Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on January 18 that $1 million in grants were awarded to support a two-year pilot program, Texas Talent Connection. The program connects foster youth and sex trafficking victims, ages 16 to 25, to workforce education programs and services that will help them find and keep jobs, leading to independence and self-sufficiency.
“Every Texan deserves the opportunity to live lives worthy of their potential,” said Abbott in a press release. “Foster youth and young adults who have been victims of sex trafficking are especially vulnerable and often need support to overcome obstacles in their path. The First Lady and I thank the Local Workforce Development Boards and Texas employers for joining with us to help these young Texans on the path to self-sufficiency, career success, and a lifetime of opportunities.”
Earlier this week, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced the creation of a free online course, “HEART,” which stands for “Hearing, Evaluating, Activating, Resourcing and Training.” The course teaches “health care providers how to recognize the signs or red flags of trafficking, support the well-being of at-risk individuals, and understand how trauma impacts overall health outcomes.”
Abbott’s office also announced on January 17 that Deborah “Debbie” Carlisle, Kyle Cox, Angela “Angie” Panzica, and Jaime Thomas had been appointed to the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, and Scott McAvoy and Randell Resneder were reappointed to the council.
According to their website, the council’s mission is to “create change so that all people with disabilities are fully included in their communities and have control over their own lives.”
The last bit of news out of Abbott’s office on January 17 is that the governor appointed Brad Wright and Todd A. Williams to the Permanent School Fund Corporation Board of Directors.
The newly created board oversees the investment of the multi-billion dollar Permanent School Fund, a source of funding for Texas public schools.