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Legislative Breakthrough –
Legislative Breakthrough – SB 513 and a West Texas Pilot (2025)
The 89th Texas Legislature marked a pivotal moment for the West Texas Together coalition. After years of groundwork, the community had built the relationships, the strategy, and the political momentum needed to advance a new legislative framework. In early 2025, Senator Kevin Sparks filed Senate Bill 513—a bill specifically designed to authorize a rural community-driven pilot for Community-Based Care in Texas.
SB 513 was developed in direct response to the persistent challenges Region 9 faced: a vast service area with no SSCC, high out-of-region placements, limited provider infrastructure, and unique rural barriers that weren’t accounted for in previous CBC rollouts. The bill allowed DFPS to establish a pilot program in any rural region that met two criteria: the region had previously received no CBC bids, and at least two-thirds of its counties were rural. Region 9 qualified on both counts.
West Texas Together members traveled to Austin to testify in support of the bill, sharing personal stories, local data, and a community-driven vision. Their advocacy emphasized the potential of partnerships with regional universities, faith-based networks, and nonprofits already serving families. SB 513 gained bipartisan support and passed overwhelmingly, becoming law effective September 1, 2025.
The bill authorized DFPS to partner with a local nonprofit or governmental entity to serve as the SSCC in the pilot region. It also required that the lead entity be governed by a local board and collaborate with a regional community alliance. This language reflected the structure WTT had already built: a cross-sector coalition ready to govern, implement, and evaluate the pilot.
Alongside SB 513, the Legislature also passed SB 1558, a bill that addressed liability protections for nonprofit foster care providers and SSCCs. This measure aimed to make it more feasible for local organizations to step into the SSCC role by limiting their exposure to certain legal risks when operating in good faith under DFPS contracts.
By mid-2025, the focus shifted toward implementation. WTT formed subcommittees in the Concho Valley and Permian Basin to draft recommendations for the upcoming RFA. They advocated for transparency, family-centered contracting, performance-based benchmarks, and flexibility in funding to account for rural travel, telehealth, and nontraditional service delivery models. WTT also recommended that local community members—especially kinship caregivers and youth with lived experience—be included in both governance and ongoing evaluation.
SB 513 did more than authorize a pilot. It marked a fundamental shift: the state would now recognize and support rural innovation instead of applying a one-size-fits-all model. The legislation formalized what WTT had spent years building: a coalition capable of taking the lead.
Sources:
Texas Legislature Online – SB 513 Full Text: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=SB513
Texas Legislature Online – SB 1558 Full Text: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=SB1558
Rural Pilot One-Pager (One Accord for Kids): https://www.oneaccordforkids.org/_files/ugd/cbc-rural-pilot.pdf
West Texas Together – 13125 Legislative Notes
West Texas Together – Aug 2025 Letter to DFPS
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