The Sandra Bland Act would require law enforcement agencies to document the race and ethnicity of drivers they stop, divert some people to treatment instead of jail and require more training and reporting for county jails and law enforcement officials.
85th Legislative Session
Posted in
Public Education
Senate panel weighs alternate graduation route for students who fail exams
The Texas Senate Education Committee heard Tuesday from supporters, and a few critics, of a bill that would make permanent a 2015 law that allows students to graduate even if they haven’t passed their required exams by going before a graduation committee.
Posted in
State Government
Bill declaring fantasy sports legal passes House committee
In a hearing Tuesday, the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures approved a bill that would affirm the legality of online fantasy sports.
Posted in
State Government
Senate approves recusals for county clerks, judges objecting to same-sex marriage
Under a Senate-backed proposal, county clerks with religious objections to same-sex marriages can recuse themselves from signing marriage licenses.
Posted in
Health care
Texas lawmakers seek to ensure no state funds reach abortion providers
An amendment to ban abortion providers from receiving any funds from the state budget passed in the House, but it’s unclear how effective it would be in fully defunding groups like Planned Parenthood.
Posted in
Higher Education
Has the Top 10 Percent Rule impacted diversity at UT-Austin? It’s complicated.
It’s hard to know exactly how the Top 10 Percent Rule has impacted diversity at UT-Austin, but data suggests it does boost the school’s Hispanic population right now.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
“David’s Law” would criminalize cyberbullying, mandate school policies
A Texas senator wants to criminalize cyberbullying when it leads to a minor’s serious injury or suicide. Critics of the bill say prevention is more effective than punishment.
Posted in
Politics
Study: Texas voter education campaign failed to prevent ID confusion
Texas’ court-ordered $2.5 million voter education campaign failed to prevent widespread confusion about the state’s identification rules ahead of the 2016 General Election, according to a new study.
Posted in
Higher Education
Hazlewood plan would leave benefits for current veterans untouched
Colleges are asking the state to pare back the state program that offers free tuition to veterans or their children. But key lawmakers in the Texas House don’t want to mess with what’s being offered to current veterans and their families.
Posted inPublic Education
Here’s what the Texas school choice bill means in plain English
Despite lobbying from Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the leading private school choice bill of the session is facing strong resistance in the Texas House. We’ve updated our annotation of Senate Bill 3 to reflect the version that passed out of the Senate.
