HB 114

"🔴 HB 114 lets private groups profit off veterans—using taxpayer dollars, without public oversight.

Here’s what it says it does: HB 114 moves mental health programs for veterans from the big state health agency to the Texas Veterans Commission. It also sets up a grant program for nonprofits to help veterans struggling with PTSD, suicide, and other mental health issues.

That sounds good. It sounds like Texas is cutting red tape and helping veterans faster, with programs that understand military culture. And honestly, that’s what most of us want: quicker help for the folks who served our country.

But here’s what really happens behind the curtain:
This bill shifts a big pot of money—and all the power over who gets it—to one politically appointed office inside the Veterans Commission. That one office gets to decide the rules, the winners, and the payouts. And here's the kicker: to even qualify for the money, local programs must raise private dollars first.

That means small-town clinics, public hospitals, or rural counties that can’t drum up matching donations? They get nothing. Meanwhile, bigger nonprofits in wealthier areas—with connections and donors—can lock in public money with no competition. No public scoring. No bidding. No third-party review.

So who benefits? Private contractors. Well-funded nonprofits. Political allies with “veteran service” logos and the right handshake. The Veterans Commission grows its empire, while public health departments lose authority.

Who gets left out? The veteran in a rural town with no nearby provider. The overwhelmed county that can’t raise a match. The public that has no way to track how these dollars are spent—or what happens if they’re misused.

And once this structure is in place, it becomes the model: shift money out of public hands, set up private matching rules, and hand out contracts behind closed doors. It's all under the flag of ""helping veterans""—but it’s really about who controls the dollars.

This isn’t about red vs blue. It’s about public vs private control. If we want a state that takes care of all our veterans—not just the ones in wealthy counties or politically connected nonprofits—we need to pay attention to how these bills work.

🔴 #HB114 #TexasPolicy #StayInformed #WatchTheDetails"