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“Supporting Texas means supporting Texas families. Strong families are the backbone and building blocks of society. We must support families by making it financially easier for them to have and raise children in a supportive and nurturing way.”
–TEXAS LEGISLATOR BRYAN SLATON
A bill introduced in the Texas House of Representatives would incentivize families to “get married, stay married, and be fruitful and multiply.”
If passed, House Bill 2889 would grant graduated property tax relief for married families based on their total number of children. In practice, the bill would am
end the state tax code to provide tax relief for married (never divorced) heterosexual couples who have or adopt multiple children. Married couples with up to three children would be entitled to a 10 percent tax credit. Married couples with four children would receive a 40 percent tax credit; five children would entitle them to a 50 percent tax break; and so on, with ten or more children warranting a 100 percent tax credit.
Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton, R, who introduced the bill, said his intention in pursuing this change to the Texas tax code is to relieve the financial burden on families and encourage married couples to care for multiple children without fear of expense.
“Supporting Texas means supporting Texas families. Strong families are the backbone and building blocks of society. We must support families by making it financially easier for them to have and raise children in a supportive and nurturing way,” said Slaton, who prior to being elected in 2020 served as a youth and family pastor for 13 years.
A memo released by Slaton’s office stated that the bill is further justified by studies that affirm the circumstances that contribute to, or compromise, a child’s well-being. It explained, “Many studies have shown that children tend to have enhanced ‘well-being and development,’ and tend to avoid developmental, academic, and behavioral problems when raised by both parents in a stable marriage.”
The memo also emphasizes the need to address the falling birth rates in the United States by citing other countries who have implemented similar policies.
“Falling birth rates also pose a potentially significant problem for the future as the age dependency rises. Policies similar to HB 2889 have been implemented in nations such as Hungary and Poland, where they have begun the process of reversing their declining birth rates and are [sic] helping to foster thriving families.”
Progressive media outlets covered the bill’s introduction extensively, including traditional fashion and entertainment outlets like Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and Inside Edition, lamenting it as “anti-LGBTQ” and “anti-woman.” Twitter commenter Christopher Slackett, who often rails about Christian nationalists, tweeted that the proposed legislation was the fictional novel The Handmaid’s Tale come to life, “where women are pushed to be broodmares. They want more white kids.”
The bill, filed on February 27, is currently awaiting review by the Texas House Committee where it will be voted on. If passed, it will move on to the House floor.
Rep. Slaton is setting an incredible precedent for lawmakers across the country. If we care about the future of our nation, working class families, and the well-being of children, policies like “Get Married, Stay Married, and Be Fruitful and Multiply” should be implemented nationwide.
Successful, serious countries care about things like this. Unfortunately, we are no longer a serious country. Our beloved nation is being run by greedy, perverse, progressive demagogues who care very little about families, children, or the future of our nation. That is why it is absolutely monumental that this bill was filed in Texas this past week.
In many ways, this bill would help families live on a single income, allowing women to stay home with their children to raise them, train them, and nurture them instead of sending them off to be raised by someone else. It would incentivize raising a generation that is not brainwashed by the public education system but is instead equipped, disciplined, and challenged to become upstanding members of society.
In a country with such a low view of children and family, what better way to encourage the God-ordained nuclear family than by incentivizing it?
When God created the earth, He saw all that He created and called it good — so good, in fact, that His first command to humanity was to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). The nuclear family unit was rooted in creation so that it would glorify God, and it is the cornerstone to a healthy society simply because God created it.
It is the natural order of things for a man to marry a woman and have many, many children. Scripture warns us, though, about what happens to people who call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). They are without excuse. As Romans 1:18-19, 24-25, warns:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them…Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”
The ungodly resent God and what He has called good. They suppress the truth, exchanging the truth for a lie and worshiping creation instead of the Creator. As a result of their rebellion, God gives them up to the lusts of their hearts. He turns them over to debased minds and dishonorable passions (Romans 1:26, 28).
And is that not exactly what we are seeing in America today?
If it isn’t clear by now, the people who are on “the right side of history” are those who encourage what God designed, and Rep. Slaton and other lawmakers who vote in favor of this bill will be remembered in history for furthering what is good.
Ready to dive deeper into the intersection of faith and policy? Head over to our Theology of Politics series page where we’ve published several long-form pieces that will help Christians navigate where their faith should direct them on political issues.
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