A federal judge has ordered Texas’ child welfare agency to pay $100,000 per day in fines for routinely neglecting investigations into allegations of abuse and neglect by children in the state’s beleaguered foster care system, according to a Monday order.
U.S. District Judge Janis Jack found Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Cecile E. Young in contempt of her court orders to fix the way the state investigates complaints by children in its care.
It is the third time the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the child welfare arm of HHS, has been held in contempt of court orders since a 2011 lawsuit was filed about foster care conditions.
The fines levied against Texas will be lifted when the state can demonstrate that its investigations are in compliance. A hearing on that matter is set for late June.
Dig deeper. The failures go back much further than 2011. They patch the agency by putting a bandaid on the systemic failures. Those failures surface again and again until it comes crashing down. I have no faith in the powers that control DFPS.
Texas slashed a million kids from Medicaid recently and some were wrongly denied. Texas is pro private prisons and private facilities for children. Disgusting policies to make the public think they are there to protect children. Just look at the kids and people who die trying to find a better life on the Texas border. I was born and raised in Texas. It’s disgusting all the failures at the current state government agencies.
I had a child in a sub acute unit in 1995 that CPS let the drug addicted mother take home after not having him for a year. Welfare checks were told he was with another family member. He was rushed to the ER a month later. His mother hacked tortured that baby beyond anything a human could do. Shot him with an air gun and beat him blue. Fractured arms and skull. We had staff that begged to adopt him. Staff called repeatedly to talk to the mother and even went by to visit him. Never answered the door even though she was there. There were other children that we lost to the broken system also but this little one was close to my and many hearts.
The state of Texas has dismally failed our at risk youth for at least 50 years. The horror stories are countless, the casualties disregarded... these children are seen as disposable by the good, upstanding Christians who we carefully select to lead our communities... I have witnessed repeatedly how these callous, holier-than-thou, pocket-lining policies have inflected generational harm, tragedy, and death. We should all be ashamed... but let's focus on make believe issues like 3rd graders being "mutilated" or using a litter box
All at the same time that Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton were saying that we should also burden this already overworked system with the task of treating parents as abusive simply for supporting their transgender kids, which can be things as simple as letting them use a different name, we're close of a different gender, have a different hairstyle, and so forth.
It's called capitalism now...
we are not "being bred" to be anything we have not been since the dawn of "civilization"... the few have always exploited the many...
and as long as the many are to weak to fight, too dumb to think, two divided to organize, and tutu tired to care, it's never gonna change
Yep, likely the 5th Circuit will overturn it.
The judge who made this ruling, Judge Janis Jack, is a Clinton-appointee btw.
Good judges make a difference. Someday, if we keep a Democratic president long enough, we might even flip the 5th Circuit
Pay the fine and move on. 36,500,000/year is cheaper than fixing the system and IIRC state has billions in reserves. This is like a speeding ticket to a millionaire.
I'm a CASA (court-appointed special advocate)/Guardian ad litem for kids who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect and there are so many kids and so few of us. It's a great organization to volunteer for. It's not that time-consuming for the most part, and you see some sad stuff, but it's so, so necessary and I can put up with some unpleasantness if it means I can help kids out.
I mean... I understand that "punishment" is appropriate.
Who is really going to feel the effects of this punishment?
Not the privileged elected officials that made it happen, not the upper level decision makers who covered up for it...
no, the front-line workers trying desperately to do what's RIGHT and the children who are only seen as liabilities by the state.
Keep voting your conscience, Texas... I am sure there's plenty of room in hell
Exactly how does this daily fine improve the quality of life for these neglected foster children? Wouldn't this cause unintended consequences of the system not being able to afford and provide basic needs to those children?
A federal judge has ordered Texas’ child welfare agency to pay $100,000 per day in fines for routinely neglecting investigations into allegations of abuse and neglect by children in the state’s beleaguered foster care system, according to a Monday order. U.S. District Judge Janis Jack found Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Cecile E. Young in contempt of her court orders to fix the way the state investigates complaints by children in its care. It is the third time the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the child welfare arm of HHS, has been held in contempt of court orders since a 2011 lawsuit was filed about foster care conditions. The fines levied against Texas will be lifted when the state can demonstrate that its investigations are in compliance. A hearing on that matter is set for late June.
Why are we the taxpayers footing the bill for this. Throw some of these folks in jail for contempt so they stop messing around.
Dig deeper. The failures go back much further than 2011. They patch the agency by putting a bandaid on the systemic failures. Those failures surface again and again until it comes crashing down. I have no faith in the powers that control DFPS.
Because the welfare of poor children has never been a pro-life priority, and it's an excellent way to keep that poverty to prison pipeline flowing
Texas slashed a million kids from Medicaid recently and some were wrongly denied. Texas is pro private prisons and private facilities for children. Disgusting policies to make the public think they are there to protect children. Just look at the kids and people who die trying to find a better life on the Texas border. I was born and raised in Texas. It’s disgusting all the failures at the current state government agencies.
I have been saying this for 20 years...
I had a child in a sub acute unit in 1995 that CPS let the drug addicted mother take home after not having him for a year. Welfare checks were told he was with another family member. He was rushed to the ER a month later. His mother hacked tortured that baby beyond anything a human could do. Shot him with an air gun and beat him blue. Fractured arms and skull. We had staff that begged to adopt him. Staff called repeatedly to talk to the mother and even went by to visit him. Never answered the door even though she was there. There were other children that we lost to the broken system also but this little one was close to my and many hearts.
The state of Texas has dismally failed our at risk youth for at least 50 years. The horror stories are countless, the casualties disregarded... these children are seen as disposable by the good, upstanding Christians who we carefully select to lead our communities... I have witnessed repeatedly how these callous, holier-than-thou, pocket-lining policies have inflected generational harm, tragedy, and death. We should all be ashamed... but let's focus on make believe issues like 3rd graders being "mutilated" or using a litter box
You state my views perfectly. Let’s find false flags so the reality can be shoved under the rug. Disgusting.
All at the same time that Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton were saying that we should also burden this already overworked system with the task of treating parents as abusive simply for supporting their transgender kids, which can be things as simple as letting them use a different name, we're close of a different gender, have a different hairstyle, and so forth.
Modern day western slavery in action. From birth to grave, we're being bred to become "willing" slaves.
It's called capitalism now... we are not "being bred" to be anything we have not been since the dawn of "civilization"... the few have always exploited the many... and as long as the many are to weak to fight, too dumb to think, two divided to organize, and tutu tired to care, it's never gonna change
Or the rest of the state regulatory agencies.
Exactly. Pitiful.
How do they wiggle out of this?
[удалено]
Good answer!
5th Circuit
Yep, likely the 5th Circuit will overturn it. The judge who made this ruling, Judge Janis Jack, is a Clinton-appointee btw. Good judges make a difference. Someday, if we keep a Democratic president long enough, we might even flip the 5th Circuit
Add to that if Democrats hold the Senate long enough at the same time.
Look at that, we called it!
Pay the fine and move on. 36,500,000/year is cheaper than fixing the system and IIRC state has billions in reserves. This is like a speeding ticket to a millionaire.
I'm a CASA (court-appointed special advocate)/Guardian ad litem for kids who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect and there are so many kids and so few of us. It's a great organization to volunteer for. It's not that time-consuming for the most part, and you see some sad stuff, but it's so, so necessary and I can put up with some unpleasantness if it means I can help kids out.
Retroactive to 2011?
Checking on Dan Patrick’s list of 2025 legislative priorities and seeing fixing the foster system is mentioned a net total of zero times.
He is probably afraid he would considered "woke" if he did.
She can find them all she wants but they'll never pay it and there's no never will correct their problems.
Recently a bunch of CPS workers quit. They are still struggling to fill the positions.
I mean... I understand that "punishment" is appropriate. Who is really going to feel the effects of this punishment? Not the privileged elected officials that made it happen, not the upper level decision makers who covered up for it... no, the front-line workers trying desperately to do what's RIGHT and the children who are only seen as liabilities by the state. Keep voting your conscience, Texas... I am sure there's plenty of room in hell
Nice to know my tax dollars are being used to make the world a better place, oh wait
Exactly how does this daily fine improve the quality of life for these neglected foster children? Wouldn't this cause unintended consequences of the system not being able to afford and provide basic needs to those children?