Bell County Texas Democratic Women

06/06/2026

June is Pride Month. This month (and every month) we're celebrating LGBTQ history and cultural contributions, and we're committed to protecting and expanding LGBTQ rights.

Some great organizations you can connect with to support the fight for equal rights include:
ACLU | https://www.aclu.org/
Equality Texas | https://equalitytexas.org/
The Trevor Project | https://www.facebook.com/TheTrevorProject

06/05/2026

Today's action is to leave a p***c comment urging Congress to adequately fund childcare programs, especially Head Start, instead of cutting costs by rolling back requirements designed to protect kids and pay providers and workers a living wage.

TAKE ACTION

Use the form on regulations.gov to ask the U.S. House to increase funding to Head Start, instead of the current proposal to roll back requirements: https://www.regulations.gov/document/ACF-2026-0364-0001

After visiting the link above, click on the "Comment" button (right under the page headline on a mobile device, or near the upper left on a desktop or laptop computer). Then proceed to draft a brief message and fill out the form with your contact information. When you're done, click the "Submit" button.

TALKING POINTS FOR YOUR MESSAGE

* The Head Start program is a high-quality benchmark in early childhood education--particularly in being able to have viable salaries for degreed teachers in the classrooms.
* Flat funding for several years and cost-of-living increases of less than half a percent are making it hard to attract and keep quality staff.
* Head Start needs dedicated professionals who understand the importance of brain development during the first five years of life.
* Staff deserves to be paid a reasonable salary and benefits.
* The proposed rule change to roll back requirements gives Congress an excuse not to fund the original mandate.
* The proposed change won't save billions of dollars (as its authors suggest) — because billions have never even been allocated.
* James Heckman, an economist honored by the Nobel Prize, has stated that the best investment a nation can make in its GNP is to invest in early childhood education.

COMMENT WRITING TIPS
* A comment can express simple support or dissent for a regulatory action. However, a constructive, information-rich comment that clearly communicates and supports its claims is more likely to have an impact on regulatory decision making.
* Introduce yourself and explain why you care about this regulation or issue.
* Lay out your argument: How does it impact you, errors or misunderstandings present in the regulation, missing perspectives, unintended impact or cost that hasn't been considered, etc.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROPOSED RULE CHANGE

From First Five Years Fund:

“Restoring Flexibility to Support Head Start Program Access,” a proposed rule by the Department of Health And Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

WHAT’S INCLUDED: The NPRM removes requirements that were effective October 1, 2024, related to wages (implemented by August 1, 2031) and benefits (implemented by August 1, 2028) in the Head Start program. The following requirements are now proposed for elimination.

Rolling Back Wage Requirements, including:
* Developing or updating formal pay scales for all staff
* Paying education staff wages comparable to public preschool teachers
* Providing salaries sufficient to cover basic living costs
* Promoting wage comparability between Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start staff

Rolling Back Benefits Requirements, including:
* Health insurance and paid leave benefits
* Behavioral health supports
* Access to child care subsidies and student loan forgiveness
* Periodic reassessment of benefits packages

06/05/2026

Join us next Thursday, June 11 for the BCTDW Blue Hour Social at 6:30 p.m. in Salado for a fun evening of casual conversation with like-minded folks (sometimes including a candidate or two)!

Maybe you're a longtime member, or maybe you're just getting curious about us — either way, our Blue Hour Socials are a great way to get to know your vibrant community of fellow Bell County blue dots. When we connect, blue dots can grow into a blue wave.

Blue Hour Social
June 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The Porch Light Bar
112 N. Main St. | Salado, TX

All are welcome! BCTDW is an inclusive organization, and we value everyone’s participation and perspective. Bring a friend, grab a beverage, and let’s make some meaningful connections. See you there! 🪻

06/03/2026

Today's action is to tell the CEOs of major corporations to stand up for voting rights (like they did just a few years ago): https://democracyactioncenter.org/ceocourage

In 2006 and 2021, Business Roundtable and major corporate CEOs spoke out strongly in favor of the Voting Rights Act and against voter suppression laws – but now corporate leaders are silent. Send a message to Business Roundtable and corporate CEOs: keep your values, your courage, and stand up for voting rights like you have in the past!

TAKE ACTION

Use Democracy Action Center's easy tool to message dozens of CEOs at once: https://democracyactioncenter.org/ceocourage

06/03/2026

More than 6,300 children under 18 – some as young as two months old, and almost all with no criminal record – have been arrested by federal immigration authorities during President Trump's second term. Nearly half have been detained by ICE at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center outside San ...

06/01/2026

Quite a few BCTDW members joined dozens of Bell County residents in expressing our shared concerns about unregulated data centers in our area and across the state.

We're grateful to our VP, Solange Hommel, who read a statement on behalf of all of BCTDW, as well as the several other BCTDW members who spoke as individuals.

Ensuring that all Bell County residents are protected from the many potential harms of this billionaire-driven data center frenzy will be a long process with many meetings. Mark your calendar for the next Commissioners Court meeting (which should be on June 15), and call your state reps.

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BCTDW's Statement on Data Centers
May 30, 2026

Bell County Texas Democratic Women (BCTDW) supports calls for local, county, state, and national moratoriums on the approval and construction of new data centers. We urgently request the intervention of our elected officials at all levels of government on this matter which directly threatens our quality of life, our infrastructure, our environment, and our future.

We are deeply concerned that the rapid expansion of data centers, especially of hyperscale operations, is likely to inflict serious lasting damage, from environmental and public health issues to the affordability of basic utilities. That massive energy demands would seriously impact our climate and raise electrical costs for everyone. That water we can’t spare would be consumed to support AI and surveillance the people don’t want or need. That backup generators would burn fuel and pollute our air. And that major industrial installations would create constant noise pollution, heat islands, and habitat loss.

Far too much is being taken, with far too little understanding, unproven benefit, and almost no regulation.

We join our fellow Bell County residents, Texans, and Americans in asking for:

* No more data center approvals without local input, environmental studies and testing, evidence-based regulations, and robust enforcement mechanisms.

* No more tax incentives at the state, county, or local levels.

* Support for all cities, counties, and states implementing moratoriums until the above requirements are met.

To our local city governments, county commissioners, state legislators, and our members of Congress: please listen to the voices of your constituents and take immediate action to safeguard our future from reckless data center expansion.

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Video credit: Angela Hobbs-Lopez

06/01/2026

Amazing work from BCTDW member (and past leader) Nancy Pfiester. Be like Nancy: Speak out and demand Congress do their jobs.

"January of 2025 gave America the Department of Government Efficiency, to do what? Oh yes, to make all Americans better off and so prosperous. Marco Rubio, through the new State Department, announced the cancellation of 5,200 foreign aid contracts and dismantled USAID," writes Harker Heights resident Nancy Pfiester in a Letter to the Editor. "I urge you to call your Congress member to release this money to the USAID for current Ebola epidemic funds."
Read her full letter here: https://kdhnews.com/opinion/letters/reader-discusses-fallout-from-doge-decisions-administration-s-actions/article_7f0e3fd9-7657-4f59-a524-eb72d0cefa85.html

"January of 2025 gave America the Department of Government Efficiency, to do what? Oh yes, to make all Americans better off and so prosperous. Marco Rubio, through the new State Department, announced the cancellation of 5,200 foreign aid contracts and dismantled USAID," writes Harker Heights resident Nancy Pfiester in a Letter to the Editor. "I urge you to call your Congress member to release this money to the USAID for current Ebola epidemic funds."
Read her full letter here: https://kdhnews.com/opinion/letters/reader-discusses-fallout-from-doge-decisions-administration-s-actions/article_7f0e3fd9-7657-4f59-a524-eb72d0cefa85.html?utm_source=kdhnews.com&utm_campaign=%2Fopinion%2Fletters%2Freader-discusses-fallout-from-doge-decisions-administration-s-actions%2Farticle-7f0e3fd9-7657-4f59-a524-eb72d0cefa85.html%3Fmode%3Demail%26-dc%3D1780234219&utm_medium=auto%20alert%20email&utm_content=image

06/01/2026

If you are able, please make your voice heard today at 1:30 p.m. at the Bell County Courthouse. To speak, you will have to arrive early to register.

Today's action is to voice your support for a moratorium on new data center approvals in Bell County until common sense safeguards are in place.

TAKE ACTION

First, send an email right now to all members of the Bell County Commissioners Court (keep scrolling for contact info and a letter template).

Then — if you can — make a plan to attend the Commissioners Court meeting and make a public comment this coming Monday (June 1 at 1:30 p.m. at the Bell County Courthouse).

BELL COUNTY COMMISSIONER CONTACT INFO

Russell Schneider, County Commissioner, Precinct 1 — [email protected]
Bobby Whitson, County Commissioner, Precinct 2 — [email protected]
Greg Reynolds, County Commissioner, Precinct 3 — [email protected]
Louie Minor, County Commissioner, Precinct 4 — [email protected]
David Blackburn, County Judge — [email protected]

LETTER TEMPLATE

Feel free to use the message below in full, edit it as you prefer, or write your own. This letter is based on a template from the Stop Temple Data Centers group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1903777443564433

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Subject:
Urgent Request for a Moratorium on Data Center Development Impacting Bell County

Message:

Dear Commissioners Schneider, Whitson, Reynolds, and Minor,

As a resident of [your city], I am writing to urgently request your intervention on a matter that directly threatens our quality of life, our infrastructure, our environment, and our future.

The City of Temple is currently approving large-scale commercial data center projects at an alarming rate — including at least three major developments proposed by Rowan Digital Infrastructure (Project Temple, Project Stampede, and Project Ranger) — without adequate study, transparency, or accountability. These facilities are industrial in scale and bring serious consequences: massive water consumption, heavy electrical demand requiring new high-voltage transmission infrastructure, noise pollution, traffic, and long-term strain on regional resources that extend well beyond Temple's city limits into Bell County.

Many of Bell County’s residents are caught in a deeply unfair situation: bearing the consequences of these decisions, while having no voice in Temple's city government. The same is true for residents of neighboring Hill County, who face identical consequences from unchecked development along our shared regional corridors — industrial sprawl that respects no county line.

Most troubling is that the City of Temple and the Temple EDC have refused to commission independent impact studies examining the cumulative effects of these projects on water supply, the electrical grid, roads, air quality, and surrounding property values. These decisions are being made without the basic due diligence that residents of Bell County — your constituents — deserve.

We respectfully urge you to take the following actions on our behalf:

1. Formally call for a moratorium on data center approvals in and around Temple until independent, comprehensive environmental and infrastructure impact studies are completed and made public;

2. Use your authority and platform to demand that Bell County's interests be represented in any regional planning discussions related to data center development, transmission infrastructure, and industrial land use;

3. Advocate for Bell County residents who are directly impacted by Temple's decisions but have no mechanism to participate in or challenge them due to jurisdictional and electoral boundaries;

4. Coordinate with Hill County leadership to present a unified, multi-county opposition to unsustainable industrial development being pushed outward from Temple's city limits into surrounding rural communities; and

5. Engage with state legislators and the Texas Legislature to close the loopholes that allow municipalities to externalize the costs of industrial development onto neighboring counties and unincorporated residents without oversight or recourse.

Commissioners Schneider, Whitson, Reynolds, and Minor: It is the responsibility of county government to serve as the last line of defense against irresponsible and unsustainable development. When a city pushes industrial growth outward without regard for the counties and communities that absorb the impact, it falls to county commissioners to say: enough. Bell County and Hill County residents did not vote for data centers. We did not consent to high-voltage transmission lines cutting through our communities. We did not agree to have our water, our roads, and our way of life sacrificed for the benefit of out-of-state corporations and a city government that does not represent us.

Our community is being left to absorb the consequences of decisions made without us, for us. We need you to stand up for Bell County, for our neighbors in Hill County, and for every resident who has no seat at Temple's table.

We are asking you to act — not someday, but now. Please respond to this letter so that we know our concerns have been received and are being addressed.
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]

06/01/2026

Today's action is to tell Congress that you want them to support the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/pass-the-john-lewis-voting-rights-advancement-act-now/

Voting rights are foundational to our democracy. With the Supreme Court's recent devastating decision to gut the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), we need to be banging down our reps' and senators' doors on the regular.

TAKE ACTION

You can use our easy letter-writing tool to craft and send a message to Cornyn, Cruz. and your rep with just a few clicks: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/pass-the-john-lewis-voting-rights-advancement-act-now/

Feel free to make the whole letter your own. But if you change nothing else, we strongly recommend you make the subject line your own. Unique letters are taken more seriously than carbon copies.

LEARN MORE

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to require that states with a history of discrimination could not change their voting procedures without first securing “preclearance” to ensure proposed changes wouldn't harm minority voters.

In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that the formula used to identify which states must have "preclearance" needed to be updated. The John Lewis Advancement Act will do exactly that.

What is the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act? (1) Modernizes the VRA’s formula determining which states and localities have a pattern of discrimination; (2) Ensures that last-minute voting changes do not adversely affect voters by requiring officials to publicly announce all voting changes at least 180 days before an election; and (3) Expands the government’s authority to send federal observers to any jurisdiction where there may be a substantial risk of discrimination at the polls on Election Day or during an early voting period. | From Human Rights Campaign: https://www.hrc.org/resources/voting-rights-advancement-act

"Today's decision is a devastating blow to what remains of the Voting Rights Act, and a license for corrupt politicians who want to rig the system by silencing entire communities. The Supreme Court betrayed Black voters, they betrayed America, and they betrayed our democracy. This ruling is a major setback for our nation and threatens to erode the hard-won victories we've fought, bled, and died for. But the people still can fight back. Our best defense and offense is the ballot box, and we're going to turn out voters for the midterm elections to make sure we can elect representatives who look out for us. Our democracy is crying for help." | From NAACP: https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-condemns-supreme-courts-ruling-against-voting-rights

The Supreme Court Just Gutted the Voting Rights Act — Here’s What It Means for You | From Common Cause: https://www.commoncause.org/articles/the-supreme-court-just-gutted-the-voting-rights-act/