Texas Dept. Family & Protective Services

House Bill 1 at the Texas Legislature proposes a cut of 400 caseworkers and investigators from the Dept. of Family & Protective Services. These are the persons who care for neglected and abused Texas children. The recommended caseload is 12 to 15 cases per caseworker, with the Texas average being 27 cases. The cuts in caseworkers would make this average much worse, meaning long delays in getting help for neglected and abused children.

For neglected children, think of the children of meth addicts, or alcoholics, or the homeless. For abused children, think of the children of parents with severe anger problems, or dangerous sexual habits, or emotional or psychological problems that make them dangerous to others. After an outcry is made, these are children who do not need long delays.

As a family lawyer, I have battled with the Dept of Family & Protective Services, have called the agency "out of control" and "too powerful". However, there are courts and Judges to see that justice is done when caseworkers make a mistake; there are no remedies for neglected and abused children who must wait too long for help.

Bankruptcy or Debt Solution Company plan

Debt solution companies - The GAO issued a report last year saying that only 1 in 10 customers of a debt solution company finished the program. The GAO also found that the debt solution companies tended to collect its fees first, then attempt to settle with the creditor. The customer may pay the debt solution company for months or a year with a 1 in 10 success rate.

Telephone collection calls - and other forms of debt collection continue while the customer is in the plan, until the bills are fully paid.

Bankruptcy - The automatic stay provision of the Bankruptcy act stops telephone collection calls and all attempts to collect a debt. This blog does not attempt to predict the outcome of any case, but "automatic" is, well, "automatic" and is better than 1 chance in 10.

The decision to file a bankruptcy - is more complicated than any blog can discuss. The ability to automatically stop harassing telephone calls can allow decisions to be made in silence, and away from the demands of creditors.