Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

Mar 07 2025 100 ep. 26 mins 17

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness Podcast artwork

Weekly Witness is your weekly update on the mainstream faith community’s perspective on everything Texas public policy. Hosted by Texas Impact's Scott Atnip, Weekly Witness is recorded in front of a live audience in downtown Austin. We host policy experts, faith leaders, and elected officials who provide in-depth information on relevant policy issues in the state. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact, Texas’ oldest and largest interfaith advocacy group. Visit texasimpact.org for more information.

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Ep. 426 Policy Push-Pull: Foundations for Immigration Advocacy

Mar 07 2025 40 mins

Among the many justice issues concerning people of faith in 2025, immigration is near the top of the list across the country and across faith traditions. This week we are bringing you three guests to lay a foundation for immigration advocacy—at the federal level and in Texas. First up, we talk with Bobby Painter and Kristin Etter of the Texas Immigration Law Council, who bring

Ep. 425 "Do Something to Show You Care:" Perspectives from the Gun Sense Majority

Feb 28 2025 31 mins

This week, we are joined by several of the speakers and participants in the Preventing Gun Violence Advocacy Day. First we talk with Jasir Rahman, a student at Rice University and Texas Youth Advocacy Coordinator with Team ENOUGH. Later in the episode we hear from Nicole Golden, Director of Texas Gun Sense, and Rev. Stephen Sanders from Oak Hill United Methodist Church shortly aft

Ep. 424 This is Not Done: The Fight to Stop School Vouchers

Feb 21 2025 20 mins

This week we are excited to bring you content from Texas Impact’s Public School Defenders’ Lobby Day. We are joined by State Representative Gina Hinojosa, House District 49, while walking back to the Capitol after she addressed the Public School defenders to discuss voucher plans and how Texans of faith can push back against SB 2 and other voucher bills. Later in the program

Ep.423 Voucher Pop Quiz with Sen. Sarah Eckhardt

Feb 14 2025 20 mins

This week we have an exciting episode for you as we are recording live from the Capitol office of Senator Sarah Eckhardt. Last week, the Senate passed SB 2, a school voucher bill that would give a $10,000 voucher to students to attend private schools. What is not shocking is that the Senate passed SB 2 so quickly while legislators are usually still in the relationship-building pa

Ep. 422 Reconciliation and Respect

Feb 07 2025 36 mins

This week we are going back to back with United Methodist Bishops as we welcome Bishop Ruben Saenz from the Horizon Texas Annual Conference—formerly the North, Central and Northwest Texas Conferences. We thought this was a timely conversation as Bishop Saenz and other United Methodist Bishops in the South Central Jurisdiction wrote a pastoral letter addressing how we treat our i

Ep. 421 Anointed with Hope

Jan 31 2025 26 mins

This week we are bringing you content from the United Women in Faith Legislative Event. This is typically Texas Impact’s biggest event of the year—and this year the UWF had record participation with 350 registrants from United Women in Faith and various other faith groups participating over the three day event with hundreds making Capitol visits to their Legislators. In this e

Ep. 420 (Don't) Forget Paris

Jan 23 2025 21 mins

This week, we are excited to welcome Texas Impact’s Climate Action Fellow, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards, to talk about the President’s recent executive action, once again, removing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement. There has been a lot happening in the last two weeks. The opening of the Texas legislative session, MLK Day, a presidential inauguration, a snow day or two and

Ep. 419 Reflections from the Celebration of Public Witness for the 89th Legislature

Jan 16 2025 19 mins

Since 1973, Texas Impact has hosted a service or celebration of public witness on the south steps of the Texas Capitol in conjunction with the opening of the Texas Legislature. This year, the Texas Legislature convened Tuesday, January 14, and so the Texas Impact crew, along with Texas faith leaders and elected representatives, gathered on the steps for a Celebration of Public Wi

Ep. 418 New Year, New Resolve

Jan 08 2025 32 mins

We hope you all had a meaningful and relaxing holiday season and a great start to the new year; it is about to get busy and your advocacy will be critical in the next few months. We know a lot of attention will be paid to what is happening in Washington with the new administration, but the Texas Legislature convenes next Tuesday, January 14 and will be meeting for 140 days. They

Ep. 417 Meanwhile in Washington: Looming Federal Medicaid Cuts

Dec 18 2024 15 mins

Last week, Diana Forester and her colleague Alec Mendoza joined us to talk about health policy in Texas. It is such a big topic, and so much of it is driven by federal policy, that we are joined again this week by Diana to continue the conversation about how actions by Congress could impact health in Texas–and how you can help protect Texans' access to healthcare in the coming we