Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Texas Tribune reports:
Unlicensed religious chaplains would be allowed to work in Texas public schools under a bill passed by the Texas Legislature on Wednesday. Senate Bill 763 was approved in an 84-60 vote in the Texas House, one day after it passed the Texas Senate. It allows Texas schools to use safety funds to pay for unlicensed chaplains to work in mental health roles. Volunteer chaplains will also be allowed in schools.
House Democrats offered amendments to bar proselytizing or attempts to convert students from one religion to another; to require chaplains to receive consent from the parents of school children; and to make schools provide chaplains from any faith or denomination requested by students. All of those amendments failed. Rep. Cole Hefner, who authored the House version of the bill, said in debates that local school boards will be allowed to set requirements for chaplains.
Read the full article. Rep. Cole Hefner [photo above] has seven children and was elected with the endorsement of the Texas Home School Coalition.
Earlier this week outlets reported that the bill had already been given final approval, but it appears that was not the case due to unresolved attempts at amendments.
As I reported on Monday, the bill is the work of a Texas evangelist who falsely testified to the Texas House that the chaplains will not be “working to convert people to religion.”
In fact, his organization has been open about their desire to proselytize to public school students.
Unlicensed religious chaplains could work mental health roles in Texas public schools under a bill the Legislature passed.
Critics fear the bill is an attempt at evangelizing kids and will worsen mental health through disproven counseling approaches. https://t.co/Bbup8Pv6Vt
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 24, 2023
When the Texas House was debating SB763, the bill that allows districts to replace counselors with chaplains, @DiegoBernalTX flat out asked Cole Hefner if a district could replace ALL counselors with chaplains. The answer was YES.#txlege #txed pic.twitter.com/NixV3KV18D
— Christopher Tackett @[email protected] (@cjtackett) May 10, 2023
Thank you State Rep. Cole Hefner for trusting me to continue fighting for Texas. I am honored to have your endorsement in my campaign for re-election as Attorney General. pic.twitter.com/QG30uFTxho
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) April 20, 2022
Texas Right to Life proudly endorses Honorable Cole Hefner, who is fighting to place a conservative Speaker of The House. #TXLege #TXPol pic.twitter.com/WXexMKmUsL
— Texas Right to Life (Text ProLife to 40237) (@TXRightToLife) October 25, 2017
? Rep. @ColeHefnerTX “I think it’s preposterous that members in here would defend the acts of certain inappropriate drag shows in our schools and inappropriate materials in our libraries and then have the audacity to say [chaplains in schools] are a problem.”#txlege pic.twitter.com/m2eVWrZLsD
— Texas Freedom Caucus (@TxFreedomCaucus) May 24, 2023
Last night I was proud to vote in support of SB 14! The bill passed 92-48 and is headed to 3rd reading on Monday, and soon to the Governor. The Texas House is working hard to ban the practice of child gender modification. pic.twitter.com/jEVJ9Q1aid
— Rep. Cole Hefner (@ColeHefnerTX) May 13, 2023