Legislation mixed, sliced, baked and done. Now what?

The 81st Texas State Legislative Session is history. This is the time when we advocates need to discover the good, bad and the ugly accomplished by those fine folks in Austin. We will be living with the results, after all. That’s why it is important to participate in the process. You know what they say about the squeaky wheel…

It is easy to begin getting involved, because The Arc of Texas is doing a great deal of research, relationship building, planning and more, then filtering the critical issues down to us.

I encourage you to visit The Arc of Texas and check out a couple of things:

First, register to receive the free Texas Talk E-Newsletter. This is a fast and simple way to make sure that you remain current on topics of interest and to learn how to hone your advocacy skills.

Second, get “legislatively de-briefed” by visiting the two parts of the “Legislative Wrap-Up” that are linked to The Arc of Texas homepage. You will see the great work your advocacy efforts achieved and get a leg-up on where you need to focus your efforts between sessions.
Discover Partners Resource Network.

Another perspective on the session can be found at Partners Resource Network’s website. Here you can discover what happened to many of the bills designed to address education issues.
(Partners Resource Network (PRN) is a non-profit agency that operates the statewide network of federally funded Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI's) in Texas. The PTI Projects are: PATH, PEN, and TEAM.)

“The programs and services of PRN are based on the concept of parents helping parents. Our mission is to empower parents of children and youth with disabilities in their roles as parents, decision makers, and advocates for their children and to promote partnerships among parents and professionals.”In their own words, “Our web site is designed to provide timely information and to link the visitor with other resources in Texas and the nation. Our goal is to make a positive difference in the lives of infants, toddlers, children and young adults with disabilities and their families who live in the great State of Texas.”

And now a word to Self-Advocates…

Self-advocates, you will really appreciate a great book that helps you understand some really important issues. The name of the book is “We Have Human Rights: A Human Rights Handbook for People with Developmental Disabilities.” (click title to view) The handbook covers topics ranging from respect to inclusion to politics.

Texas State Legislature and the Basics

One more thing that I always find helpful is to visit Texas State Legislature On-Line . Here anyone can re-visit “How a Bill Becomes Law.” This is a site that you can share with newbie advocates as well as seasoned ones. The site also helps you help friends who are wondering how to figure our the name of their government representatives. A simple “fill in the blanks” and “bam” approach creates one less barrier to advocacy.

What’s standing in your way now? Let me hear from you.