A bill that would have lessened the protections for adult children with IDD when their parents were pursuing guardianship of the individual did not pass. While House Bill 1675 was based on a family’s personal experience, the legislation would have stripped due process rights from all Texans with IDD in their transition to adulthood. The wholesale response and education in opposition to this bill and its ultimate non-passage reveals the power of advocacy efforts from individuals with IDD and connected to the IDD community.
The bill was heard in the House early on in session when most people were not vaccinated and could not safely provide input at the Capitol. This was especially true for Texans with IDD, who are at higher risk of serious impacts from COVID-19. Although The Arc of Texas provided written input and a few people did testify in opposition in person, the bill passed almost unanimously in the House. However, when the bill was heard in the Senate Jurisprudence Committee in May, there was a large turnout from stakeholders across the guardianship and disability system, all in staunch opposition to the bill. Listen to or read a transcript of testimony provided by Public Policy & Advocacy Coordinator Nate Lyon.
We understand there are areas in the guardianship process that need to be addressed, such as cost and consistency in processes for counties, but the bill had far too many unintended consequences. As many of those testifying shared, the bill was the wrong solution to address guardianship reform, and true reform of the system deserves adequate time and stakeholder input. We look forward to working with stakeholders and legislators during the interim on solutions that work for all Texans.