On March 21st, the whole THSC Policy team and I were in Austin for an all-day hearing in the Texas Senate in the Education Committee.
Testimony was taken on four bills that would empower parents by giving them more choices in the education of their children.
Those bills were SB 8 by Senate Education Committee Chairman, Brandon Creighton, SB 2483 by Senator Angela Paxton, SB 176 by Senator Mayes Middleton, and SB 2354 by Senator Paul Bettencourt.
All of these bills, while different, would give parents more options for their children.
Jeremy Newman, THSC’s Vice President of Policy and Engagement, and myself were invited by a couple of the bill authors to give testimony in support of the bills. In addition, Senator Paxton presented SJR 29, an amendment to the Texas Constitution that would enshrine the right of parents to direct the education of their children in the Bill of Rights of the Texas Constitution. Jeremy gave testimony in support of that measure. I gave testimony in support of SB 176 by Senator Middleton.
THSC’s position on these kinds of measures is that we will support any bill that empowers parents and does not negatively impact homeschoolers.
As I record this, SB 8 has since been voted out of the Senate and sent to the Texas House.
On April 11, the Texas House Education Committee heard four more education choice bills. HB 3781, HB 4340, HB 4807, and HB 619.
Representative Frank, a homeschool dad and former board member of THSC, presented HB 4340 first and laid out a compelling case for why the state should trust parent’s to make decisions for their children.
The witnesses on the bill appeared to be roughly 2/1 in favor of the legislation. The hearing stretched far into the early morning hours of the next day as the other bills were also laid out and witnesses testified. Our team was there to testify on all of the bills and defend homeschooling to the committee members.
THSC will continue to focus on protecting and expanding the freedom for parents to raise their children as they see fit, just as we have done for almost 40 years.
Thank you for standing with us in that critical mission.
Tim Lambert, THSC President
Tim Lambert, has been the president of the Texas Home School Coalition since 1990 and involved in homeschool leadership since 1984. He and his wife Lyndsay taught their four now-grown children at home for 16 years, graduating the last two in 2000. As the head of the organization for the leading home school state in the country, he is recognized as an authority on home education issues.
Tim has testified before numerous Texas legislative committees on issues related to homeschooling and often deals with state government agencies, including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. He has also addressed such conferences as the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers on the topic. He holds a B.A. in political science from Texas Tech University and is active in the political arena, serving eight years as Republican National Committeeman for Texas. Tim is committed to serving the homeschooling community and to protecting parents’ right to choose the method of education of their children.
On March 21st, the whole THSC Policy team and I were in Austin for an all-day hearing in the Texas Senate in the Education Committee.
Testimony was taken on four bills that would empower parents by giving them more choices in the education of their children.
Those bills were SB 8 by Senate Education Committee Chairman, Brandon Creighton, SB 2483 by Senator Angela Paxton, SB 176 by Senator Mayes Middleton, and SB 2354 by Senator Paul Bettencourt.
All of these bills, while different, would give parents more options for their children.
Jeremy Newman, THSC’s Vice President of Policy and Engagement, and myself were invited by a couple of the bill authors to give testimony in support of the bills. In addition, Senator Paxton presented SJR 29, an amendment to the Texas Constitution that would enshrine the right of parents to direct the education of their children in the Bill of Rights of the Texas Constitution. Jeremy gave testimony in support of that measure. I gave testimony in support of SB 176 by Senator Middleton.
THSC’s position on these kinds of measures is that we will support any bill that empowers parents and does not negatively impact homeschoolers.
As I record this, SB 8 has since been voted out of the Senate and sent to the Texas House.
On April 11, the Texas House Education Committee heard four more education choice bills. HB 3781, HB 4340, HB 4807, and HB 619.
Representative Frank, a homeschool dad and former board member of THSC, presented HB 4340 first and laid out a compelling case for why the state should trust parent’s to make decisions for their children.
The witnesses on the bill appeared to be roughly 2/1 in favor of the legislation. The hearing stretched far into the early morning hours of the next day as the other bills were also laid out and witnesses testified. Our team was there to testify on all of the bills and defend homeschooling to the committee members.
THSC will continue to focus on protecting and expanding the freedom for parents to raise their children as they see fit, just as we have done for almost 40 years.
Thank you for standing with us in that critical mission.
Tim Lambert, THSC President
Tim Lambert, has been the president of the Texas Home School Coalition since 1990 and involved in homeschool leadership since 1984. He and his wife Lyndsay taught their four now-grown children at home for 16 years, graduating the last two in 2000. As the head of the organization for the leading home school state in the country, he is recognized as an authority on home education issues.
Tim has testified before numerous Texas legislative committees on issues related to homeschooling and often deals with state government agencies, including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. He has also addressed such conferences as the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers on the topic. He holds a B.A. in political science from Texas Tech University and is active in the political arena, serving eight years as Republican National Committeeman for Texas. Tim is committed to serving the homeschooling community and to protecting parents’ right to choose the method of education of their children.
