News
Action Alert: Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
Background: In March 2011, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), introduced “The Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2011 (S. 507).” This legislation addresses the staggering increase in deaths and overdoses from methadone and other opioid prescription drugs. This bill is an updated version of the “Methadone Treatment and Protection Act” that Senator Rockefeller introduced in the 111th Congress. The Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2011 would address the overall problem of unsafe use of methadone...
read moreHope in South Texas
On October 4, 2011 Texas Youth Advocates Anthony K. Davis and Greg Bryan traveled to Edinburg, TX to support TYA’s good friend and State Representative Arron Pena. For the last ten years Rep. Pena has been trying to get a affordable treatment center built in the South Texas to help prevent future deaths due to addiction and the drug lifestyle. Rep. Pena’s strong personal connection to the recovery community and the Texas Youth Advocates stems from the loss of his son, John Austin Pena, to drugs in 2001. Anthony was in The Valley...
read moreHouse Bill 3145
Legislative Update Governor Perry has signed HB 3145 into law. It has taken since 1992 to get the Peer Assistance item corrected. HB 3145 will not only help to fund the TAPNET Peer Assistance Program for Addiction Professionals but it also includes revisions to antiquated oral testing requirements for LCDC licensure and a new provision allowing LCDC students with a criminal background to begin Clinical Internships faster. Many people played a major role in the passage of HB 3145 with personal e-mails, phone calls, visits and testimony....
read morePaul Wellstone Award
Honoring Advocacy Paul Wellstone was the first nationally elected official to stand on the floor of the Senate in Washington DC and speak the words, “Hi, my name is Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, and I am an alcoholic.” From that point forward, Sen. Wellstone was on a mission of advocacy, helping to put a face on the disease of addiction, to bring heightened awareness to the current plight for funding in our states and nation for alcohol and drug treatment, and, to challenge his colleagues and the voters at large to stop...
read moreFuture Plans
Texas Youth Advocates on Tour From November 2010 to January 2011 the Texas Youth Advocates for Legislative Change will be visiting several collages, treatment centers and political offices to help raise awareness for our cause. The first stop was Lone Star Community College in Conroe, TX where Clayton Goldberg shared his personal experience with the Texas Youth Advocates as well as future plans we have.
read moreSepctrum 2010 Update
Spectrum Success! We came; we saw; we advocated! SPECTRUM was a blast. The Texas Youth Advocates were in attendance to show the addiction professional community of Houston that we are in action, we need help and we won’t give up. While many counselors and professionals know the extreme need for government support when it comes to funding and treatment, many people had never seen the “Youth” side of advocacy. The State TAAP board was kind enough to give us some time during their board meeting to present the new face of youth...
read moreSpectrum 2010
Spectrum Conference 2010: The Next Generation As of now, The Texas Youth Advocates are planning to launch a new membership campaign in conjunction with the Houston Chapter of TAAP’s annual Spectrum Conference. While the youth leadership has grown in age within the Texas Youth Advocates, many of our members have grown apart. The current Youth Leadership are in the process of gaining local and state membership in the hopes of doing more to help men and women in addiction. TYA is planning to fully integrate membership applications to the...
read moreRadio Spot
Texas Youth Advocates Heard Around the World During the 2010 Texas Association of Addiction Professionals Conference in San Antonio Texas, Texas Youth Advocate Chairperson, Clayton Goldberg, had the opportunity to share with the world what we are all about. RECOVERY- Coast to...
read moreScholarship 2010
John Austin Pena Memorial Scholarship In 2004, the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals introduced the John Austin Pena Memorial Scholarship which was created to honor the memory of Pena, who at 16 lost his battle with addiction. John was the son of Texas State Representative Aaron Pena of Edinburgh, who before his son’s death was a prominent attorney in the Rio Grande Valley, but after suffering the devastating loss of John, and in his own personal quest for answers to this life changing situation, he moved away from the practice...
read moreNews Update
Up Next for Texas Youth Advocates The Advocacy Trip in 2010 was not in the cards for the group as the event was moved from March to September and conflicted with other scheduled events. But the Texas Youth Advocates are already raising money for 2011 to help support planned trips to both Austin and Washington where they will make their presence known and their voices heard as they continue their fight for increased funding and the continuance of parity.
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