The Core Blog

Updated: March 27, 2017 Several great bills have been filed this session to improve how courts handle fines and court costs in criminal cases, so that people are able to resolve what they owe while avoiding the counterproductive cycle of debt, warrants and jail time that often results. Here are a few of the bills that Texas Appleseed strongly supports: Senate Bill 1913 (Zaffirini) was drafted based on 2016 recommendations on court costs approved by

Updated: March 27, 2017 Currently, there are six bills related to asset forfeiture that have been sent to the either the State Affairs or Criminal Justice Committees in the Senate and nine bills that have been sent to the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee in the House. The most comprehensive of these bills are companion bills SB 380 (Burton) and HB 1364 (Thompson). These identical bills will repeal civil asset forfeiture and establish criminal asset forfeiture. Simply

Updated March 14, 2017 Three bills that would significantly reduce suspensions for young students were filed this legislative session: SB 370 by Senator Sylvia Garcia, HB 674 by Representative Eric Johnson, and HB 2616 by Representative Helen Giddings. Senator Garcia’s bill prohibits the use of suspensions and alternative school placements for minor behaviors for students in Pre-K through 2nd grades. Representative Johnson’s bill prohibits out-of-school suspensions for students younger than six years old. Representative Giddings’

Updated: March 13, 2017 The Texas House Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee considered HB 122 (Dutton) on March 8, 2017, one of several “raise the age” bills filed in the House. The Committee heard testimony in support of the bill from advocates, district court judges, concerned parents, and several young people whose lives have been affected by their involvement at age 17 with the criminal justice system. Lexus Cubero is one of these young

Stay up-to-date on our top priorities during the 85th Legislative Session. This issue falls under our Criminal Justice Reform work. Texas' jails are full of people who have not been convicted of any crime, but who are awaiting trial, costing the counties an estimated $905 million annually. The current system for making pretrial release decisions leads to individuals being detained primarily based on whether they have enough money to afford bail; low-income individuals remain in

Stay up-to-date on our top priorities during the 85th Legislative Session. This issue falls under our Children & Youth work. Texas Appleseed continues to support measures to improve school police training and data collection. Following the passage of House Bill 2684 in 2015, police officers in all school districts in Texas with more than 30,000 students are required to have at least 16 hours of youth-focused training. Unfortunately, the law does not require training for

Stay up-to-date on our top priorities during the 85th Legislative Session. This issue falls under our Children & Youth work. While the number of Class C charges filed against juveniles has dropped dramatically in the wake of 2013 reforms that eliminated ticketing of schoolchildren for minor misbehavior, for the more than 60,000 youth who are charged, the consequences are still severe. A Class C conviction results in high fines and a criminal record that can

Stay up-to-date on our top priorities during the 85th Legislative Session. This issue falls under our Fair Financial Services work: When someone is no longer able to manage their own money or property due to age, illness or another factor, they hope that they have entrusted their money to someone who is financially responsible and ethical. But, we know that abuse and exploitation occurs. Texas Appleseed supports creating better systems for financial service providers to

Stay up-to-date on our top priorities during Texas' 85th Legislative Session. This issue falls under Courts & Due Process: Texans without an attorney to represent them are often at a disadvantage during the legal process. Research shows few resources exist for pro-se litigants in Texas, and where there is information, it is inconsistent and difficult to access. To help improve the justice system, Texas Appleseed advocates that court websites must have links to self-help resources

With the 85th Session of the Texas Legislature in full swing, we wanted to share the list of priorities that Texas Appleseed will be working on. You can stay updated on specific issues and bills here. We'll have blog posts covering each issue, which we'll update throughout session. Criminal Justice Reform End Jail Time for Unpaid Fines in Texas Too often, traffic tickets and fines in other low-level misdemeanor cases derail low-income Texans' lives, sending

Hear Board Chair Elizabeth Mack, Founding Board Chair Greg Huffman, and long-time board member David Sharp talk about why they think the work of Texas Appleseed is important. Bonus: if Texas Appleseed were an animal, what kind of animal would it be? If you agree with them on why what we do matters, please consider an end-of-year donation. Board Members on the Importance of Our Work Video of Board Members on the Importance of Our

We asked three of our board members, current Chair Elizabeth Mack, founding Chair, Greg Huffman, and long-time board member David Sharp, to reflect on their experiences and highlights with Texas Appleseed. We are proud to have such an amazing and involved board, and we're glad that the feeling is reciprocated, at least by these three board members. Board Member Reflections on Texas Appleseed Video of Board Member Reflections on Texas Appleseed