this: 

• move to  construct level 2 trauma centers and hospitals, with women’s health  facilities, in underserved areas with supporting populations;
• create programs to incentivize physicians, nurses, nurse practitioner, and EMT’s to work and stay in underserved areas;
• give grants in aid and zero interest loans to rural counties to construct public clinics and hospitals; 
• encourage  installation of video teleconference systems in public hospitals to  allow specialists in higher level hospitals to quickly communicate to  outlying facilities or to remote patients; and
• expand  Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act guidelines, in order to alleviate  the pressure to close additional rural hospitals.

Education in Texas is an important  priority in rural areas.  Lack of jobs and economic opportunities have  forced many talented young people to leave rural communities. To remedy  this, Texas Democrats support policies that would:

• incentivize teachers to work in underserved communities;
• partner  high schools with local business and community colleges to allow  students to receive dual credits and industry certifications from  apprenticeships in vocational trade programs;
• oppose the Republican call for the consolidation of rural school districts;
• support community based schools over large, centralized school districts in rural areas;
• utilizing remote learning and distance education to facilitate learning in rural areas, within the public school system;
• provide free vaccinations for low-income families; and
• maintain the Top 10% rule that levels the opportunity playing field for rural kids.

The protection of private property is  a cornerstone of freedom and liberty and is central to the Texas  Constitution.  The use of eminent domain for “private” gain by  corporations, foreign and domestic, is a practice that our nation’s  founders did not envision, would not have stood for, and neither will  the Texas Democratic Party.  Texas Democrats understand that obtaining private  property through the condemnation process should be allowed only in  cases where necessary and for a clear and rightful “public” purpose. In regard to eminent domain:

• condemnation  should be used only where necessary, and only for needed projects such  as transportation and utilities that serve a clear public interest;
• those facing condemnation must be afforded a clear and transparent process to defend and negotiate a fair and equitable outcome;
• proposed  interstate pipelines that cross Texas borders should not be allowed to  be segmented to avoid meaningful environmental review to protect our  land, water and natural resources; and 
• amend the  Texas Constitution and relevant laws to eliminate giving private  entities the blanket governmental authority to exercise the powers of  eminent domain in condemnation of private property; all entities seeking  eminent domain authority should be required, before any eminent domain  is exercised, to prove that they are deserving of condemnation authority  and prove that their project serves the public good.

Texas Democrats know that internet  access is essential to support economic development in rural Texas  including healthcare, education, and agriculture. As many as 1 in 3  adult Texans don’t have access to broadband internet service, and most  of them live in rural areas. Texas Democrats also know that public  private partnership between federal, state, and cooperatively owned  utilities can bridge the digital divide between rural Texans and their  urban counterparts. Consider that in 1935 only 11 percent of U.S. farms  had access to electricity. To electrify the countryside, President  Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Rural Electrification  Administration, which led to the formation of electric co-ops. By 1946,  more than 50 percent of American farms had electricity. Texas electric  cooperatives can bring internet access to rural Texans in the  twenty-first century just like they brought electricity to the last  century. To support the expansion of internet service in rural Texas,  Texas Democrats support policies that: 

• incentivize  Texas electric cooperatives to deploy broadband technologies which can  make the electric grid smarter while also providing rural Texans with  high speed internet access; 
• remove barriers for electric cooperatives to utilize existing easements for the deployment and provision of broadband service;
• remove undue financial burdens that hinder electrification efforts;
• give grants in aid and zero interest loans to electric cooperatives that deploy broadband technologies; 
• remove  archaic telephone rules and regulations to protect the incumbent  telecommunications providers who have refused to upgrade broadband  technologies, while also implementing a new communications policy that  supports broadband networks owned and operated by electric cooperatives.  We do not support the removal of telecommunication companies from any  list including but not limited to the “last right of refusal.”

Texas Democrats believe that  religious freedom is a fundamental right for all Americans as provided  by the Texas and U.S. Constitutions. We recognize the importance of  religion and prayer in the lives of Texans and support our  Constitution’s guarantee of every individual’s right to practice his or  her own beliefs without imposing them on others. We support the U.S.  Constitutional provision that no religious test shall be required as a  qualification for public office. We believe:

• that, just  as personal faith and values guide and inspire us to further the  well-being of our community, we must never use the power of government  at any level to  promote  one religion or denomination over others or to  impose our personal religious observances;
• government  must not inhibit the free exercise of religion, but religion can never  be used as an excuse to discriminate against or harm others;
• government must not use public resources to support purely religious positions or activities;
• entangling government with religion is dangerous to both government and religion;
• America is  the most religiously observant country in the West because our founders  wisely provided for separation of church and state, which allows  religion to flourish in freedom    and respects those who have no  religious faith; and
• the religious test for public office in the Texas Constitution must be removed.

Democrats hold political views  motivated by deeply held personal beliefs. No political party and no  extremist group hold a lock on religious or ethical beliefs and values.  We believe that religion should not be invoked to supersede the rights  of others. These rights include:

• nondiscrimination laws including those protecting LGBTQ Texans;
• nondiscrimination for individuals in service or public accommodations in the  private sector;
• workplace laws regarding wages and compensation;
• laws protecting children’s welfare;
• laws ensuring access to healthcare, particularly for women and families; and
• provision of goods and services by government directly or through grants and contracts.

Texas Democrats believe peace,  prosperity, and national security are assured by maintaining a strong  national defense, promoting democracy, and advancing development abroad.  Diplomacy through our State Department should be prioritized, and  military action should be used only as a last resort and authorized only  as allowed by our Constitution. We support consistent diplomacy and  development efforts abroad in coordination with our allies. We believe  the most important element in our military is the individual service  member, and it is absolutely critical that we keep faith with those who  serve and defend us. We strongly oppose the Trump administration’s  attempts to drive out skilled diplomats and replace them with partisan,  ideologically-driven political appointees.

Texas Democrats believe that the  security of our nation is best achieved through: legitimate conduct,  strong international leadership, sustained international engagement,  nurturing proven alliances, and the maintenance of robust military  capabilities. We recognize that we harm our relationships around the  globe when we do not honor our treaty obligations. Therefore we believe America must:

• prioritize working with allies whose values promote freedom and justice:
• address the sources of security risks that stem from state weakness, poverty, corruption, and social breakdown abroad;
• maintain  and improve the capacity of our military and diplomatic organizations to  meet the threats from non-state groups and those nations that provide  them support and protection;
• work  closely with allies and lead international efforts to prevent the  further spread of nuclear arms and to eliminate weapons of mass  destruction;
• work with  Central American neighbors to end cartels, gang violence, and the  infiltration of gangs in the operation of foreign governments;
• obtain assistance from countries in the Middle East to help stabilize the region;
• encourage  Iraq to ensure security within its borders by renouncing sectarian  violence and promoting a responsive and inclusive democracy that ensures  minority rights and  equitable access to resources;
• oppose the  regime-sponsored violence occurring in Syria by expanding assistance to  vetted opposition groups — particularly our Kurdish allies, expanding  humanitarian aid, leading efforts to facilitate a negotiated political  solution within Syria, leveraging alliances in the region to constrict  the flow of resources to radical groups, and leading regional efforts to  counter Russian dominance and prevent the establishment of Iranian  bases in Syria;
• support verified efforts to denuclearize North Korea as a prerequisite for lifting sanctions;
• continue  to support development of Afghanistan’s civil and economic  infrastructure through sustained support for economic development,  governance capacity,  and corruption reduction;
• minimize civilian casualties to the maximum extent possible consistent with the safety of our troops serving in foreign nations;
• withdraw  U.S. troop support from Afghanistan as rapidly as possible, consistent  with  their safety and in a manner that does not destabilize the region  or place more lives in danger;
• maintain  our long-standing policy that a true, mutually respectful peace with  safe and secure borders for two states dedicated to peace and democracy –  a Jewish homeland in Israel and a Palestinian homeland – can only  result from direct negotiations between willing and responsible  partners;
• work to  ensure that new governments and societies become true democracies that  promote responsive governance, ethnic and religious  minority  rights,  individual freedoms, and economic opportunity;
• support  the passage of the Global Respect Act, the International Human Rights  Defense Act, and implementation of the World Bank’s Environmental and  Social Framework;.
• work with  our allies to facilitate safe haven for the millions of refugees fleeing  conflict and persecution, to welcome these vulnerable people in the  United States when properly vetted, and to assist in their eventual safe  return home;
• withdraw support for foreign or domestic agencies and programs that promote hatred and intolerance;
• develop a  new strategic approach to fragile states that prioritizes prevention,  aligns policies across U.S. agencies, and leverages the full range of  U.S. diplomacy, defense, development, and democratic engagement tools;
• make every  reasonable effort to utilize our military, economic, diplomatic, and  technological capabilities to assist victims of natural disasters  worldwide;
• implement  nationally standardized information security policies to more  effectively protect our communications networks and critical national  infrastructure from all foreign or domestic cyber security and piracy  threats, and work to enforce the adoption of those policies unilaterally  across all public and private sector agencies;
• identify  and prevent all sources of foreign meddling in our elections and those  of our allies and, in particular, continue to strongly sanction Russia  until it ceases its attacks on democracy; 
• assist the economic development of our allies, particularly neighbors, where high unemployment creates immigration pressures;
• restore  U.S.  leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting clean  energy, and mitigating the effects of global climate change;
• adopt  policies that advance our national security by freeing us from  dependence on the resource of any nation or region, including foreign  oil;
• work with  the African Union and the UN to bring stability to the continent by  defeating terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram, Al Shabab, and  other Central African terror groups;
• encourage  universities and colleges to participate in foreign exchange programs  and conduct joint research projects with foreign institutions;
• remove  legal barriers that prevent highly skilled foreign nationals, educated  in U.S. universities, from continuing to work and live in the United  States;
• support  the continued ban on the use of all methods of torture, including  waterboarding, indefinite detention of persons without charges or legal  representation, and other policies that violate or conflict with the  values embodied by the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution;
• support  the immediate closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and set  up a special court to hear the cases for detainees;
• establish  legal oversight over all privatized military security forces, because  military security contractors operating without government oversight  have put America at risk;
• focus on practical, nonviolent solutions to the problems of domestic and international conflict where possible;
• support the mission and efforts of the United States Peace Corps;
• oppose  privatization and support funding of an air traffic control system that  is fully equipped and staffed by public employees; and
• strengthen port security, including inspection of currently unchecked containers.

Texas Democrats know that the  economic and employment conditions of American workers depend on trade  that is both free and fair. Therefore, American trade policies must:

• encourage  the sale of domestic products and services in foreign markets and oppose  foreign practices that restrict access to markets for American  businesses;
• support  the strengthening of labor and human rights protections and stronger  health, environmental, and consumer safety standards in any trade  agreements to prevent U.S. job losses, sweatshop conditions and human  rights abuses in developing countries,  and environmental degradation;
• protect  American companies from intellectual property theft, especially from  state sponsored companies, and file lawsuits through the World Trade  Organization when theft occurs;
• protest through the World Trade Organization when countries artificially manipulate their currency to foster trade imbalances;
• and oppose arbitrary tariffs that harm our allies.