Commentary

COMMENTARY: The 2019 Legislative Session is Over. What Bills Did Gov. Abbott Sign into Law that YOU Must Know About?

HOUSTON FORWARD TIMES — Every two years, the Texas State Legislature convenes to introduce bills that they hope will eventually come out of their respective committees, get argued on both the House and Senate floor, gain passage by both chambers, and then come before the Governor of Texas to be signed into law. Every biennial session, tons of bills get introduced, but a select few get signed into law.

Published

6 years ago

June 21, 2019

Chelsea Lenora White

By Jeffery L. Bones

Hey, Texans!

Every two years, the Texas State Legislature convenes to introduce bills that they hope will eventually come out of their respective committees, get argued on both the House and Senate floor, gain passage by both chambers, and then come before the Governor of Texas to be signed into law. Every biennial session, tons of bills get introduced, but a select few get signed into law.

Although 2019 was no exception, there were several important bills that were signed into law and were vetoed by the governor that everyone in Texas should be keenly aware of, especially members of the African American community.

The Forward Times wants to share some of the key bills that Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) signed into law that will affect everyone in Texas related to education, flooding, school safety and other important areas, as well as some of the bills that were vetoed by the governor.

Let’s first talk about some of the key bills that were signed into law and will take effect soon.

One of the much-talked about issues coming into this year’s legislative session was the desire of Gov. Abbott to be able to sign into law a major property tax reform bill to deal with rising property taxes that have significantly impacted residents all across the state of Texas.

Senate Bill 2, or the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act as it has been called, was signed into law by Gov. Abbott on June 12th. This bill will require school districts, cities, counties and all other taxing entities to go to their respective voters to gain approval before they can raise taxes above a certain percentage more than it was the previous year. As the current law stands, if any taxing entity wants to raise property taxes by 8%, residents can petition that entity to hold an election to roll back the increase, often referred to as the “roll back rate.”

Now, as a result of this bill being signed into law, voter approval will be required when any taxing entity wants to increase their property tax revenues by more than 3.5%, and for select taxing entities, the increase is limited to 2.5% before voter approval is required. The taxing entities impacted by this bill include cities, counties, school districts, community colleges and all other types of local entities that collect property taxes from residents and set a local tax rate.

Gov. Abbott released a statement prior to signing the bill into law, saying:

“For far too long, Texans have seen their property taxes skyrocket as they are reduced to tenants of their own land…The Texas legislature took a meaningful step in reinforcing private property rights by reining in the power of local taxing entities, providing more transparency to the property tax process, and enacting long awaited appraisal reforms.”

It is important to note that this new bill does not cut or reduce property taxes in any way. It does, however, make it extremely challenging for these taxing entities to raise taxes above a certain percentage for any reason without getting voter approval first.

House Bill 3 was signed into law that and the members of the state legislature, as well as the governor, finally decided to address the problematic issue known as Texas public school finance.

As a result of this new bill being signed into law on June 11th, per-student base funding will be increased by roughly 20%; school districts will be allowed to give pay raises to veteran teachers, between $3,000 to $12,000; school districts like Houston Independent School District (HISD) and other wealthy districts across the state, had the amount of money they were required to give back to the state because of the recapture legislation, also known as the “Robin Hood” tax that was passed by the state legislature in 1993 in order to subsidize poorer districts throughout the state, significantly lowered; and money was allotted to provide free full-day pre-K for eligible 4-year-olds across the state.

One bill that has been signed into law, is sure to have a positive impact on many members of the African American community who have suffered the negative impacts of the controversial and systemically oppressive Driver Responsibility Program in Texas.

For those who were unaware, groups like the ACLU of Texas, Equal Justice Under Law and others, have fought for years to end the Driver Responsibility Program, which was particularly impactful on poor and low-to-moderate income people, mostly who were people of color.

As a result of this bill now becoming law, the ACLU of Texas states that more than 630,000 people will immediately be eligible to have their driver’s licenses reinstated, because they have no fees or suspensions that stem from something other than the DRP. They also state that approximately 350,000 people will be able to get their licenses back after paying a reinstatement fee and roughly 400,000 will be able to drive legally if they can resolve their non-DRP-related suspensions. According to the ACLU of Texas, any remaining surcharges that are owed by Texas drivers that were forced to enroll in the program will be wiped out on September 1, 2019, which is the effective date the bill becomes the law in Texas.

Another fee-related bill has been signed into law and it has many Texans relieved. The use of red-light cameras as a means of traffic control and monitoring across the state of Texas is no more, effective immediately, although entities who currently have contracts with red-light camera companies must honor those contracts, but are unable to renew those contracts.

Flooding continues to be a huge issue across certain parts of Texas, especially across the Greater Houston area. On June 13th, Gov. Abbott signed Senate Bill 7 into law, which establishes two funds that will provide grants and loans for flood control and mitigation projects in areas that are impacted by flooding across the state and will draw $1.7 billion from the state’s “rainy day fund” to help pay for it.

In the wake of the shooting at Santa Fe High School last year, Gov. Abbott signed Senate Bill 11 into law, which will strengthen mental health initiatives in schools, and will require classrooms to have access to a telephone or other electronic communication, as well as create teams that identify potentially dangerous students.

There are many other bills that have been signed into law, such as raising the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21, except for military personnel; increasing the amount of time that victims of certain types of sexual abuse are given to sue abusers or entities, from 15 years to 30 years after a victim turns 18; a prohibition on state and local governments from partnering with agencies that perform abortions, even if they contract for services not related to the procedure; and many more.

Now that we have heard about several of the bills that were signed into law, it is important to note that 58 other bills that passed the House and Senate this legislative session were vetoed by Gov. Abbott. Those 58 bills are is the most he has vetoed since being first elected to the governor’s office in 2015 (44 vetoes in 2015 and 51 vetoes in 2017, respectively).

Two bills vetoed by Gov. Abbott that received a lot of bipartisan support on both sides of the aisle were House Bill 448, which was authored by state Rep. Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie) and House Bill 3490, which was authored by freshman state Rep. Sheryl Cole (D-Austin).

H.B. 448, which would have required children under the age of 2 to be secured in a rear-facing car seat while traveling in any moving vehicle, as strongly recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. According to Gov. Abbott, signing this bill into law would have been “an unnecessary invasion of parental rights and an unfortunate example of over-criminalization.”

Gov. Abbott went on to say that “Texas already compels drivers to use a car seat for a child under eight years of age…It is not necessary to micromanage the parenting process to such a great extent, much less to criminalize different parenting decisions by Texans.”

Relative to H.B. 3490, which would have made it a criminal act to use any form of social media to harass and torment someone. The bill would have made the people convicted of this form of harassment, also known as “cyber-bullying” for those who have been following this issue, subjected to higher penalties if they caused someone underage to commit suicide or physically harm themselves. According to Gov. Abbot, he felt that while “cyber-bullying is a very real problem,” he felt that “the language used in the bill was overbroad and would sweep in conduct that legislators did not intend to criminalize, such as repeated criticisms of elected officials on Internet websites.” Gov. Abbott did appear to be interested to working on this issue during the next legislative session, as he stated that he wanted “to forcefully counter cyberbullying in ways that can be upheld constitutionally.”

It is extremely important that all Texas residents and businesses know and understand the various bills that impact them on a day-to-day basis, including the ones that will have gone into effect already or will go into effect on Sept. 1st or at the beginning of next year.

The Forward Times will delve deeper into some of the key bills introduced by many of our local lawmakers that came through during this year’s Legislative Session and see what success stories came as a result of their hard work and legislative efforts this year.

In the meantime, if you are interested in finding out more about the 86th Legislative Session and what occurred, please visit Gov. Abbott’s Legislative news page at https://gov.texas.gov/news/category/legislative.

This article originally appeared in the Houston Forward Times.

Chelsea Lenora White

Posts by Chelsea Lenora White

Up Next

COMMENTARY: Don’t All Deserve to be Welcomed and Fed?

Don't Miss

OP-ED: On Juneteenth we must remember our fight for freedom continues

Chelsea Lenora White

Click to comment

Advice

Support Your Child’s Mental Health: Medi-Cal Covers Therapy, Medication, and More

Published

2 days ago

December 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Shutterstock.

Advertorial

When children struggle emotionally, it can affect every part of their lives — at home, in school, with friends, and even their physical health. In many Black families, we’re taught to be strong and push through. But our kids don’t have to struggle alone. Medi-Cal provides mental health care for children and youth, with no referral or diagnosis required.

Through California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), the state is transforming how care is delivered. Services are now easier to access and better connected across mental health, physical health, and family support systems. CalAIM brings care into schools, homes, and communities, removing barriers and helping children get support early, before challenges escalate.

Help is Available, and it’s Covered

Under Medi-Cal, every child and teen under age 19 has the right to mental health care. This includes screenings, therapy, medication support, crisis stabilization, and help coordinating services. Parents, caregivers, and children age 12 or older can request a screening at any time, with no diagnosis or referral required.

Medi-Cal’s Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Program

For children and youth with more serious mental health needs, including those in foster care or involved in the justice system, Medi-Cal offers expanded support, including:

Family-centered and community-based therapy to address trauma, behavior challenges, or system involvement.
Wraparound care teams that help keep children safely at home or with relatives.
Activity funds that support healing through sports, art, music, and therapeutic camps.
Initial joint behavioral health visits, where a mental health provider and child welfare worker meet with the family early in a case.
Child welfare liaisons in Medi-Cal health plans who help caregivers and social workers get services for children faster

Keeping Kids Safe from Opioids and Harmful Drugs

DHCS is also working to keep young people safe as California faces rising risks from opioids and counterfeit pills. Programs like Elevate Youth California and Friday Night Live give teens mentorship, leadership opportunities, and positive outlets that strengthen mental well-being.

Through the California Youth Opioid Response, families can learn how to avoid dangerous substances and get treatment when needed. Song for Charlie provides parents and teens with facts and tools to talk honestly about mental health and counterfeit pills.

DHCS also supports groups like Young People in Recovery, which helps youth build skills for long-term healing, and the Youth Peer Mentor Program, which trains teens with lived experience to support others. These efforts are part of California’s strategy to protect young people, prevent overdoses, and help them make healthier choices.

Support for Parents and Caregivers

Children thrive when their caregivers are supported. Through CalAIM’s vision of whole-person care, Medi-Cal now covers dyadic services, visits where a child and caregiver meet together with a provider to strengthen bonding, manage stress, and address behavior challenges.

These visits may include screening the caregiver for depression or anxiety and connecting them to food, housing, or other health-related social needs, aligning with CalAIM’s Community Supports framework. Notably, only the child must be enrolled in Medi-Cal to receive dyadic care.

Family therapy is also covered and can take place in clinics, schools, homes, or via telehealth, reflecting CalAIM’s commitment to flexible, community-based care delivery.

Additionally, BrightLife Kids offers free tools, resources, and virtual coaching for caregivers and children ages 0–12. Families can sign up online or through the BrightLife Kids app. No insurance, diagnosis, or referral is required.

For teens and young adults ages 13–25, California offers Soluna, a free mental health app where young people can chat with coaches, learn coping skills, journal, or join supportive community circles. Soluna is free, confidential, available in app stores, and does not require insurance.

CalHOPE also provides free emotional support to all Californians through a 24/7 support line at (833) 317-HOPE (4673), online chat, and culturally responsive resources.

Support at School — Where Kids Already Are

Schools are often the first place where emotional stress is noticed. Through the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), public schools, community colleges, and universities can offer therapy, counseling, crisis support, and referrals at no cost to families.

Services are available during school breaks and delivered on campus, by phone or video, or at community sites. There are no copayments, deductibles, or bills.

Medi-Cal Still Covers Everyday Care

Medi-Cal continues to cover everyday mental health care, including therapy for stress, anxiety, depression, or trauma; medication support; crisis stabilization; hospital care when needed; and referrals to community programs through county mental health plans and Medi-Cal health plans.

How to Get Help

Talk to your child’s teacher, school counselor, or doctor.
In Alameda County call 510-272-3663 or the toll-free number 1-800-698-1118 and in San Francisco call 855-355-5757 to contact your county mental health plan to request an assessment or services.
If your child is not enrolled in Medi-Cal, you can apply at com or my.medi-cal.ca.gov.
In a mental health emergency, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Every child deserves to grow up healthy and supported. Medi-Cal is working to transform care so it’s accessible, equitable, and responsive to the needs of every family.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Black Women’s Think Tank Founder Kellie Todd Griffin

As the president and CEO of the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, Griffin is on a mission to shift the narrative and outcomes for Black women and girls. She founded the nation’s first Black Women’s Think Tank, securing $5 million in state funding to fuel policy change.

Published

2 days ago

December 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Kellie Todd Griffin. CBM file photo.

By Edward Henderson
California Black Media

With more than 25 years of experience spanning public affairs, community engagement, strategy, marketing, and communications, Kellie Todd Griffin is recognized across California as a leader who mobilizes people and policy around issues that matter.

Griffin spoke with California Black Media (CBM) about her successes and setbacks in 2025 and her hopes for 2026.

Looking back at 2025, what stands out to you as your most important achievement and why? 

Our greatest achievement in this year is we got an opportunity to honor the work of 35 Black women throughout California who are trailblazing the way for the next generation of leaders.

How did your leadership, efforts and investments as president and CEO California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians? 

We’re training the next leaders. We have been able to train 35 women over a two-year period, and we’re about to start a new cohort of another 30 women. We also have trained over 500 middle and high school girls in leadership, advocacy, and financial literacy.

What frustrated you the most over the last year?

Getting the question, “why.” Why advocate for Black women? Why invest in Black people, Black communities? It’s always constantly having to explain that, although we are aware that there are other populations that are in great need, the quality-of-life indices for Black Californians continue to decrease. Our life expectancies are decreasing. Our unhoused population is increasing. Our health outcomes remain the worst.

We’re not asking anyone to choose one group to prioritize. We are saying, though, in addition to your investments into our immigrant brothers and sisters – or our religious brothers and sisters – we are also asking you to uplift the needs of Black Californians. That way, all of us can move forward together.

What inspired you the most over the last year?

I’ve always been amazed by the joy of Black women in the midst of crisis.

That is really our secret sauce. We don’t let the current state of any issue take our joy from us. It may break us a little bit. We may get tired a little bit. But we find ways to express that – through the arts, through music, through poetry.

What is one lesson you learned in 2025 that will inform your decision-making next year?

Reset. It’s so important not to be sitting still. We have a new administration. We’re seeing data showing that Black women have the largest unemployment rate. We’ve lost so many jobs. We can have rest – we can be restful – but we have to continue the resistance.

In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians faced in 2025?

Motivation.

I choose motivation because of the tiredness. What is going to motivate us to be involved in 2026?

What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2026?

I want to get Black Californians in spaces and places of power and influence – as well as opportunities to thrive economically, socially, and physically.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

BRIDGE Housing President and CEO Ken Lombard Scores Top Honors for Affordable Housing Leadership

The Development Company of the Year honor represents a milestone for BRIDGE Housing, which received the Gold award—its top designation—in a category that included both affordable and market-rate developers. The recognition caps what has been one of the strongest growth periods in the organization’s 42-year history.

Published

2 days ago

December 14, 2025

Oakland Post

BRIDGE Housing President and CEO Ken Lombard. Courtesy of BRIDGE Housing.

By the Oakland Post Staff

San Francisco-based BRIDGE Housing and its president and CEO, Ken Lombard, have been named among the nation’s housing industry standouts, earning two of the top prizes at the 2025 Multi-Housing News Excellence Awards.

BRIDGE Housing was named Development Company of the Year, while Lombard received Executive of the Year, recognition that places the nonprofit affordable housing provider alongside leading national developers of both affordable and market-rate housing.

The awards were announced in New York for the accomplishments achieved during 2024.

Multi-Housing News is one of the industry’s most respected publications. Award winners are selected by a panel of housing professionals, including multifamily developers, architects, and owners.

“BRIDGE Housing is deeply honored to be recognized by Multi-Housing News and our industry peers,” Lombard said. “These awards are a testament to the high-impact, mission-driven work by BRIDGE’s exceptional team to deliver quality affordable housing and support services that empower residents to improve their lives.”

In 2024, BRIDGE significantly expanded its footprint across California, Oregon, and Washington. That momentum continued into 2025, with portfolio growth of 9%, including the addition of nine new communities and 1,187 new or acquired affordable housing units. The nonprofit also added three new projects to its development pipeline as it nears a portfolio of 16,000 units.

The growth reflects a broader strategy aimed at accelerating both acquisitions and ground-up development, supported by partnerships with major financial institutions and innovative capital markets strategies. BRIDGE has also emphasized high-quality design and deep community engagement as central elements of its approach.

BRIDGE became the first affordable housing developer to issue tax-exempt construction bonds for one of the largest affordable housing projects in Portland, Ore., leveraging its strong credit rating.

Earlier this year, the nonprofit launched the BRIDGE Housing Impact Fund, with a goal of investing $1 billion to preserve and create affordable housing. It also closed on $175 million in taxable general-obligation bonds after increasing the offering in response to strong investor demand.

The company’s performance also underscores the role of Lombard, who has led BRIDGE since 2021 and was honored individually for his leadership.

Under Lombard’s tenure, BRIDGE has built a new leadership team with experience drawn from both the nonprofit and private sectors, with a particular focus on what the organization describes as efforts to “break the status quo,” especially in affordable housing finance. Those initiatives have helped reduce capital and construction costs, strengthen relationships with institutional investors, and expand resident support services.

Today, BRIDGE Housing serves more than 33,000 residents across 139 communities on the West Coast.

“Ken has dedicated his career to innovative real estate solutions that improve the quality of life in underserved neighborhoods,” said Kenneth Novack, chair of BRIDGE Housing’s board of directors. “His visionary leadership and the work of our incredible team have positioned BRIDGE for long-term growth that will extend our impact throughout the West Coast.”

Founded in 1983, BRIDGE Housing has helped create more than 23,000 affordable homes with a total development cost of $6 billion.