Texas lawmakers want to spend millions on Child ID kits, experts question benefits

Texas Republican pushes to spend millions in taxpayer cash on tool that doesn't work

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Two years ago, Texas lawmakers quietly cut millions of dollars in funding for kits intended to help track down missing kids, after ProPublica and Th...

Texas lawmakers want to spend millions on Child ID kits. Experts say there’s no evidence they work.

By Lexi Churchill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica May 9, 2025 “Texas lawmakers want to spend millions on Child ID kits. Experts say there’s no evidence they work.” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. This article is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates ab…

Texas lawmakers want to spend millions on Child ID kits. Experts say …

Texas legislators slipped millions for child ID kits into a 1,000-page budget proposal. The move comes two years after they quietly cut funding for such kits following a ProPublica and Texas Tribune report that showed there’s no evidence they work.

Texas lawmakers want to spend millions on Child ID kits, experts question benefits

"Texas lawmakers want to spend millions on Child ID kits. Experts say theres no evidence they work." was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.This article is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for ProPublicas Big Story newsletter to receive…

Texas Lawmakers Are Again Pushing to Spend Millions on Kits to Find Missing Kids. Experts Say They Don’t Work.

Two years ago, Texas lawmakers cut millions in funding for kits intended to help track down missing kids, after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune revealed there was no evidence they work. Now, lawmakers are pushing to purchase more kits.