The state of Texas last week announced the new “Support Adoption” License Plate and Support Adoption Grant Program, administered by the Office of the Attorney General, which will provide funds to eligible non-profits offering adoption services.
The OAG will distribute grants to organizations that provide for the material needs of pregnant women considering adoption for an unborn child and children waiting to be adopted.
Additionally, the grants can be used to offer training, advertising, and counseling related to adoption. In some cases, the funds will be used to directly defray the cost of adoption, which can sometimes be tens of thousands of dollars.
The Support Adoption program was instituted by Senate Bill 2376, authored by Sen. Donna Campbell, and recently signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.
“I am excited to announce this new program encouraging the life-changing miracle of adoption,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said. “In Texas, we recognize that life is precious and must be protected. However, more than merely opposing the violence of abortion, we are pro-life.
“That is why the “’Adoption’ grant program was created: to assist those who might feel hopeless, lost, alone, or confused, and offer them a better path,” Paxton said.
The Support Adoption Committee appointed by AG Paxton worked with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to design a new specialty plate.
The bill’s language specifically states the funding is available to agencies that “provide counseling and material assistance to pregnant women who are considering placing their children for adoption or to prospective adoptive parents” and does not charge for services provided, except for adoption-related costs or fees.
But agencies and organizations applying for the grants cannot “provide abortions or abortion-related services or make referrals to abortion providers and is not affiliated with an organization that provides abortions or abortion-related services or makes referrals to abortion providers.”
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