AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Many state-funded Texas adoption agencies routinely deny non-Christian, gay, and unmarried applicants on religious grounds - and now they are backing legislation being considered Tuesday by the state House designed to protect them from potential lawsuits.
The private organizations, which are paid by the state to place foster children with adoptive families, want to continue the practice and are seeking legal protections through Texas’ “Freedom to Serve Children Act,” which is up for consideration Tuesday in the GOP-controlled House. If it clears the House, the bill heads to the even more conservative Senate and then for an approval signature by Gov. Greg Abbott, who has not commented on the bill.
The bill would be the nation’s second allowing state-funded adoption agencies to reject families on religious grounds. South Dakota passed similar legislation in March but it’s too soon to measure its practical effects. While the Texas proposal may not pass constitutional muster, that hasn’t stopped the state’s lawmakers before, who have in previous years approved a voter ID law and abortion restrictions that were overturned in court.
Randy Daniels, vice-president of Child and Family Services for the Dallas-based Christian child welfare organization Buckner International, said religious agencies are terrified of lawsuits for turning away parents.
“We want to make sure we can practice within the framework of our sincerely held religious beliefs,” said Daniels.
Buckner only accepts Christian heterosexual couples who have been married for at least four years, in addition to some single individuals - which is more liberal than many other faith-based groups, which refuse single parents, said Daniels.
“These are our requirements, and we’re clear, this is just who we are,” said Daniels. “We want to make sure that groups like Buckner continue to have a place at the table because we bring solutions.”
___
TRANSGENDER WRESTLER
The Texas Senate has given preliminary approval to a bill that would let state officials ban a transgender wrestling champion from competing.
The measure comes after Trinity Euless junior Mack Beggs, who is transitioning from female to male, won a Texas state girls wrestling championship. Recently adopted University Interscholastic League rules required Beggs to compete as a girl, the gender listed on his birth certificate.
Beggs’ case drew national attention as he had been taking steroids as part of his transition. A lawsuit was filed to try to stop him competing.
The bill would require transitioning athletes like Beggs to turn over their medical records to the UIL. The organization could then determine if the athlete’s steroid use compromised the safety of opponents or created an unfair advantage in competition.
___
IMMIGRATION LOCKUP CHILD CARE
Texas lawmakers are advancing a proposal to license family immigrant detention centers as child care providers.
The state Senate voted 20-11 Tuesday to approve a bill that would allow Texas to license two family lockdowns, despite past state court rulings that such facilities do not meet requirements to care for kids.
The bill would enable detention facilities to hold families for prolonged stays, which advocates say would further children’s psychological harm.
The private prison company GEO Group has lobbied for the bill, which could help its 830-bed Karnes Residential Facility remain open.
That lockup, which mainly holds women and children seeking asylum from Central America, earns GEO $55 million annually.
Recently Karnes’ population has plummeted, since fewer immigrant families are crossing the border into the U.S.
___
TEXAS TRAVEL WARNING
The American Civil Liberties Union has issued a warning about traveling to Texas because of the state’s new law banning so-called sanctuary cities.
The ACLU said Tuesday that Texas travelers should anticipate “the possible violation of their constitutional rights” if stopped by police. The new law allows officers to ask people about their immigration status during routine stops.
Firing back at the ACLU, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted that a person has “nothing to worry about” if they’re not breaking the law.
The law signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday doesn’t take effect until September. Republicans reject claims that the law will lead to racial profiling and say it’s needed to keep criminals off the streets.
ACLU officials have pledged to challenge the law in court. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday that he hopes more governors follow Abbott’s lead on sanctuary cities.
___
ANTI-HAZING BILL
The Texas Senate has approved a bill expanding the definition of hazing in civil and criminal cases.
Laredo Democratic Sen. Judith Zaffirini’s measure is designed to curb hazing at universities. It spells out as hazing those cases involving coerced consumption of alcohol and drugs - which can be common during fraternity pledges and other campus situations.
Zaffirini said current state statue on hazing is often too vague. Her bill further bars those who carry out hazing incidents from seeking immunity from prosecution when reporting their own hazing.
It was approved by a vote of 24-7 on Tuesday and now heads to the state House. A similar bill passed the Senate unanimously in 2015 but stalled in the House without reaching a floor vote.
___
ON DECK
The House is going late into the night as it tries to make some headway on items that have been on the legislative calendar since Saturday but remained bogged down. The Senate is adjourned until Wednesday at 11 a.m.
___
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Because of the action we took, children in Texas are going to be worse off” - Rep. Helen Giddings, D-Dallas, after her non-controversial bill that would have prevented so-called public “shaming” of students who families fall behind on paying for their school-provided lunches was delayed - and probably killed - by a parliamentary maneuver on the House floor.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.