Sponsored by: Rep. Mark Strama (D-Austin) and Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin)
Summary: Prevention Works! was a family planning and education initiative that would have expanded access to preventive family planning health care services and improved women's health overall. Prevention Works! (HB 1694/SB 1100) would have increased outreach and education so more eligible low-income women could learn about Texas' family planning programs. By expanding knowledge about state family planning programs, Texas could have increased access to vital health services that detect (and treat) manageable conditions and infections before they become more advanced, dangerous, and expensive to treat.Hb 1694/SB 1100 would have also required Texas public schools to inform parents about the content of their children’s school’s sex education program. Texas schools are not required to notify parents of the content of their student's sex education programs, and many parents are unaware that their children are not receiving comprehensive sex education.
Prevention Works! was a family planning and education initiative that would have expanded access to preventive family planning health care services and improved women's health overall.
Prevention Works! (HB 1694/SB 1100) would have increased outreach and education so more eligible low-income women could learn about Texas' family planning programs. By expanding knowledge about state family planning programs, Texas could have increased access to vital health services that detect (and treat) manageable conditions and infections before they become more advanced, dangerous, and expensive to treat.
PPNT Position: Strongly Support - Prevention Works! would have helped to prevent unintended pregnancies and improve the health and wellness of Texas women and young people. By increasing enrollment in these programs, Texas could have saved taxpayers money and alleviated pressure on the public health services. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, for every $1 spent on family planning, $4 is saved in Medicaid costs for prenatal, delivery, and first-year infant care. Medicaid currently pays for more than half of all births in Texas, costing $2.2 billion of public health dollars each year. These bill would have also kept parents informed of the content of their children’s sex education curriculum and their rights as parents. In a 2004 Scripps Howard poll, 90% of Texans surveyed said they favored teaching teens comprehensive sex education. However, most school sex education programs only discuss abstinence and fail to include vital information on the benefits of condoms and contraception. Parents simply deserve to know this fact. Prevention Works! is sound public policy for women, families, and our state.
Strongly Support - Prevention Works! would have helped to prevent unintended pregnancies and improve the health and wellness of Texas women and young people. By increasing enrollment in these programs, Texas could have saved taxpayers money and alleviated pressure on the public health services.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, for every $1 spent on family planning, $4 is saved in Medicaid costs for prenatal, delivery, and first-year infant care. Medicaid currently pays for more than half of all births in Texas, costing $2.2 billion of public health dollars each year.
These bill would have also kept parents informed of the content of their children’s sex education curriculum and their rights as parents. In a 2004 Scripps Howard poll, 90% of Texans surveyed said they favored teaching teens comprehensive sex education. However, most school sex education programs only discuss abstinence and fail to include vital information on the benefits of condoms and contraception. Parents simply deserve to know this fact.
Prevention Works! is sound public policy for women, families, and our state.
Latest Action: 5/12/2009 - HB 1694 was left pending in House Public Education committee. 5/26/2009 - SB 1100 was left pending in Senate Health & Human Services committee.
5/12/2009 - HB 1694 was left pending in House Public Education committee.
5/26/2009 - SB 1100 was left pending in Senate Health & Human Services committee.
Recorded Votes: None.
None.
