Legislation that reforms the state’s grand jury system now awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature after the House on Sunday approved a compromise between the two chambers.
John Whitmire
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Truancy Reform Heads Down to the Wire
With one Texas county facing a federal investigation into how it punishes chronic school-skippers — and Texas one of only two states that prosecute truants in adult courts — lawmakers are weighing two House measures that would decriminalize truancy.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
House OKs Raising Age of Juvenile Offenders to 18
A final effort to raise from 17 to 18 the age at which offenders automatically enter the adult legal system made it through the Texas House on Tuesday, tacked onto a bill reorganizing the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Senate Backs House on In-Person Inmate Visitation
Inmates in some Texas county jails may no longer have to speak to loved ones on a video screen, after the Senate voted Monday to pass a House measure guaranteeing a minimum of two 20-minute, in-person visitations per week.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: May 1, 2015
The decision earlier this week by Gov. Greg Abbott to get involved in the controversy over a planned military exercise taking place across several Southwestern states continues to draw comment.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Amid Truancy Debate, Whitmire Questions Program’s Referrals
State Sen. John Whitmire is asking questions about a program for at-risk youths run by the Texas Military Department where more than half of the applicants are truant students referred by justice of the peace courts or from the schools themselves.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: April 29, 2015
Gone are accusations of gamesmanship as lawmakers get to work finding common ground on the session’s border security bill.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: April 16, 2015
For all the talk about undocumented immigrants qualifying for in-state tuition at Texas colleges and universities, it turns out that these students make up a very small portion of the college-going population.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: March 30, 2015
The reviews are in for Ted Cruz’s first campaign swing this weekend through New Hampshire, a key early presidential primary state.
Posted in
State Government
Property and Business Tax Cut Measures Head to Full Senate
The Senate Finance Committee voted Tuesday to send proposals cutting property taxes and business taxes to the full Senate, though some senators questioned whether the property tax cuts could be better spent in other ways.