HUGE TEXAS-SIZED TAH DAH!! - 5/17/07

[Smartmarriages]

- HUGE TEXAS-SIZED TAH DAH!!

Texas passed a 1% Solution bill. They will set aside 1% of state TANF
dollars for a preventive, upstream marriage-education approach!! That would
be $7.5 million a year for marriage education.  Plus they passed a separate
marriage-license-incentive marriage education bill.  Hats off to Texas!!   -
diane   

Attend the "how to do this in your state" session Friday afternoon in
Denver:

> 320
> Getting State Money: The 1% Solution
> Chris Gersten
> Learn how to access state marriage money ­ how to open doors and build
> relationships with state and federal elected and appointed officials.


>  
> Press release:   For Immediate Release
> 
> Contact:  Maggie Russell 281-528-0480
> 
> The Texas Senate passed historic legislation to strengthen existing marriages
> and give couples considering marriage the skills and knowledge they need to
> form healthy marriages.
> 
> The Senate passed HB 2683 by a vote of 26 to 5. "This legislation will provide
> thousands of Texas couples the tools they need to sustain healthy marriages"
> said Maggie Russell, Chair of the Texas Fatherhood and Marriage Leadership
> Institute (FAMLI).  Russell said: "Thousands of Texas couples get divorced
> every year because they have not had access to marriage skills building
> classes."  
> 
> Arlene Wohlgemuth, President of Three Point Strategies and the former Texas
> House Member from Burleson said "Texas will now become the nation's leader in
> the effort to provide marriage and pre-marital skills building classes to
> those who need it most.  Texas also won more money in the recently allocated
> Federal Healthy Marriage grants from the Department of Health and Human
> Services than any other state in the nation other than California."
> 
> Under HB2683, the total funding for the marriage skills programs will be
> $7.5Million per year.  Supporters are working to ensure that the
> appropriations bill reflects the vote of the House and Senate for 1% of the
> total TANF Block Grant to be allocated to the Healthy Marriage Initiative.
> 
> Wohlgemuth added: "All the credit goes to Representative Chisum (R-Pampa ).
> Without his leadership in the House Appropriations Committee and on the House
> Floor, this legislation would never have seen the light of day.²
> 
> The Senate also passed HB 2685 which waives the current marriage license fee
> for couples who go through a pre-marriage education class of at least 8 hours.
> 
> The Texas House passed both bills in April.
>  

**************************
Copyright CMFCE. All rights reserved.

To SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE to this Free listserv, or change your subscription
address, use the form at (http://www.smartmarriages.com). Click Newsletter
in the column under the puzzle piece.

Please respect our copyright. If you wish to use any of our content send an
email to request permission.

Send submissions and comments for the listserv to: diane at smartmarriages.com
Do NOT hit "reply". If you hit reply your email will go into cyberspace and
NO ONE will see your email.

This is a moderated list. Submissions and comments are read by Diane Sollee,
editor. Please indicate if your comment is NOT to be shared with the list.
PLEASE include your email address or url as part of your signature.

Please also understand that with thousands of subscribers, not all comments
can be shared. Also realize that opinions expressed are not necessarily
shared by members of the Coalition.

To read past posts to the newslist, visit the Archive at:
http://lists101.his.com/pipermail/smartmarriages/

11th Annual Smart Marriages Conference, Denver Adam's Mark Hotel,
June 28-July 1, 2007
Downlaod a brochure: http://www.smartmarriages.com/Brochure.07.pdf

List your program and resources on the Directory of Classes at
http://www.smartmarriages.com

Order conference audio & video CD/DVD/MP3s: 800-241-7785 or
http://www.iPlaybackSmartMarriages.com

Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education, LLC (CMFCE)
Diane Sollee, Director
5310 Belt Rd NW, Washington, DC 20015-1961
http://www.smartmarriages.com
202-362-3332