The Texas Legislature's budget for the next two years includes $20 million more in funding for a controversial program that seeks to discourage women from getting abortions in the state.
The extra money puts the program's total operating budget at over $38 million, the highest it's been since it began in 2006.
State law requires the Health and Human Services Commission to report funding needs to the governor and Legislature.
The 2018-2019 period's $20 million increase is the largest in the program's history — four times its starting budget in 2006.
Joe Pojman, executive director Texas Alliance for Life, said he was "ecstatic" to hear about the funding increases, saying it demonstrates the state's priority in limiting abortion.
Rather, she said the state should establish better worker protections to help low-income families earn a living wage.
"Clearly the state is prioritizing ideology over public health because a true alternative to abortion would be ensuring access to health care, especially family planning," she said. »