Major Sex Education Legislation in House Public Education Committee
Posted by Texas Education on April 1, 2009
Lege update from TFN:
Deeply flawed abstinence-only programs that have a stranglehold on sexuality education in Texas have failed our families for more than 13 years. Yesterday, however, the House Public Education Committee held a public hearing on two bills that would dramatically improve sexuality education in Texas schools:
- HB 1567 by Rep. Mike Villarreal, D – San Antonio, requires scientific accuracy in all classroom materials or discussions involving condoms or other forms of contraception and disease prevention, and it prohibits instructors or materials from discouraging their use. Click here to read more about this bill.
- HB 741 (“Education Works” bill) by Rep. Joaquin Castro, D – San Antonio, requires that sexuality education classes in Texas public schools include comprehensive, or “abstinence-plus,” information about condoms and other forms of contraception and disease prevention. Click here to read more about this bill.
TFN joined a number of health education professionals and grassroots supporters who testified in support of these important bills yesterday. In fact, speakers supporting responsible sexuality education far outnumbered opponents determined to keep teens ignorant of the information they need to make important life decisions. (Read TFN’s press release about these bills.)
Now it’s important to persuade committee members to approve these bills and send them to the full House for consideration.
Take Action!
Contact House Public Education Committee members and express your support for HB 1567 and HB 741. Encourage the members to vote in support of these two bills. Remind them that Texas has one of the highest teen birth rates in the country. Teens need medically accurate information about responsible pregnancy and disease prevention to protect themselves.
You can send e-mails to House Public Education Committee members by clicking on their names below: Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, Chair
Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston, Vice Chair
Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen
Rep. Harold V. Dutton, Jr., D-Houston
Rep. Joe Farias, D-San Antonio
Rep. Jim Jackson, R-Carrollton
Rep. Diane Patrick, R-Arlington
Rep. Mark Shelton, R-Fort Worth
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