🟡Relating to family support services provided under a Health and Human Services Commission program.

🟡 SB 1388: Tightens Eligibility for Family Aid Contracts

What it says it does:
SB 1388 claims to strengthen the state’s Thriving Texas Families program, which funds counseling, supplies, and other aid for women in unplanned pregnancies. The stated goal is to ensure those services align with the program’s “life-affirming mission.”

What it actually changes:
The bill limits who can receive state funds. It excludes hospitals, hospital districts, government entities, and most medical or behavioral health providers. Contractors must certify each year that they do not provide, promote, or affiliate with any abortion-related activities. Existing nonprofit contractors stay eligible through a legacy clause, effectively locking in the current vendor network.

Who is pushing for it:
Support in the records comes from Texas Right to Life, Texas Alliance for Life, Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, Texas Values, Guiding Star Southwest, Texans for Life, and several pregnancy center networks.

Who benefits:
Large, established nonprofit networks already aligned with the program’s mission and certification rules. These groups keep access to state funds with less competition from hospitals or public health systems.

Who gets left out or exposed:
Hospitals, local health districts, and other medical providers that previously connected families to these services lose eligibility. That’s a significant gap for rural areas where hospitals are the only accessible care hubs.

Why this matters long term:
SB 1388 channels public dollars into private nonprofit pipelines and reduces public oversight. It creates a long-term structure that favors ideologically aligned organizations while keeping decision-making within HHSC and private networks.

What to watch next:
How HHSC defines performance indicators, how results are reported to the public, and whether smaller centers can compete fairly with large legacy contractors.

Bottom line:
This bill limits who can help families while protecting existing networks. The intent is clear, but it risks leaving rural and public health systems on the sidelines when families need the most support.

Questions to ask lawmakers:

1. How will rural families be served if their local hospital cannot participate in this program?
2. What safeguards ensure the public can clearly see how funds are used and whether outcomes improve?
3. Would you support reviewing the program in a few years to see if narrowing eligibility actually helped families?

#SB1388 #TexasPolicy #FamilySupport #PublicHealth #WatchTheRules